Cat biting me almost every night

I have been having issues with my cat for a while. He has been biting me almost every night now. Sometimes even during the day. I don't know what I have done to trigger it. One second I have him in my arms, petting him and he is purring like a motor boat. When o go to put him down on my bed or either on the floor and I walk to go get something, he follows me and suddenly attacks my leg. He has bitten me many times already and this has always been the case when he bites. I've never given him shots before but hasn't been showing symptoms of rabid behavior. Could someone please explain to me what's going on with my cat and if I should be worried?

Hi and welcome 

How old is he? Is this something he's always done or is it a recent development?

When does this happen? Is it always when you put him down or was that just an example? If it was just an example, can you give a few others?

If you can answer these questions we can better help you get to the root of the issue

Is he indoor/outdoor? As a side note, if you have any question in your mind of whether it can be rabies (I know you say you don't but I mention it because you mentioned it yourself), you really should go get rabies shots for yourself if he's bitten you.  It sounds unlikely but that is not something to mess around with. If he is indoor/outdoor he should also get the shot for his own protection, and it's also required by law in I believe all states

Sorry you are going through this! I know it's very frustrating.

Re:cat biting everyday at night.

My small suggestion is that avoid body touching method of teaching and try the voice method and

encourage the cat to byte the toy instead of of you. Remove yourself from the situation when it comes

near by you.

At tulosai, thank you for having me in Thai site. Well... He turned 3 this February of March. He started biting me on rare occasions from October 2014.

He mostly bites a few seconds after I put him down. When I even try to walk, he will attack my feet. There were two occasions where I would reach for something like my phone or a pen and he would attack my hand as well. This happens mostly in the evening or morning.

He was originally a stray kitten given to me by a friend after graduation. When I'm around he always stays with me in my room but when when I'm away from home, whether for college, just out with family and such, my dad tells me to keep him outside. I live in a third world country so it's a little rare to have an indoor cat with some residents. If we could afford to have him vaccinated we would. But my parents still control most of my life until I have a job. It's not so common to keep cats as pets. Well, if we do have cats around here , in my country, their usually half indoor and half outdoor. It's hard to maintain cats as pets but here dogs are all the rage.

Lancelot is usually just a very sweet but shy cat. I hardly let him around strangers other than my family and friends because he feels they are no threat to him. He could scratch sometimes but it's never serious. It's the random biting that worries me. I did some research before I came here but I needed to communicate to someone who knows and not just from written experiences. I really want to vaccinate my baby but vet check ups are almost as expensive as regular doctor check ups here. I was hoping any of you could kindly tell me what my Lance is going through. It's not like him at all to bite without being provoked.

I definitely hear what you are saying and am sorry you are in this situation. Vet visits were really expensive in the USA (where I lived most of my life) too so it's unfortunately not just where you are that this is the case :/ It is hard when you are still dependent on parents too.

If putting him down is always   what causes this, would not picking him up be an option for you? I know this wouldn't be ideal but you could simply pet him while he is on the floor/the furniture and snuggle him then.  I know this isn't the most creative advice ever, but it is what strikes me as easiest and most likely to work easily.

If that is not acceptable to you, the first thing to do is make sure you are reacting correctly when he does bite.  You should freeze and then very slowly remove your foot or hand from his teeth.

Beyond that, one thing that works for some people is making a loud noise every time a cat bites.  This doesn't mean yelling, but is more of a way to very quickly tell the cat he hurt you.  'OW' works for some people.  If that doesn't work you can try shaking a tin can of coins or something else loud, or hissing at the cat (some cats understand this better since it is more 'natural to them.

You can also try ignoring him after he does it, or time outs, though if there is only one room to work with this is probably not a very effective idea :/

Good luck! I know how difficult this must be, and thank you so much for helping this cat!

I have been giving little spanks to his bum but not hard enough to actually cause distress. I tell him sternly not bite and he would flatten his ears and lay flat on the floor. Is that good enough discipline? I always leave him alone after doing so for about 3-5 hours and then coming back to tell him off in a more gentle tone and cuddling him. I'm always very cautions whenever he hops of the bed or table because that's usually how he attacks right after I withdraw my hand and get up. He acts like he didn't do anything.

I'll take your advices and try them when he bites me again. Thank you so much for the help!

I actually would not smack him.  Cats and 'discipline' usually just don't mix, and hitting, even lightly, might only increase his aggression.  Telling him off once you get back is unlikely to work, too... unfortunately, cats are very in the 'now' and can only make connections when something happens immediately. By three hours later your cat's mind will have long moved onto something else and it will seem to him like you are randomly yelling.

I do hope his behavior will improve.  Thank you again for helping this cat.