Biting but not playing

Ok this is hard to explain, Oliver does this thing where he comes up to me and just bites me for no reason....he's not trying to play with me cos when he is he will sink his teeth in and use his feet to kick me.

When he does this its just a single bite, he does it on my arm and on my face. Its worrying me because it seems so weird...i'm wondering if its a sight thing, i'm starting to suspect that he has a sight problem, i think he maybe be blind in one eye at least. If this is the case, could the biting thing just be to kind of see what I am...like how some animals use taste etc.

I'm going to take him to the vets soon but no chance before Christmas now.

Please help.

We'd need some more info on your kitty. How old is he? Is he declawed? Do you play with him when he bites you (when "he will sink his teeth in and use his back feet to kick" you)? Do you use your hands as toys?

It seems to me it may be something he's doing to get your attention, but it's really hard to say. The only time our kitties bite and kick is when we're petting them and they get overstimulated - and then we just stop petting them. We've never responded to biting, we've always ignored it - that way they learned that biting doesn't get them play or attention of any kind. We've also never used our hands as "toys" - we never wanted them to think that biting is OK.

Our kitties do give us love bites when we're petting them - but it's more that they just put their mouth on our wrist or whatever - they don't bite down.

??? If you have reason to worry about his eyesight, I'd schedule a vet appointment for as soon as you can.

Laurie

It sounds to me like a slight case of dominance agression, actually. He's showing you that's he's in charge. He's saying, "You're MINE."

It would seem highly doubtful to me that it has anything to do with his eyesight, for he would simply rely more on hearing and smell, along with using his whiskers and guard hairs.

I second the vet idea, and think you should take some notes about his behavior to bring along with you to the appointment, just so you can hand it over in writing to add to his file.

When he does this to you, literally, physically turn your back to him. Don't reward him with ANY attention. DO yell "Ow!" and act hurt before turning away, even if he doesn't bite too hard. This will teach him that this is a behavior that will not be tolerated, and if you are consistant, this should cease.

If you do this, and the behavior escalates, make a vet appointment immediately, because he may need to be medicated for a while to bring him to a less aggressive level.

Good luck, and please keep us updated!

My cat would bite me when he was younger. Then he would start kneading.

He now bites me once and then starts to lick me. Im pretty sure its a gromming bite, because I see him do this to himself alot.

Thanks for the advice Oliver is 6 months old, he's not declawed, i dont think they do that over here (uk). No I don't use my hands to play with him, if i'm petting him and he bites me I just put him down on the floor. This is why i'm so confused, because its literally so random, if i'm on the couch, he will walk in from another room and just bite me for no reason (i'm gonna take this personally soon haha)

The only reason i suspect with his sight is, he puts his hand in his water bowl to see if theres anything there, he also doesnt know about his food unless you put him right up to the dish...when he uses the litter tray he cant ever cover up his poo properly and ends up putting cat litter everywhere.....if i try get his attention from the right side he doesnt respond unless he sees me with his left eye.