weird cat behavior

Bob the cat is about 3 years old, very playful, but lately he's adopted some weird behaviors. He comes up to me for attention - petting, ear scratching, belly rubbing, etc, and seems to be in kitty heaven. Suddenly without any warning, he'll attack me. Usually, it's just swatting me with his paws and it seems to be playing. Lately, it's been more aggressive and he just starts biting without warning.

There's been no real changes in our house since we got him, so I'm not sure what's going on.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

I've heard that some kitties get very sensitive when they are stimulated by petting and that once that happens it actually hurts to continue getting petted. That could be why.

Do you play with Bob using your hands? He may just think it's playtime and doesn't know his limits and that he's hurting you.

After a while you have to 'retrain' cats. You teach them to bite gently, and to not play with their claws. But the more you play with them, and those occitional slip ups, the cat will forget and attack you forcefully like it would another cat (in play). Instincts will always prevail.

Some cats do get sensitive to petting after a while. The best way to handle that, if you can't see the signs coming, is to pet them for a short period of times through out the day.

As it has already been said some cats will only accept a certain amount of petting. Usually when they're sick of it they'll let you know.... with their teeth or claws.

You could always work on giving your cat an acceptable outlet for biting. Biting, often times is just the cats way of saying I want to play. He might not be getting enough play outlets for his liking and your fingers are there and they look kind of fun.......

A great toy you can try is a fishing pole type toy. They sell them at pet shops and pet supply catalogs. Try and play with him with the toy a couple times a day for at least 10 minutes and make sure at the end of each play sesson you slowly wind down the play so he isn't left frustrated when you suddenly stop.

Make sure you do this every day so he'll get enough daily play time in. Not only is this fun to watch it's a great time for you and him to bond.

Try leaving a couple of his fav toys out during the day as well.