agressive affection

krazy kat2

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My Fred, a 13 year old dsh, has begun being VERY insistent about being petted. He gets up in my face and will not get down. He never learned to pull in his claws when kneading, so it is painful for him to jump on me and knead frantically. He worms his way into my lap and I have to wrestle him down. He just will not take "no" for an answer. He gets enough petting and affection for any 3 cats, but sometimes I just can't stand the clawing! I hate to push him away or fuss at him, but I haven't been able to sit down for weeks without him diving on me. He used to nibble gently on my nose or eyebrow to wake me for breakfast, but yesterday him really munched down on my hand. He's my baby, my 1st cat, and I love him. Any suggestion on how I might be able to calm him down? I almost punched him when he woke me by biting hard, and I am afraid I may hurt him. He is physically ok, maybe a little senile. He is pretty old and had a head injury several years ago. I would appreciate any thoughts on this.
 

sandie

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Not sure what will work with an over affectionate cat. It is easy to stop aggressive cats, but this is a little different. The only thing I can think of is to pet him for a little while and then put him down. When he jumps back up, just keep putting him back down and telling him no. When he does things like bites you, you can clap your hands to scare him and tell him no or blow in his face and tell him no. If he continues, you can try putting him in a room for an hour or so at a time so you can sit in peace. If he does it while you are sleeping, I would give him a firm no and then close him out of the room. It may also help if you clip his nails and keep them short.
 

lotsocats

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I keep a sweatshirt in bed to throw over my arm because Maggie loves to kneed my bare arm at night. I also keep a hand towel on the couch to put on my lap for visits from overly kneady cats.


By the way....a brain injury will definately cause this kind of behavior. If his brain was hurt in the area that helps kitties (and people) control impulses, it will keep him from being able to restrain himself when he wants something. So, you will probably need to have a little extra patience with him because of this.
 
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