How do you stop a cat from biting?

[LoveMyCali]

Anyone have any advice on how to teach a cat not to bite?

I adopted Cali



about six months ago. He is a two year old ragdoll and he bites me all the time. Most of the time it's just more or less putting his mouth around my hand or arm or whatever he can reach and it doesn't hurt it's more of a playful thing but every now and then he jumps at me and bites. He's a big boy, 16 lbs, so when he has his weight behind it his bites do hurt.

[Grateful for Hope]

1. Just wanted to say that Cali is a very handsome boy

and, I found a few good sites with some info on cats and biting:

http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-cataggression.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1310&articleid=3048
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/play.html

When I first adopted Spidey, he went after my hand a few times when I was petting him. Since I knew he had had a rough time of it before he came to me, I spoke to him very gently each time, and stopped petting him.

He stopped the behavior after those few times, so I think he began to trust that I would not hurt him when I stroked him.

[LoveMyCali]

2. Thanks for the links

I'm pretty sure that it's usually play aggression. I'm the only one he really bites and it is usually when I pet him. His tell-tale sign is he starts licking me. I think he's cleaning off a spot to bite.
He also will bite my arm when I'm sleeping to wake me up, I've taken to sleeping in long sleeves because he will bite on to my sleeve and shake his head like a dog playing tug-of-war.
The really bothersome bites are when he gets peeved for offenses like my working late. When I come through the door he launches himself at my legs and bites me. He was raised for the first two years by a man that had to give him up when he was deployed to Iraq and from all accounts Cali was VERY spoiled by this guy. I don't think it's a lack of human contact but maybe he was used to rough play with his previous owner.

[Grateful for Hope]

3. Have you tried a very stern "No" when Cali lunges at you?

I ask only because I have noticed that my boys usually listen to my "No" because I normally speak very softly to them, and I think it startles them.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I also know a cat who bites and is used to rough play with his male owner.

Previously, he only had dogs, and chases this cat and truly does spoil him. I sent him this thread because he might also benefit from any advice about this.:-)

This cat has also bitten me and the best I could do was pull away and say "no!" sharply, but it obviously didn't work.:-(

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. One thing I've found that works if the cat chomps down on you

is, you put your hand over his eyes. Cats just hate not being able to see, so he will let go of whatever hunk of flesh he's grabbed. This has worked every time I've been chomped.

[LoveMyCali]

6. I have even used my scary voice

loud and deeper than normal and as stern as I can but I think he's laughing at me. I even resorted to biting him back on the head one time and that startled him enough to let go but apparently it's a trick that only works once. The second time I tried it I just got a mouth full of fur and he bit me a lot harder than I bit him. lol

[Sanity Claws]

7. What worked for me and Oliver

When he was still a kitten, Oliver used to bite. I tried several things that were mentioned but the one that worked was screaming at a high pitched voice whenever he bit me. It got his attention and he stopped. Since then, he seems to have adopted it himself to let me know that he doesn't like something. For example, he generally does not like to be picked up. He shows his displeasure by using a high-pitched squeal and I'll put him down.

[Grateful for Hope]

8. That's really funny!

I know that cats copy each other, but, I've never heard about a cat copying it's owner's voice. That is hilarious!

[demnan]

9. Actually I've done that

I held a cat's paw in my mouth to simulate biting (without bearing down of course!) I think this was Lily as a young squirt but now I don't even remember. (Lily is 16 years old now). Whatever, this sobered the cat somewhat looking at my big mouth and size.

Lily's mother was declawed. I think cats who's mothers are declawed will develop aggression with their mouths. Charley who was declawed hasn't really expressed this action - maybe his mother wasn't declawed - but I maintain that declawing does something horrible to cats. I wish Charley had his claws living with my other cats but we had no choice in the matter he was a dire rescue who walked into my condo.

[Grateful for Hope]

10. I definitely agree about the declawing

I hadn't ever given thought to how kittens would behave as offspring of a declawed mother. What you say makes perfect sense.

[LoveMyCali]

12. Someone else

had mentioned to me before that declawed cats often bite more. Cali has been declawed (not my choice, he came that way) so maybe he's trying to make up for his inability to defend himself with his claws.

[Sanity Claws]

11. My late Max learned how to copy me on something too

I used to like the scare the beejeebers out of my late great Max by sneaking up on him. He learned to do it to me too. Once he got me really good. I was just walking through the doorway into another room, when he jumped straight up, just about face height. My heart jumped in my throat and I needed to catch my breath. Max looked quite pleased with himself.

[Grateful for Hope]

13. These "copy-cat" stories are so funny!

The closest I've come to seeing a kitty copying me is seeing them sleep on my bed with their heads on the pillows. It always makes me laugh to see it.

Max was pretty darn smart!

[kestrel91316]

14. Do not allow play biting. It will turn into REAL biting.

Don't use your hands as toys. If he does bite in play, say VERY FIRMLY "No biting!!!" They can learn what that means. Do not wag your finger in front of his face while disciplining, lol. He will just see that wagging finger as temptation.

[LoveMyCali]

17. A friend of mine

recently gave us a "Cat Dancer," it's a piece of wire with a little thing that looks almost like a bundle of sticks on the end. It's his favorite thing in the world, he even turned down treats one night to try to entice me to play. I read somewhere that having 2 or 3 play sessions a day for at least 15 minutes at a time will help get some of his aggressiveness out in an appropriate way and that he would bite less. I keep hoping.

[kestrel91316]

20. That sort of thibng is great - works out his aggression in an

acceptable way. For supervised play ONLY - don't let him have access to anything long and skinny unless you are there to monitor for safety.

[serryjw]

15. When Einstein was a baby ..17 years ago

after declawing ( I was stupid!) He would bite..HARD..ONE day I took his paw and bit it! He NEVER did it again! Sorry, maybe not the best idea but he got the message

[LoveMyCali]

16. Obviously Einstein

is smarter than Cali. lol

I think Cali thinks he can get by on his looks because I tried biting him back (not hard enough to hurt him but so that he'd know what a bite was) and although he seemed shocked at first it soon wore off and he went right back to his biting ways.
I'm thinking of using a water gun but he wasn't very cuddly when I first got him and he's just getting so that he'll jump up in my chair or sleep next to me now so I don't want to discourage him from being near me.

[NV Whino]

18. If you are petting or playing with a cat

and it starts biting, stop moving your hand immediately. Just hold still and say NO in a firm loud voice. Most often when you stop moving, they will let go and back off. If they persist, grab by the scruff of the neck until they stop, again using "the voice." When they back off, remove your hand slowly.

Cali is a very handsome boy.

[LoveMyCali]

19. Thank you

for saying Cali is handsome. Now if he would just be sweet <sigh>

[HamdenRice]

21. I had a 17 year old cat that NEVER learned to stop biting

When she was young, she would give us what we called love bites. After you had her in your lap for a while and petted her and she got all comfy she would turn around and give you a relatively soft bite, and of course get thrown off the lap and yelled at. It just never sank in. She never got the connetion between the bite and ending her comfortable petting situation.

When she got really old she was grouchy and would bite anyone except me -- and me she would bite only in the comfy/petting context. It was very strange.

[meow2u3]

22. I bite my cat back

I have a similar problem with my cat Boots. He's 19 months old (1 1/2 years) and he likes to chomp on my arm. So I figured that the best way for him to quit biting me is for me to give him a taste of his own medicine: bite him back. He hates that; he can dish the biting out but he can't take it.