I'm gonna kill him if he doesn't stop this!!!!

leli · Sep 30, 2005

Sammy is driving me CRAZY!!!!!! He's got a habit of biting when he's in his "playful" mood, which I've posted about before. I got a few replies that said it was probably just because he's still young and it will calm down, but he's actually starting to hurt me, so it's just not cool anymore. He is only a year and a half old, but he's 13.1 lbs......not a tiny guy.
Basically, what happens is this. I'll be walking along, minding my own business, and he'll run up from behind, use his two front legs to "hug" my leg from the back and give me a good bite on the ankle. I usually end up with a scratch made by a tooth when I pull away in surprise and he's still holding on. He only does this to me or my bf, never to guests (thank god).
Could this be because he lives with us and thinks it's okay to attack us just like he does his sister during play?? The behaviour seems similar to when he ambushes Lola and starts a kitten brawl (a very common game for them). Is he maybe confused about the fact that WE ARE NOT CATS and it hurts us when we get bit?
Any ideas on how we can curb this behaviour would be GREATLY appreciated.

hissy · Sep 30, 2005

First of all your subject line is going to draw some fire more than likely. This is typical kitten play that you are talking about. One of the ways to stop it, is to get a second kitten around the same age. Kittens learn by interacting with mom- if this kitten were with his mother, he would be doing the same thing, and she would be putting a stop to it. But she has an advantage, she is smaller and lower to the floor, quicker to respond than we can. She would be swiping out with her claws, growling, hissing and swatting. That is NOT to say that you can swat this kitten. Our swats and a mom cat swats are of two entirely different levels of pressure. She knows just how much she can exert to make a point, whereas people tend to react immediately and bam the kitten flies across the room!

You need to keep toys in your pockets, soft balls are good, I take a small feather, tie it on the end of a long string, put a clip on one end, and clip the end to my back belt loop. This toy goes with me when I walk around the house, or do housework as a diversion for what I call the dive bomb babies.

Again, getting mad at this kitten is counterproductive. He is doing what generations of kittens before him do with their mom. The only problem is, his mom isn't it the picture, and so you are it.

tuxedokitties · Sep 30, 2005

This article might help:
Play aggression (click here)

miss mew · Sep 30, 2005

Whenever my cat crosses the line and tries to attack me or bite I hiss at him..it sounds kind of silly but it stops him in his tracks and he backs off. Plus it's not mean to him. I don't agree with ever hitting an animal.

kathylou · Sep 30, 2005

Oh, PLEASE don't be mad at him. Every one of my cats has developed some sort of habit that drove me nuts. Dark Star always hid turds in my shoes. Spock tears venetian blinds. Mostly I end up "cat-proofing" as in checking my shoes and keeping the blinds rolled up, because I have never been able to break a cats habit. They just grow out of it eventually.
One thing that helps is a squirt bottle of water. If you squirt them once or twice they usually stop. (for a while)

blue_monday_88 · Sep 30, 2005

Originally Posted by Miss Mew

Whenever my cat crosses the line and tries to attack me or bite I hiss at him..it sounds kind of silly but it stops him in his tracks and he backs off. Plus it's not mean to him. I don't agree with ever hitting an animal.

I may start doing this with Napoleon. He gets antsy in the morning and will start to bite me as "play" when he wants me to get up. I just say STOP! But he will do that for a few minutes...then start again! When he crosses the line with Cassie and she hisses at him, he may be stunned...but he stops.

blue_monday_88 · Sep 30, 2005

Originally Posted by Leli

Sammy is driving me CRAZY!!!!!! He's got a habit of biting when he's in his "playful" mood, which I've posted about before. I got a few replies that said it was probably just because he's still young and it will calm down, but he's actually starting to hurt me, so it's just not cool anymore. He is only a year and a half old, but he's 13.1 lbs......not a tiny guy.
Basically, what happens is this. I'll be walking along, minding my own business, and he'll run up from behind, use his two front legs to "hug" my leg from the back and give me a good bite on the ankle. I usually end up with a scratch made by a tooth when I pull away in surprise and he's still holding on. He only does this to me or my bf, never to guests (thank god).
Could this be because he lives with us and thinks it's okay to attack us just like he does his sister during play?? The behaviour seems similar to when he ambushes Lola and starts a kitten brawl (a very common game for them). Is he maybe confused about the fact that WE ARE NOT CATS and it hurts us when we get bit?
Any ideas on how we can curb this behaviour would be GREATLY appreciated.

Well, I think that sounds cute

. Believe it or not, when he gets older you will miss those quirky behaviors that defined his kitten-ness. Cassie used to have a habit of following me into the bathroom at night (if I needed to get up), sitting down in front of me, then launching and attacking my feet. My BF would then get up and start laughing at me, because she only did it to me!! But now that she's three and a half, I really miss it.

My suggestion would be either to get another kitten playmate, though it does take time to introduce them so it may be counteractive. My other suggestion would be to have toys on hand so that he can get his play aggression fix elsewhere if it bothers you that much.

blue_monday_88 · Sep 30, 2005

Originally Posted by Kathylou

Oh, PLEASE don't be mad at him. Every one of my cats has developed some sort of habit that drove me nuts. Dark Star always hid turds in my shoes. Spock tears venetian blinds. Mostly I end up "cat-proofing" as in checking my shoes and keeping the blinds rolled up, because I have never been able to break a cats habit. They just grow out of it eventually.
One thing that helps is a squirt bottle of water. If you squirt them once or twice they usually stop. (for a while)

Ahh, the infamous cat-proof.

My boyfriend and I disagree on that aspect, but I win LOL. He has a habit of leaving change on the table and inevitably one of the cats goes on the dresser and knocks it on the floor at like 3 o'clock in the morning, waking us out of a dead sleep. Of course, we're mad but they're CATS. They attract attention! My BF gets all mad and he's like "Why do I need to change my life?" I'm like, hello, (s)he's a cat, they don't know. If there's no change on the dresser...then there is none to knock over!!! (Answer seems simple LOL)

ryobious · Sep 30, 2005

You could always try the same stuff you use to get dogs to stop biting, that Bitter Apple or Bitter Spray and spray those on your hands and feet. I have to do this with my puppy otherwise he never stops chewing on my toes. I recommended doing that to a girl I work with that had this problem with her kitten and it worked wonders....

leli · Sep 30, 2005

Okay, first off I think I came across wrong. One of the pitfalls of typing instead of talking. When I say it makes me mad, I mean it's annoying and bothersome, not that I would ever actually blame him for it or, god forbid, hit him. I would never dream of doing something like that. I know that to him, it's just a fun game to play. The subject line, for anyone who is taking it literally, was meant as a figure of speech.

Second, as for the suggestions, he already has a playmate his age, his sister Lola. They play this game, too, as I mentioned in the post. So, getting another cat has apparently not solved the problem. I'll try the toy thing, but Sammy isn't really a toy centred cat....he's much more into human or cat interaction.

Hissy: I agree that he's acting like we're the mommy and daddy cats. Since, as you pointed out, the usual mother cat strategies for dealing with this problem won't work for me (unless I wake up with fur and paws tomorrow lol), is there anything I can do that he would interpret as being chastised? The water bottle has worked in the past (though he likes water, so the results vary), but it's hard to carry it around all the time. As I mentioned, I'll try the toy suggestion, but since he rarely pays any mind to toys when we play, I'm not sure it'll work.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I hope nobody got too upset over the thread name! We all get frustrated with our little guys from time to time, but would certainly never hurt a hair on their heads.

emb_78 · Sep 30, 2005

Originally Posted by Leli

Okay, first off I think I came across wrong. One of the pitfalls of typing instead of talking. When I say it makes me mad, I mean it's annoying and bothersome, not that I would ever actually blame him for it or, god forbid, hit him. I would never dream of doing something like that. I know that to him, it's just a fun game to play. The subject line, for anyone who is taking it literally, was meant as a figure of speech.

Second, as for the suggestions, he already has a playmate his age, his sister Lola. They play this game, too, as I mentioned in the post. So, getting another cat has apparently not solved the problem. I'll try the toy thing, but Sammy isn't really a toy centred cat....he's much more into human or cat interaction.

Hissy: I agree that he's acting like we're the mommy and daddy cats. Since, as you pointed out, the usual mother cat strategies for dealing with this problem won't work for me (unless I wake up with fur and paws tomorrow lol), is there anything I can do that he would interpret as being chastised? The water bottle has worked in the past (though he likes water, so the results vary), but it's hard to carry it around all the time. As I mentioned, I'll try the toy suggestion, but since he rarely pays any mind to toys when we play, I'm not sure it'll work.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I hope nobody got too upset over the thread name! We all get frustrated with our little guys from time to time, but would certainly never hurt a hair on their heads.

You came off just fine

I knew what you ment!!!

mirinae · Sep 30, 2005

You could always try yelping when Sammy bites or claws you. Chances are, he doesn't realise he's hurting you and doesn't intend to do so; he wants to play. If, when he bites you, you let out a cry of pain or a whimper (not a yell, but maybe like a kitten-ish kind of protesting mew?), that might get him to understand that he is hurting you. This worked with my cat Spike, when all else failed. Hissing may also work; I hiss at my cats when they attack my feet under the blankets in the morning, and they know it means Mommy is not in the mood!

bossinova · Sep 30, 2005

I know it may be painful, but I honestly think he will grow out of it. And as Blue_Monday said, you will probably miss it when he stops. My cat Tank

would maul my husband's feet randomly in the middle of the night. Of course we would wake up- him from the pain, and me from him yelping in surprise. I would laugh and laugh because he never did it to me! He was daddy's little boy, though. They always had a very close connection (strange, considering my husband isn't a "cat lover").

Anyhow, my point is, he will probably eventually grow out of it. I believe that it hurts; sharp little kitty teeth and ankle bone do not mix well. Whenever Tank was doing something naughty (or what we humans consider naughty; he considered fun), we would hiss at him, and you will be surprised at the immediate attention you get from it. I think it surprised him to hear us trying to talk to him in his own language!

Good luck, and try your very hardest to appreciate all that the kitten-months have to offer!

lizk729 · Sep 30, 2005

I know our kitten responds to us yelping when she bites us.... although she is much younger but she responds very well and immediately quits bitting us...although she may return to it.

lol But I think this works because it lets her know shes hurting us and I know thats not her intention.

hell603 · Sep 30, 2005

I just lower my tone of voice and sternly say NO - he know what that means and most of the time it stops my boy - but sometimes ...well boys will be boys..

girlieq · Sep 30, 2005

I wouldn't tell you that all kittens grow out of it, because my cat never did. She still played that game when she was six years old. She hid in the dining room, and waited for someone to come down the stairs in the morning, and them *wham* Not the most pleasant thing in the morning, which was the only time she played.

I've been doing pretty well with the kittens with NO! and OWIE!

NO! would be for something like jumping onto the desk (followed with me picking up the kitten and placing him/her on the floor), and OWIE! is for biting/scratching/being too rough. It hasn't gotten to the point where I need to start hissing, but Rowan is only 13 weeks old, so it probably will pretty soon.

rosehawke · Oct 1, 2005

Originally Posted by home.slice

My cats look at me as though I am retarded when I hiss at them.

It's probably your accent

.

beckiboo · Oct 1, 2005

Originally Posted by RoseHawke

It's probably your accent

.

Garfield needs a firm message to know he is being naughty. Even with Festus, when he is too rough, and she hisses and growls, if he is in the mood, he just keeps pestering her! I'm guessing your boy is the same, especially since he has been doing this for a while.

Maybe slap your leg to make a loud slapping sound, or clap your hands and firmly say "No". Then a distraction of another toy to play with. Maybe he prefers you and his sister, but if you remove "attack Mommy" from the playbook, he may decide it is fun to attack the toy Mommy is playing with.

blueberrybeth · Oct 1, 2005

Of course we all get mad at our kitties! Dont' feel bad about that (we get mad at our parents and SO's, right? ). Another thing you can do is growl, hiss, or maybe even a little tap on the nose with your pointer finger if he holds on to your pant leg. Also, you may want to ignore it altogether, and he may like the fact that you react - just keep on walking, and clean out the scratches once you get out of his range. Oh I dont' know...like children, the question is whether or not to allow consequences to a behavior, or to react at all to some things. Anyway, don't feel bad for getting mad about it - all of us have been there. they are not always sweet purring cute furballs!

aries · Oct 3, 2005

Peter was one of those CRAZY attacking for no rhyme or reason cats, too. And I mean ATTACK! I have many scars and everyone in the house was scared of him. My niece was afraid to go to the bathroom at night because he would stalk her and ambush her on the way back. My friend who is vet diagnosed him as psychotic.

But one day, God brought another cat, Snow, into our household. Snow was a young (under 1 yr) male cat. Peter was a neutered male about 2 yrs old when Snow came to live with us. The difference was immediate and kind of scary! Peter and Snow were the best buddies! They didn't fight, no territory disputes, no weird sexual behaviour, or anything. Just great companions.

And one of the best things was that Peter stopped attacking people! He stopped running madly through the house knocking things off or over. He stopped sleeping on my bed. He started sleeping like a normal cat. It was amazing! I would not have believed it if I hadn't been living there. People who knew Peter couldn't believe the difference.

The moral of this story is that what your kitty may need is another kitty. As much as we love them and care for them and welcome them into our lives, we just aren't another cat. They need someone like them to relate to and bond with. It is kind of sad for them, I think, to not have someone they can talk to that really understands them. Please, consider a companion before you do anything drastic.

Aries, guardian of Peter, Snow, Kit Kat, Angel, Leighia, Padma, Stormy, Midnight, and Milo.

I'm gonna kill him if he doesn't stop this!!!!

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