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bitter taste to stop biting

post #1 of 16
11/9/10 at 2:21pm
Thread Starter 
After exhausting every possibility to get Jericho to stop biting he still wont. So we are turning to the nasty tasting sprays. Are there any ones that are safe and will actually work? All the reviews on petco for their products were so back and forth, some loved it, some hated it. HELP PLEASE! I am sick of being attacked for no reason and my boyfriend would like to walk through the house again without a cat wrapped around his ankle 24/7.
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post #2 of 16
11/9/10 at 4:51pm
Ah, kittenhood! I'd forgotten how obnoxious they can be! Jericho is adorable by the way! I've never tried it but I've heard vinegar works. At least it's cheap. The downside is you have to smell like vinegar. When Friday was young (eons ago) he was a bad biter. The only thing I found that worked on him was to bite him back, right on the scruff of his neck. He was so shocked but when I did it, it connected for him that biting hurts! He then learned how to play bite without causing pain and we've had fun for 11 years playing together without getting hurt.
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post #3 of 16
11/9/10 at 6:43pm
Have you tried blowing at him when he bites?

We have one that bites - a blow in his face makes him stop - then he gets insulted and goes someplace to sulk.

He bites mostly because he gets overstimulated - the bites start out as love bites, then can get harder - like he needs something to teethe on -

I'm sorry I had to laugh when you described your boyfriend with an "ankle wrap".
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post #4 of 16
11/10/10 at 12:12pm
Thread Starter 
i bit him back and he bit harder. so thats out. we blow in his face all the time to try to get him to stop and he could care less. its getting to the point where i dont even want him around unless he is sleeping. it was really funny to me at first to seeing this 3lb kitten on top of his size 14 foot, but now he is completely torn up from foot to thigh from jericho attacking him nonstop, and my arms and hands are a mess because he attacks me out of nowhere when im sitting down. i guess we will try vinegar, feliway, and the bitter taste crap..and see how he is after his nuetering next month as well....it kills me because i love him to death but its hard to even be around him anymore. i refuse to get rid of him because he is like my first baby but im just at my wits end. i understand hes a kitten but there has to be something, not every cat is crazy aggressive and attacks constantly like he does. but i guess we shall see over time....
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post #5 of 16
11/10/10 at 4:28pm
It does get better. I promise! Neutering will probably help. It's also good to provide a distraction, like something cooler than your ankle. Try Da Bird. It's a favorite around here.
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post #6 of 16
11/10/10 at 6:21pm
Be careful with the bitter apple stuff. It's really nasty stuff, if it gets on his fur and then you pet him and touch your mouth you will have a hard time getting the taste out.
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post #7 of 16
11/15/10 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 
we have a ton of toys and we grab one when he starts to bite but he could care less. i feel like i did something wrong to make him so darn aggressive but i cant think of anything. he are so affectionate and so is he if hes sleepy, but other than that he just runs up and starts biting for no reason, its not like we are taunting him. if i lay on the couch and any part of my arm or hand in exposed he will jump up and start attacking. i will keep in mind to try to keep the bitter taste out of our mouths, but i dont know what else to do. he is climbing on the flat screen, scratching and biting the hell out of us, and all we can do is ignore him and then not have a relationship with him, which i do not want. and it doesnt help that none of our friends want to come over anymore because of all the attacks. im hoping the feliway and bitter taste helps, because im at my witts end.
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post #8 of 16
11/15/10 at 11:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RiffxRaff View Post
we have a ton of toys and we grab one when he starts to bite but he could care less. i feel like i did something wrong to make him so darn aggressive but i cant think of anything. he are so affectionate and so is he if hes sleepy, but other than that he just runs up and starts biting for no reason, its not like we are taunting him. if i lay on the couch and any part of my arm or hand in exposed he will jump up and start attacking. i will keep in mind to try to keep the bitter taste out of our mouths, but i dont know what else to do. he is climbing on the flat screen, scratching and biting the hell out of us, and all we can do is ignore him and then not have a relationship with him, which i do not want. and it doesnt help that none of our friends want to come over anymore because of all the attacks. im hoping the feliway and bitter taste helps, because im at my witts end.
Do you have a large dog kennel that you could put him in for a time out? Not to punish him, but just to distract him.

This is the type and size of kennel I am writing about: http://www.amazon.com/Petmate-Kennel...848646&sr=8-25

(There are some wire kennels that are dangerous - animals get their heads trapped in the door and choke to death while they are trying to escape.)

I'm only suggesting this because you keep saying you are at your "witts end", and I thought that something like this might help both you and your cat to "regroup".

So, until you find a solution, containing him - for a brief moment in time - may help you both.

I may be off the mark here, and giving you a poor solution - but someone on this website will surely correct my "solution" if necessary.

P.S. don't put off getting him neutered - the sooner the better before he develops the habit of bad behavior.
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post #9 of 16
11/15/10 at 11:27am
You know.. Reading all of RiffxRaff's posts about this kitty. I think this is just simply another side effect of a very bored kitten. Work harder to solve that boredom and some of the behavior issues will lesson. If the cause isn't solved no treating the symptoms of it will work.

I've honestly never had a cat that intent on directing their play aggression towards humans. Simply due to having another cat to deal with it and playing with them until they're just to tired to do much else.
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post #10 of 16
11/15/10 at 11:56am
Thread Starter 
Gloria-i usually put him in our bedroom for a couple minutes as a time out, he usually gets more angry that i locked him up lol.

Strange wings-i am trying to convince my boyfriend to get another cat but i dont think he's going to budge at this point in time. when jericho starts acting up i assume he is bored and i try to play with him but he just sits and stairs at the toy i have as i wave it back and forth or even try to have him chase it, we have da bird and he could care less about it usually, we also have a pole with feathers and a bell on it that he usually likes but lately he just crouches down and watches me play with it but doesnt interact, whats that all about? ive tried so hard to do my research on cats and kittens to make sure im doing everything right but now i just feel overwhelmed that he isnt happy enough or getting everything he needs and i want so badly for him to enjoy being in our family. should i try new toys?
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post #11 of 16
11/15/10 at 12:02pm
Well, before you decide on new toys try using the ones you have a little differently. A lot of cats love to jump up after feather wand toys, but not all. Some cats prefer to slowly stalk, chase, and pounce their prey. Try dragging the end of those toys across the floor before you give up on using them completely. You can also use a cord or cloth ribbon (make sure it's put away when you're not using it) that's several feet long and drag that along behind you and around corners and doorways.

Have you tried a paper ball on him yet? or some mylar crinkly balls? These make noise which stimulates a lot of cats to play with them. Plus, one is free and the other is very cheap.

If you don't have a laser pointer for him, try using a small compact mirror (such as in pressed foundation makeup) to cast a small light reflection on the wall. See if he shows any interest at all in it. If so, he might like a laser pointer.

I have one kitten that loves to chase treats or pieces of dry food. The further she has to chase them and the more noise they make bouncing across the floor the more excited she gets.
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post #12 of 16
11/15/10 at 12:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RiffxRaff View Post
Gloria-i usually put him in our bedroom for a couple minutes as a time out, he usually gets more angry that i locked him up lol.
That's why I suggested a kennel - out in the room where you are - then he's not isolated from being with you.

How old is he?

FYI re Neutering: you know, they neuter at very young ages - safely - now. When I trapped some feral kittens - I guess they were about 12-14 weeks - the clinic accepted them for neuter and spay.

hee, hee - buy a hamster wheel and put the little guy in it - NO, disregard - just joking! sorry. my bad!
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post #13 of 16
11/15/10 at 1:47pm
Thread Starter 
he does love when i drag it across the floor so i try to do that all the time but he seems to get kinda bored with it after a couple minutes. he's not much for balls ive noticed bc i ball up everything and he only likes it to be thrown so he can chase it but once it lands he doesnt want anythign to do with it (we also bought him balls with a bell inside but he doesnt like them. he LOVED the laser pointer for about 2 months, not when i get it out he just looks at it and then walks away lol hes such a little snot!
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post #14 of 16
11/15/10 at 5:18pm
Wow, honestly the thing is lucky to still have a home. With all those issues and all the things you've seemed to have tried.... I don't know. Good luck, maybe the neutering thing will work out. I don't see the sense of having a pet that's makes your life miserable that you can't bond or connect with.
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post #15 of 16
11/15/10 at 5:53pm
All eight of mine love, love, love!! toy mice.

Not the kind with feathers, or extra stuff - they don't even have the catnip.

There's no need for me to be involved ... the mice go flying through the air, and get thrown around until they get tossed under something where the cat can't get to them.

I usually buy a packet of 12 at Walmart because a busy mouse finds a safe place under something until I can push it back out to play.

The tails are usually leather, and sometimes, depending on the cat, this is the first thing that gets chewed off .

I tried to find an example of what I buy at the Walmart web site, but couldn't, here is a link that show you what they look like: http://www.cattoysforless.com/Zanies...tp20117-10.htm
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post #16 of 16
11/16/10 at 12:41pm
Thread Starter 
well we bought hte bitter spray. the upside is he doesnt like it and there was a HUGE difference in his aggression towards us within the last 24 hours, downside is its inevitable to get into your own mouth lol but i can deal as long and i stop getting bit. ive also started doing more chase games with him, and he seems to respond much better to that than any other way we try to play. i bought him a small tennis ball with a furry tail on it and he LOVES it, so hopefully it will keep him preoccupied while we are at work during the day so hes not so crazy when we get home. we also got calming treats which really do seem to mellow him out.

BTW, we would never get rid of him. he would have to keep doing horrible things for years before we could consider it. we arent the type of people that get an animal and 3 months later decide its not worth it..because to us he is worth it. hes our baby boy and hes only freaking 5 months old, give him a break. i dont want everyone to think hes this horrible cat because he isnt. he loves us to death, follows us around everywhere, hates when we leave, hates when we ignore him, he loves to cuddle and give us kisses, and is more sociable than most peoples cats that i know. so please, if you dont have any positive ideas on how to manage my kitten (firefightinfonz) then butt out and dont just suggest i get rid of him, or youre just as bad as all the people that just turn there backs on animals that may just need a little extra attention.
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