Hi all! I have a teen cat (5-6 months old) that has had a biting issue since we got him (he was very young likely only 5-6 weeks) and have not had much success with curbing the biting. He can be very loving, but bites, and HARD after a pet or two. He will wrap his arms around yours and chomp down (but never with claws extended) is this play behavior? Any ideas on how to curb the biting?
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Teen Cat Bites Hard
- Thread starter thull08
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Some cats can act a little more feisty if they have not been fixed. Has your cat been neutered?
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My cat Bodhi did that when he was young. What worked for me was to just get up and walk away. I felt kind of guilty doing it the first few times but eventually he seemed to figure out hard biting meant the play or petting would stop.
Stopping the playing or petting when he bites is good. When in groups if a cat gets too rough the other will teach it that it's not acceptable behavior. Since you've had him since he was so young he didn't get taught by other kitties. Also saying No! Or Ow! With the walking away will help because itll be jarring and cats will make noise when something is happening they don't like.
When Indy does this I startle her by going "ayyy" in a sharp voice then tap her on the nose and say "Indy! No bite!"
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The suggestions above definitely work! I found that using different tones worked best for me - a short low tone as a reprimand (as opposed to a high pitched tone for praise), and then I would walk away and ignore my cat for a few minutes. Something else that you could try is desensitizing your cat to petting. My cat is a dry food addict, but she doesn't normally get any, so they work great as a treat. I would wait until she's sleepy and relaxed, and gently pet her a few times. When she started to get irritated (tail swishing), I would stop and leave my hand motionless on her. If she didn't bite, she would get lots of praise and a piece of dry food. If she bit, I would make the warning tone and leave. Then repeat the process, limiting it to 5 minute sessions each day. Over time, my cat went from biting after 3 pets to demanding extended petting sessions. Of course, part of it might be that she grew out of the bratty teenage stage. 
The other thing to watch for is airplane ears ears swiveled to the sides but not flat resembling the wings of a fighter jet. Cats will do this when annoyed.
Besides time, I had some luck with calmly saying, "are we biting?" when my kitten bites me.
Also toys that are good for biting help (sometimes Freya will just NEED to bite something ( she'll soe+mtimes bite her own tail if nothing else is available!) like Kong wubbas or kickeroos, or best of a all,one of these dog toys.
Also toys that are good for biting help (sometimes Freya will just NEED to bite something ( she'll soe+mtimes bite her own tail if nothing else is available!) like Kong wubbas or kickeroos, or best of a all,one of these dog toys.
