Night time bitting Bruce

Hi all!

First I want to say that we had another sucessful weekend at our weekend house. Bruce is getting used to traveling and gets really happy when we arrive to our second home. I also like to report that trips to under the bed are few and far between and that he tend to be near us more and more time.

Now, we're having a slight problem with nighttime. Bruce sleeps with us since he arrived home three weeks ago.

This is not always an easy thing because Mr. Bruce takes his time to settle down at night and gets up around 6am, sometimes earlier. But it's getting better, as he now wakes up and goes to play and does not bother us anymore (miauing or waking us up). 

He sleeps either on my side (needs to be close to my face) or between me and my husband, alternating who he leans agains throught out the night.

We have forbidden him from going inside the covers as he tends to play with our legs and feet (bitting and grabbing). But Saturday night and last night he woke up in the midlle of the night and scratched/bit my husband.

Saturday was out of the blue, maybe my husband moved or something and he went for his belly. Yesterday Bruce was fixating on my brades (I sometimes brade my hair at night) and my husband had physically barred him from getting to my hair (I was sound asleep, lol) a couple of times. Bruce seemed to settle down, but a couple of minutes after he striked my husband's hand. Mind you, he just pushed Bruce over, was not agressive or anything (my husband is completely smitten with the boy).

We don't know if he's play fighting or what is it, but my husband is not liking it very much and he is already warning that if this keeps happening Bruce will have to sleep off the bed. It's not pleasent at all to wake up in the middle of the night with your cat attacking you.

We play with him a lot during the day, specially on weekends when we have more time with him. Maybe we're doing it too much. I also play/fight with him some and I confess to not doing always with toys, as I can take a few bites and scratches (he is not very fierce). Should I stop play fighting with him? Can my husband do something to get some authority? Bruce never bit/scrached me with provocation (play).

Thanks as usual for your help!

Many on here will advise you to not encourage play-fighting but I'll admit to allowing Dudley to practise his aeriel-bird-jumps by wrestling and bringing down my hand.  He releases me the instant my hand is "dead".  I do this as he's an only child, is still learning, and hasn't got siblings around to practise with.  However, if he developed a hand biting fetish, bit me out of turn, or refused to leave go, I would cease to interact with him in this way.

Do you play with Bruce right up till bedtime?  You might want to only play earlier in the day, to see if that helps.  Also, maybe try a dose of catnip before bed to "stone" him out.  

This is a very personal question but, is your husband's stomach hairy?  It would appear that Bruce has a hair fetish.  Your husband's hands may be hairy also.  I don't know what this would mean, where it's come from, or how to proceed.  It just crossed my mind to ask. 

I got Brian an automatic feeder that was set to open at 5am, so that he wouldn't pester me awake.  

It would be such a shame for Bruce to get kicked out of bed.  It sounds as though he loves sleeping with you both and that, for the most part, you both love having him with you. 

Brian007 said:

 
Many on here will advise you to not encourage play-fighting but I'll admit to allowing Dudley to practise his aeriel-bird-jumps by wrestling and bringing down my hand.  He releases me the instant my hand is "dead".  I do this as he's an only child, is still learning, and hasn't got siblings around to practise with.  However, if he developed a hand biting fetish, bit me out of turn, or refused to leave go, I would cease to interact with him in this way.

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Indeed - lots of cat owners would discourage this kind of, "play," though I suspect it depends somewhat upon the temperament of the cats.  I have three of ten who'll play Kill The Fingers any time they're invited, but never without the fingers first acknowledging that it's playtime, and it's this rule that must be established.

Aside to Brian, before he asks outright: yes, thank you, my hands and arms are permanently covered in scratches and bite marks.  Never had the least hint of infection, so no harm, no foul, eh?

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1CatOverTheLine said:

 
Indeed - lots of cat owners would discourage this kind of, "play," though I suspect it depends somewhat upon the temperament of the cats.  I have three of ten who'll play Kill The Fingers any time they're invited, but never without the fingers first acknowledging that it's playtime, and it's this rule that must be established.

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I definitely agree that it all depends on the temperament of the cat, and to whether or not the cat in question can determine when's an appropriate time to play, and when is most certainly not, like in the middle of the night, when you're tucked up in bed, asleep.  It depends also on the skin depth of the owner and to them not minding the wee red tiger stripes.  Dudley doesn't actually scratch me, he's ever so gentle.  But I know other cats who are less so.  Anyway, thank you 1CatOverTheLine for backing me up, I was rather fearful I might end up in the lion's mouth.

Brian007 said:

 
I definitely agree that it all depends on the temperament of the cat, and to whether or not the cat in question can determine when's an appropriate time to play, and when is most certainly not, like in the middle of the night, when you're tucked up in bed, asleep.  It depends also on the skin depth of the owner and to them not minding the wee red tiger stripes.  Dudley doesn't actually scratch me, he's ever so gentle.  But I know other cats who are less so.  Anyway, thank you 1CatOverTheLine for backing me up, I was rather fearful I might end up in the lion's mouth.

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No worries, although lions' mouths are an whole different kettle of fish.

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My husband is not very hairy at all, lol. No, I don't think that's it.

But to prevent further bites and scares Bruce will be moving to the end of the bed for now. My husband was attacked by a cat when he was a child, so he's very insecure right now, and I don't want to risk it. This is his first cat after all.

I just really want to figure why he is doing this, so I can fix it... I hate to think that my husband and Bruce won't have a good relationship.

With me each bite and scratch is one more. I just cut Bruce's nails for the first time today, I could show you my hand, it's not pretty... and is hurting. But I can deal with it.

I would love to play with Bruce earlier in the day, but it's never enough for him. I can't imagine how he spent his energy in the small enclosure in the shelter. Here he never stops!

So I will continue to tire him out and will teach him to sleep by our feet, as much as that saddens me.

Madzoya said:

My husband is not very hairy at all, lol. No, I don't think that's it

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Haha, I was just being thorough!   My inquiring mind, hey.  TeeHee    

A few more thoughts:

Feed him up good & proper before bed to make him too fat & heavy to be bothered moving til morning.

Pester and poke him all through the evening to keep him awake, so that he'll be oh-so very tired come bedtime.

Don't react, talk, get up, fuss, or boot him out when he's naughty, as it will just reinforce the idea that by biting you, he earns your attention.  Just ignore him.

Or, give him a wee squirt of water from a handy water-pistol, kept by your bed.  

Make your room the pitchest black, as cats can't see in the total darkness, so the darker it is the less likely he'll be able to spot any enticing movement.

Put something warm at the bottom of your bed, like a soft blanket and a hot water bottle, to encourage him to stay down there.

As a last resort, give him his own bedroom until he grows out of it (my least favourite option). 

Perhaps he thinks your husband is his best bet of getting up for a nighttime play?  And so, it might be that your husband needs to take the lead in re-training him..... 

Brian007 said:

 
Make your room the pitchest black, as cats can't see in the total darkness, so the darker it is the less likely he'll be able to spot any enticing movement.

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I'd a Friend at University that tried this approach with an overactive cat.  Got up for a glass of water one night, tripped over the cat, and went ar*e over teakettle into the bedpost.  Broke one (of two) wrist and one (of one) nose.  Swears she heard the cat laughing when she awoke.

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1CatOverTheLine said:

 
I'd a Friend at University that tried this approach with an overactive cat.  Got up for a glass of water one night, tripped over the cat, and went ar*e over teakettle into the bedpost.  Broke one (of two) wrist and one (of one) nose.  Swears she heard the cat laughing when she awoke.

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Don't tell me universities are experimenting on cats now!      

Brian007 said:

Don't tell me universities are experimenting on cats now!   :geek:   

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They used to. Whether this is completely eliminated now in America I'm not sure. How anyone can be involved in something like this as their daily job is beyond me.

Bruce slept by the end of the bed half the night and then came and curled by my side for a couple of hours.

No incidents to report. I can feel that my husband is a bit cooler with him, but hopefully that will pass.