biting owner

i've just started having aggression problems with my 5 year old female persian who i'vve now had for about 4 months.
i know biting is quite a common problem but i don't know how to stop it happening. over the last week she's started launching biting attacks on me. well maybe not attacks, she hasn't yet frawn blood. she's always been one for lunging at ankles at ankles at biting during play sessions but now she'll come up to me all sweet and purring and when i stop petting her she'll be motionless and suddenly go for my hand with her teeth. i presume she's doing it cos she wants to play but this will happen a while after a play session. what do i do? i'm getting very nervous of all displays of affection and don't feel as relaxed with her. usually i make some kind of hissing sound as i read somewhere it's good for letting them know you don't approve and she immediaetly runs off but will soon return as if nothing has happened. i never hit her and she is usally very affectionate but this is a definite change. the only thing i can think of is that my boyfriend is away a lot more so she hasn't got as many people to play with and wants either play or attention.
what is the best way to stop this happening?

The only way I have been able to stop biting behavior is to give a firm no and then put them down and walk away. It takes ahwile, but they usually get the idea. The extreme is to put them in a time out area like a kennel when they do this. I have never had to try this one.
If was an all of a sudden ordeal, a vet visit may be needed. They tend to show abnormal behavior when they arent feeling up to parr.

It sounds like very much like your Persian may have learned this type of behavior. She may have developed an inappropriate sense of play while she was still a kitten. Training an adult cat can be done, but it takes time. Never give your cat mixed signals by playing with her with you hands. When playing with a toy such as a cat fisher or string never pull the toy towards yourself. If you persist in communicating to your cat that you do not approve of this behavior she will change. Make sure that she has plenty of toys and good scratching post. If she misses attention and will tolerate the presence of another cat get her a friend to play with. Two cats are almost always better one.

Scary Stuff……..

If your cat is either strictly indoors or has had yearly rabies boosters then relax and skip this paragraph. (Really skip it) If your cat goes outside and does not get an annual rabies shot there may be cause for concern. Rabies takes two forms dumb and furious. The cat may seem like they want to drink but simply cannot. The dumb form consists of a passive animal that seeks dark places. The furious form is the type that is depicted in the Stephen King book Cujo and the film of the same name. Really Scary Stuff Aside….


Cats may direct aggression towards people because they are redirecting emotion, defending their territory, afraid of something, want you to stop petting them or are playing. Your definition of play may not include fangs, but her definition certainly may.

Chronic pain, hyperthyroidism brain damage or brain defects can also cause aggression as can anxiety.

Lotsocats just posted this in a thread on aggression and biting:


The way to modify the aggression that happens when you pet him is to do the following:

1. Get a clock with a second hand and see how long you can pet him before he bites.

Lets say that you can pet him for 3 minutes before a bite happens. What you do next is:

2. Pet him for 2 minutes and even though he is still purring stop petting him (don't go the whole 3 minutes...stop early!). Do this for about a week. This shows him he can sit in your lap and be happy without becoming over stimulated.

3. Then every two to three days add another 20 seconds or so to your petting until you are able to pet him longer than the original 3 minutes.

The important thing is to go slowly....and to pay attention to the clock. By adding only 20 seconds or so every few days you are teaching him to sit with you calmly without biting.

Also, pay attention to his pre-bite signals. If you see his tail starting to twitch quickly or his ears laying back or going forward (or whatever his personal pre-bite signals are) immediately stop petting him and just sit quietly until he calms back down.

If he bites while you are adding seconds then go back to the length of time he could sit with you before without biting and stay there for a few days before adding any more time.

This kind of aggression is sometimes related to hypothyroidism. If he is an older cat, this might be part of the problem.

end lotsocats reply

Sound like a winning plan here....

thnaks for your replies. i'm oretty sure she only does it to try and encourage me to play with her as i could pet her for ages and she'll just keep purring. so it's just gonna be a matter of being consistent and trying to spot any arning signs - like it being late at night when she's tearing around and i'm about to go to bed. my boyfriend used to think it great fun to play with her with his hand while she's laying on her back. expect he could have a lot to answer fot. he doesn't do it any more so i'll just keep saying no and hope she gets the hint.

kitty bites I know I have a silly Mr. Magic that bites on occasion, but I know when he does it there's a reason ..(ie) he is Hungry, wants attention, feels threatened, or is overstimulated. I'm sure there are some reasons I'm not aware of that make sense to him though. I'm pretty well trained in observing him after his strange behavior landed on my ankles a few times. I have gone to the hospital for a kidney infection and the dr.s were more concerned about a little bite wound on my hand though. so be sure to watch out for infection in any bite from a cat and be sure you have a tetanus shot up to date. It's in a Cat's nature to bite, in play and hunting and etc. so I think we have to be aware of this. Some bite or are more aggressive than others and some like mine may have had a rough time with us humans sometime in their life. If you love animals you have to walk in their paws and realize they are animals and behave like nature intended them to. Thats enough from me !! I would like to thank you all for your posts and welcoming me to the site. Need more info on electric doggy door's???Huh?? Bye for now.