Trouble with Biting

[ibbykitty]

My kitty is about 10 months old.  He is very sweet and playful.  I always play with him really hard before bedtime to wear him out.  He seems sleepy and will purr and cuddle up next to me in bed.  However, he very quickly switches to play-mode and grabs onto my hand with his claws and bites.  

For things like jumping on the counters, all I have to say is "no" and he'll immediately stop.  But once he holds onto my hand and starts biting, I can't make him stop!  It's been happening for about 2 months now.  

I have tried to be very consistent in correcting the behavior.  I always say "no" and try to keep my hand still.  Often he won't let go and it hurts so much I have to pull my hand away.  Once I get free I get out of bed and walk into the next room.  I can't seem to get him to stop though!  When we're playing together he NEVER chews on my hands.  His favorite game is fetch, so I usually just throw little things for him to chase.  I can't seem to understand why he wants to bite my hand when we're going to sleep.

Does anyone have any ideas for other things to try?  I don't want him to think he's being punished for snuggling and being sweet.  Often when he's biting he continues to purr.  My hands are all scratched up though and it's really becoming a problem.

 

 

[Ms. Freya]

It could be a couple of things - as a kitten, his default is probably "play-mode"

, in which case, if he bites or goes to bite, you can try making a sharp, loud hiss, like another cat would if he tried it. A sharp "No" can work for this too, but you mention it doesn't so I would try the hiss.

Another option is that he's getting overstimulated. If you go to touch an overstimulated cat, they'll often bite. (I have two like this) in that case, correction may not help. You'll want to look for signs that he's about to 'attack'. Ears back, sharply flicking tail, etc. Most cats give a sign, even a brief one, and remove your hand from him before he strikes.

My Wendel used to flick his tail sharply just once, then bite when he hit that point. We would freeze until he seemed to snap out of it, then he' be fine t touch again. As he's gotten older (he's 7 now) he just gets up and walks a few feet away until he's good with being touched again.