Kitty likes to bite. Does he hate us?

[dartagnansdaddy]

Hi there. We got D'Artagnan from a shelter in late September of this year, and he's about 7 months old now. He's an only child in the house. He started out very cuddly and sweet when we got him home, but has become very standoffish. He'll come near us and watch us, but he seems to hate being held, and if we pet him more than a few minutes, he starts biting and scratching. 

Early in the mornings, he'll occasionally come and cuddle with us in bed and purr while we pet him, and he'll often sleep at the foot of the bed; but he just seems to hate when we touch him. 

When he bites, SO will scruff him lightly and either squirt him with water or flick him on the forehead, but I'm not sure if that's effective. 

Is there any way to make D'Artagnan like us more?

 

[fhicat]

When he bites, SO will scruff him lightly and either squirt him with water or flick him on the forehead, but I'm not sure if that's effective. 

Advise your SO not to do that anymore. In a kitty's world, that is a mean thing to do. Kitty is trying to tell you that he doesn't like to be petted, but what he got was punishment, and that is likely to confuse him. He may grow to fear your SO, because he may start associating that with mean things happening. He doesn't understand that you don't like being bitten, just as he thinks you don't understand that he doesn't like being petted.

He's 7 months old, and just about to enter the "teenage" stage for cats, and it's very common for cats to show a change in behavior. This is the phase where they "discover" themselves and just like human teenagers, they may be aloof. This is one of the advantages of adopting an adult cat - their personalities are already set. That's not to say you shouldn't adopt kittens, but you should understand and expect this phase.

 

[lokimonster]

He doesn't hate you, I think you just need to be patient, sometimes kittens are too caught up in the kitten life to be affectionate and lovey right away. I think it's best to kind of hold yourself back from wanting to pick him up and cuddle all the time, and let him come to you first. It helps build trust if you let them make the first move towards being affectionate. I have a skittish 8 month old female kitten, and she's just now getting used to me and letting me pick her up and carry her around. I like to be patient with her and let her come to me first, because if I try to go to her, she usually ends up getting scared. I've noticed when I just give her a pet or two, or just offer my hand for her to smell and take it back, she'll be the one coming to me for more loves.

The biting sounds pretty normal for a kitten, as long as he's not drawing blood or doing any real damage. Negative reinforcement will help, but you can also give him toys for him to beat up instead of your hands. Sometimes the best thing for a troublesome kitten is tiring them out with playtime, so maybe next time he bites you could try giving him a toy right away so he can associate that with bitey play time.

 

[buckwheat]

My kittens are 9wks old the male play bites...I don't like it. When that happens playtime iss over with me, and for me. I just stopped playtime, and redirected him. The spray bottle works when climbing curtains, and scratching sofa. Now when get spray bottle they both redirect their own behavior without being wet. The bottle is just for redirecting, because they both love water. They play in their water bowls (2) and love their baths. Giving a lot attention always works tire them out, and have better kittens/cats.they have so many toys in all rooms keep them involved wih their toys I find that works. Put youu scent on toys, so they will remember you are apart of their play.....

 

[buckwheat]

Buckwheat is still gone I have two new kittens mane coons. They are beautiful

 

[lamiatron]

 
Hi there. We got D'Artagnan from a shelter in late September of this year, and he's about 7 months old now. He's an only child in the house. He started out very cuddly and sweet when we got him home, but has become very standoffish. He'll come near us and watch us, but he seems to hate being held, and if we pet him more than a few minutes, he starts biting and scratching. 

Early in the mornings, he'll occasionally come and cuddle with us in bed and purr while we pet him, and he'll often sleep at the foot of the bed; but he just seems to hate when we touch him. 

When he bites, SO will scruff him lightly and either squirt him with water or flick him on the forehead, but I'm not sure if that's effective. 

Is there any way to make D'Artagnan like us more?

awww, it broke my heart when Charlie started doing that to me and my bf

but nothing to worry about. D'Artagnan is just going through kitty puberty. I believe most cats do at about 6-8 months, and that could be a reason why there is a sudden change in behavior.

IMO and from my limited experience, nothing to worry about. He still loves you and your SO very much, he comes to you for pets and cuddles, but on HIS terms. Not yours. And cats are notorious for that. Just because you want to coddle him and cuddle with him all the time, doesn't mean he might want to. 

When we first brought Charlie home he was this adorable little cuddle bug that would not leave our sides. Always cuddling, always purring (like a cellphone forever on vibrate), always giving us little "love bites" and licks. but as he got older, he wanted to explore and be on his own more. Its normal. He's a curious little kitten. We can't pet charlie for more than a few SECONDS until he flips out and starts to bite. When your cat does this, you should just leave him alone, and move away (or put him on the scratching post, i did that with Charlie, and now whenever he feels aggresive he attacks the post and NOT me). That's his way of telling you "stop petting me". Cats can get over excited and agitated easily. Look for signs and try to reduce the biting and to slowly eliminate it. When u pet him, take notice of his ears, or his tail. If his tail looks like its starting to twitch (not move, or sway all curly and pretty like), just stop petting and walk away. leave him alone and then he'll come to you on his own when he wants attention again. cats i've learned, from having Charlie, are not like dogs (which is what i've always had). Dogs you can play with them, they always want pets, always want attention and always wanna be on your bed. Cats set forth some boundaries and you have to work a little harder for their affection.

Give your kitty space and let him come to you. Your kitty loves you and your SO very much. But please try to look out for signs of him being agitated, or over excited, and try to modify his aggressive behavior towards the two of you. .

hope these links help you. they helped me a lot:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/aggression-cats

http://www.perfectpaws.com/agg.html

http://www.2ndchance.info/aggressivecat.htm

 

[dartagnansdaddy]

Thanks everyone for your responses! It's great to know that this is normal and that my baby doesn't hate us!