Aggressive Behavior?

[javathehut]

I have a male 'kitten' who will be turning one year old in June who has a biting problem and I'm not sure how to solve it. I got him last September and he was fixed around the 6 month mark. I play with him at least two times a day for 30 minute on work days and even upwards of five times on my days off.

The problem is that he bites very hard, and often. He latches onto my hands or legs and gnaws on me and has broken skin quite a few times. Nothing I do will make him stop either, and it seems that just about anything will trigger it. For example I've tried yelping, trying to scare him, water bottle, putting my fingers into his mouth, absolutely nothing will make him stop short of grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and forcing him off. There isn't a single day that goes by where he doesn't bite me and it makes me sad.

Most of the time he's a nice cat, he sleeps on the desk/bed with me, let's me pet him, he greets me when I get home, lays on his back, he shows no signs of being uncomfortable around me. But while I'm on the computer he might decide to sit near my hand while I'm using the mouse, his tail will start to wag and he will attack me. I could also be sleeping and just woke up and he will casually walk up to me on ths bed, head butt my hand like cats do and then start biting it. Or I could be playing with him and he will stop playing with the toy and instead bite my foot for no reason.

It feels like my cat has a really short fuse and I'm not sure how to redirect that away from me. Its gotten to the point where he is biting my guests so I don't have people over anymore.

Please help!

 

[javathehut]

I think its also worth mentioning that sometimes he will also pin me in a corner constantly attacking my feet. Its very difficult to get away from him and any attempt to do so prompts him to attack me more. His attacks are unprovovked.

 

[Columbine]

This sounds like play agression to me. Unfortunately, he's seeing your hands and feet as toys/prey.

The attacks are unprovoked (as in you're not conciously provoking him), but they're not without warning. It sounds like they only happen when he's wound up or excited, and often when he's engaging in play with you (it makes no difference to him whether it's one of his toys or a non toy - ie a computer mouse - thats moving in a prey like way. Both are equally valid games to him).

I suspect part of the problem is that he wasn't taught as a kitten that hands and feet aren't fair game. It's perfectly possible that he even learned to play with hands and feet - a 6wk kitten pouncing your hand is funny and cute. If this kind of play is encouraged it becomes the exact problem you have now.

Stick with it. He's not 'on a short fuse'. He just doesn't have appropriate boundaries. Watch his body language carefully when he goes into 'play mode'. If his tail lashes strongly/fast and his pupils dilate that's a warning for him. Toss him a toy he can bite and kick (something like a Kong kickeroo is ideal) and walk away. Make sure any toys you play with him with have your hands a long way from him. Wand toys such as Da Bird are great because your hands are a long way from the action! If he does get you, freeze. He's treating your hand as prey. Prey stops moving when it's dead. Dead prey is no fun. You could also try hissing like a cat at him. A hiss is cat for 'back off and stop what you're doing'.

These articles may help :-
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cats-and-discipline-dont-mix
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/playtime-aggression
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-play-the-rules-of-the-game
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/playing-with-your-cat-ten-things-every-cat-owner-needs-to-know

 

[javathehut]

Thank you! I love my cat dearly and I found these articles to be very helpful.

I'll report back with progress as time goes on.

 

[evelyn04]

I have a similar issue, we use to throw a stuffed bear and than he would go attack the bear.  It stopped working though.  He has never bitten hard to break skin and the bites don't hurt, but I did not like it at all, since I think it's aggressive (and my bf really is not happy when he sees it).  Now we are using a can with pennies in it.  When he starts biting we'll shake the can, he stops immediately.  The first couple of times he went right back to it, when the noise stopped but now he doesn't.  

We are also the same, we play with him at least two times a day if we are home all day it is way more.

 

[khoshekh]

I have the same issue with my cat. He's sounds really similar to yours-- he'll be 1 year old in early July, we got him August of last year, and he was neutered at 6 months.

He used to be much more affectionate toward me (laying on my chest and stretched out at my side every morning), but has since become very selective in when he wants to be affectionate, greets me at the door, etc.  He is generally a very good cat.  But he bites me so. hard. Never broken the skin but leaves pin holes and red, swollen marks on my skin. I've tried hissing, shoving him away, yelping. Distracting him with a toy is the only thing that seems to work, and one is not always at arm's length. 

I  may try the pennies thing. 

The really strange thing is-- and is this the same with you/others?-- he only does this to me. I live with my boyfriend and the cat would never dream of doing it to him. He never chases his feet, never bites. He sits with my boyfriend more than with me. And he has never once slow blinked back at either of us when we blink at him.

I'm worried I've made my cat feel like he needs to be aggressive toward me. I pay a lot of attention to him, maybe more than he'd like, but I try to not stare or do anything aggressive myself. I don't want him to be afraid of me. 

If you have any updates on how your cat is progressing I'd love to hear them. 

 

[evelyn04]

 
I have the same issue with my cat. He's sounds really similar to yours-- he'll be 1 year old in early July, we got him August of last year, and he was neutered at 6 months.

He used to be much more affectionate toward me (laying on my chest and stretched out at my side every morning), but has since become very selective in when he wants to be affectionate, greets me at the door, etc.  He is generally a very good cat.  But he bites me so. hard. Never broken the skin but leaves pin holes and red, swollen marks on my skin. I've tried hissing, shoving him away, yelping. Distracting him with a toy is the only thing that seems to work, and one is not always at arm's length. 

I  may try the pennies thing. 

The really strange thing is-- and is this the same with you/others?-- he only does this to me. I live with my boyfriend and the cat would never dream of doing it to him. He never chases his feet, never bites. He sits with my boyfriend more than with me. And he has never once slow blinked back at either of us when we blink at him.

I'm worried I've made my cat feel like he needs to be aggressive toward me. I pay a lot of attention to him, maybe more than he'd like, but I try to not stare or do anything aggressive myself. I don't want him to be afraid of me. 

If you have any updates on how your cat is progressing I'd love to hear them. 

He rarely does it to my boyfriend, but will nip at him once and awhile.  But he stops if my bf says "no" right away (the "no" doesn't work for me, and it doesn't work if my bf says it and he is nipping at me).  My bf is sure it's because I do not wear socks on my feet.  Which I hate wearing socks at home.  He thinks because he wears socks, that it's the reason he doesn't nip at him also when he does nip my bf it's when he isn't wearing socks ( not sure?, but socks make my feet feel gross in the summer).

I would say he likes me more, comes and sits by me more often than he does my bf.  Though when my bf gets home from work he will sit on my bf's lap or next to him on the couch (he never does with me).  He'll only lay on me when I am in bed or laying on the floor.  He always sleeps with me when I first get into bed (he gets up though sometimes during the night and sleeps under the bed though).