Is my cat evil? Help!

Hi all,

I'm hoping for some tips or advice about my cat (kitten), who is almost 9 months old.

When we first got him, he was very loving and sweet.  We experienced some issues with his stomach (he had Trichomonas Foetus) and that's when the biting started.  He's since been treated (sucessfully), but the biting has never stoped and I don't know what to do.

I've tried to show him that I'm "the boss", I ignore him, distract him, used the water bottle (not often, as I know it's not the best way to train) and nothing seems to work.  He's a maine coon and supposed to be a very nice family animal and my cat is anything but.

If you try and pet him and he's not in the mood, he'll bite.  Sometimes wrapping his arms around your arm, latching on and then bitting.  Other times, he is seemingly unprovoked.  He sleeps on my pillow at night and if I need to move him (he's quite large), he'll bite me.  Basically, he bites me for stopping him from doing anything bad, but then he also bites me for no apparent reason at all.

I've never experienced this sort of behaviour from a cat and I don't want to drag him back to the vet (we've already spent so much money there) and I'm not sure there is anything that they can do, but this needs to stop.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Courtney

Are the bites aggressive in nature, or playful in nature? The way you described it , it seems like playful bites which can no doubt hurt. You should play with him. By wand toys that way there is a long distance between toy he will be biting down on and your fingers. If he bites than ignore him for a few minutes, than start playing with him. My cat exhibted kinda the same behavior, now we try to "play him out" I.e exhaust him.

Thank you Payaza for your response.  The bites don't seem playful, more agressive in nature.  I feel like he's constantly telling me that "he's the boss".  I can't get him to stop doing anything bad without getting a bite.

I will try and tucker him out and see if that works!  I apprecate the suggestion.

Some cats just have a very short period of time that they can be stroked or messed with. A twitching tail is usually a very good indicator that a bite is next, so STOP doing what you are doing and move away, turn your back to him and ignore him. By the way, is he neutered? I know about that age an unaltered male will become aggressive too, so neutering would definitely help. Hopefully he might outgrow his aggression too, that is an age when they will play pretty rough. Believe me, he is NOT really biting, you would have gouges of flesh gone and he would puncture you to the hilt with his teeth if he was really mad. Good luck, and keep us posted!

Thanks Di an Bob!

Yes, my guy is neutered and I had been very hopeful that would 'do the trick', but it didn't help. I guess I just have to keep at it and hope that he'll get better with age.

I am a strong believer in the firm, stern "NO", then walk away or turn your back on them. In my experience biting has always been an expression of either fear or frustration. Like a child throwing a tantrum. Two of the worst bites I've ever gotten, (two from the same big old tom; he bit down, fangs deeply sunk in, took his time about letting go, then immediately did it again) was as I was giving him his wet food. He was purring the whole time in anticipation of that food. He had been neutered the day before so was recuperating in a cage. I had just cleaned his cage and my face/head/neck was inside that cage. If he wanted to he could have just as easily bitten my face or neck. But really, he wasn't trying to hurt me. I just wasn't giving him what he wanted fast enough. Just like children, some have to be taught that hitting/biting is not appropriate. A 9 month old kitten, he's like a teenage boy!! Yikes! 

I'm still unsure what to do with my big guy. At 19 lbs, he can be quite vicious and unpredictable. He has moments where he is nice, but before long, he's latching onto my arm and biting me. I don't know how to get him to stop? We're actually considering declawing (front only) because he is so bad and mean.

He's almost 2 years old and I don't know what to do anymore. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

LeoPrincess said:

I'm still unsure what to do with my big guy. At 19 lbs, he can be quite vicious and unpredictable. He has moments where he is nice, but before long, he's latching onto my arm and biting me. I don't know how to get him to stop? We're actually considering declawing (front only) because he is so bad and mean.

He's almost 2 years old and I don't know what to do anymore. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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What have you tried since you last posted? As we have pointed out, biting during petting is caused by overstimulation. 

Please be aware that TCS adopts a strong anti-declaw stance. From the forum rules.

 4. This website is anti-declawing. Understand that if you are pro-declaw in your posts, you will encounter opposition. Please learn more about alternatives for declawing here in our forums as well as on our website itself. Declaw - More than Just a Manicure.

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And these:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/why-cats-should-not-be-declawed

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/declawing-and-alternatives

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/a-personal-look-at-declawing

I've heard of petting aggression, but this seems like something totally different and when he bites, it's a real bite and often draws blood. I have tried saying no, I have tried walking away, I have even put him in a separate room for 5 minutes as a time out, but it doesn't seem to work. I have a cat that really wants nothing to do with me, will karate kick me when I walk by (which I actually think is pretty funny and cute) but
He's quite big and when he bites or scratches me, when I touch him, he really latches on and it's difficult for me to get him to stop and to
Pry his arms off from around my arm.

The only thing I can think of is maybe to just leave him alone, meaning not to pet him or touch him, but the idea makes me sad.

LeoPrincess said:

The only thing I can think of is maybe to just leave him alone, meaning not to pet him or touch him, but the idea makes me sad.

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Maybe that's the best approach. I would try it for a while.

Declawing can promote biting to tell you the truth. It leaves the cat with no recourse. I personally see it a disservice to your understanding and your cat to use the word evil, although I know there is humor in its use. Cats are beyond good and evil. They try to be understood anyway they can. I believe he is communicating his needs and preferences to the best of his ability. First I would drop all your assumptions about how a cat should behave and your needs then just listen. There doesn't have to be a boss or top dog. Just understanding between two or horrible misunderstanding. That aside my Lucia acted the way you described well past her first year but she has become much more mellow over the years. I have also learned her boundaries and preferences. To this day when I put my needs before hers as far as petting and cuddling she quickly reminds me I am insensitive. Cats are awesome that way!

Btw,don't forget the power of interactive play! Exhaust that boy with a toy like da bird. It will channel his energy to a place closer to what he was made to do, hunt. It will bond you guys and he will see you as a source of satisfying fun.

Thank you everyone for your advice!!.  I've decided, at least for the moment, to just "let him be" and he seems to like that.  Obviously I'm disapointed that my cat could care less about me, being around me, having me pet him etc., but no interaction with him means no opportunity for him to bite/attack me.