Male Cat Bites ...

I hesitated to write this question , but I am dumfounded here. Last year someone gave me a 6 yr. old male cat who has been neutered. But he also had something done to him that I would never do but he came to me that way. He had his front feet declawed. Now I have had no experience with a male cat or a declawed one. The problem is-- he bites HARD! I can only brush his head and tale and have to sneak to brush the rest of him(he is a Maine Coon Mix). I can't even pick him up. The vet told me that some declawed cats have two main defense mechanisms-the teeth and the claws, so if one is taken away, then they use the other, but I never even yell at him and like I said, I can't hold him.
Could he have been abused when he was younger? Is this something I have to put up with? I can't even take him to the vet cause I can't touch the little varmit LOL.
Help!! I love him but I am unsure what to do.
Thanx

The sad truth is that declawed cats can start biting in defense if they are declawed. I'm not surprised about the reaction. They also may refuse to use the litter box and pee/poop on the bed, clothes, anywhere but the litter pan.

If he was declawed later in life, it may be why he is biting. Has nothing to do with him being a male - its the result of declawing. I doubt it has to do with any past abuse. Its fear-biting.

Maybe in time he will come to know you are not a threat and allow some handling. Did the person who gave you this cat have him declawed? Did they tell you he was a fear-biter?

About how much time did it take for you to be able to touch him on his sides and tummy? I sure don't want him to get matted on his sides and tummy
Yes, the lady who previously owned him declawed him but when she gave him to me, didn't bother to even tell me. grrrrrr He was about 5 when he was declawed( so she says)

The biting isn't necessarily a result of declawing. My male cat has claws and he's a biter... he's had some serious aggression and I've worked to decrease it, with very good success. When I was little we had a declawed male cat who never bit.

I guess I would encourage you not to think of the biting as an unavoidable symptom of a victimized animal, since that won't help the cat (for instance, such thinking might make your body language more nervous and tentative when you touch him). Just think of it as a behavioral problem that you can work to fix. In my experience most cats dislike being touched on their stomachs, and many get agitated when touched near the tail or sides... they like contact around the head and neck best.

There's a very good thread on how to deal with cat aggression in this forum, here:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20837

For me, I've found that maintaining a very calm attitude when brushing works well, and paying careful attention to the cat's response... if his tail is still or moving slowly, he's relaxed, but when it starts swishing, he's irritated/excited and may be about to bite. If he does start biting, I calmly pick him up and shut him in another room for 10 minutes or so, after which he's completely forgotten about attacking. Over time, this helps break the pattern of behavior.

I wouldn't recommend sneaking up on the cat. That's going to make him think it's a game or an attack, and he'll bite.