How can I get my cat to stop biting (read details)

Question

I have an indoor, one year old male, neutered and the only cat in the house. He has a biting issue. He likes to attack and bite when you are just walking through the house, or when you are sitting down, he'll bite your feet. If you are petting him, he'll stop and start biting. And it's hard biting, too. He latches on and digs in.

We've tried: Squirt bottle (gets him off for the time being but he'll be back later), loud noises (ignores them), thumping on the head (same), relocating him to another room/distracting him (only a temporary fix)

I've talked to the vet and she says just to stick with the water bottle. But this has been going on for a year and it hasn't gotten any better. Lately, it's actually gotten worse.

Other than the biting, he's a very loving cat. He has plenty of toys and other stimuli

If all else fails, my boyfriend suggested declawing him, as that tends to alter their behaviour. I really don't want to do this as I hear it makes the cat depressed (and if he got out, he wouldn't be able to defend himself) I really don't want to do this but I'm getting fed up.

Please, any and all advice is appreciated.

PS: I'm against abuse (no hitting the cat--it was hard enough to thump him on the hose)

Answer 1

On your cat mind, you are a cat too.. just like someone already wrote before, make noises to let him know he's hurting you.

I wouldn't declaw my cat by any reasons, it is similar to taking fingers away from humans.

Answer 2

one way to do it is start with your cat sitting on your lap. as soon as he bites you, stand up, and as you are he will go off of your lap (gravity). Then turn your back on him, fold your arms, and put your chin up in the air. this is saying 'i dont accept this behavior.' then ignore him. if he bites your ankles, still ignore him. if he is biting your ankles, do this postion until he stops. then reward him by gently petting him for stopping. repeat this until he stops biting.  

Answer 3

     Well this is a tricky one. . . hmm well what i would do is show him that it is bad behaviour. Either he is trying to tell you something about this or he is doing it for attention or fun. I think that when he does this you need to get cold water in the spray bottle and squirt him right on the nose. Usually cats HATE water getting on their face.

    I would also suggest you talk to him in an angry discouraging way when he does this and then when he stops talk to him in a more loving tone. Speak to him in a loving tone whenever he isnt doing this to you.

Hope this helps at least a bit. Good luck with your kitty.  

Answer 4

My cat did that and the only thing that worked was I bit him back.  Gross but I did it only twice and he got the message.

Answer 5

Is he maliciously biting or is he just playing?  If he's just playing why don't you try to throw a "chase-able" toy across the room and see if he chases it.  Or one of those wand toys with the feathers attached that he can chase and jump after.  When any of my cats behave how yours is it usually means they want to play.  Declawing him won't do anything about his biting behavior.  I've got nothing against declawing, all three of my cats are declawed but it doesn't make them bite any less when they wanna play.

What about another cat?  Your cat may just be looking for attention and another cat may be the answer to give him the stimulation and play that he needs.  Like I said I've got three and they play with each other all the time and I catch them gnawing on each other quite frequently.  

Answer 6

declawing will only make the biting worse, not better.  it alters their behaviour to be more agressive because you have taken one of their primary defences away.  so that is right out (for that reason - ok for any reason - but that is a different post)

Your kitty was most likely taken away from it's siblings too early.  Kittens who stay with their siblings and mother till 12-16 weeks learn from one another how hard they can bite with out causing pain.  

What happens is when your kitty bites, a sibling would cry out if the bite was painful.  This stops all play, and a mental note is made.

When I have orphaned kittens who don't learn proper biting techniques, I mimic the cry by saying "ow" in a meow like fashion.. high pitched, etc.  You know you have it right when the kitty stops what it is doing and looks at you kinda oddly.  A mental note will be made, and adjustments to the biting behavior will be made.  Now it doesn't disappear over night.  Especially since this has gone on for so very long. You just have to keep at it.

If your kitty bites you, you say ow, and it goes back to biting you, simply put the kitty down on the floor and ignore it.  Cats HATE to be ignored.  Again, adjustments to behaviors will be made.  again, very slight.  They want to be able to get away with as much as they possibly can, so your training will have to be consistant and constant.

You can work this out of the kitty.  I only had one in the years of fostering who still bit me.. although the bites were much more gentle by the time he got adopted.

Answer 7

First off, let me say that Connie S basically has said what I would say - the cat has not learned proper cat behavior and is still playing with you guys as if he was a kitten playing with sibs.  Follow her directions - be sure and squeak like a hurt kitten loudly and react by either removing your hand if he isn't strongly attached or being very still if he has too good of a grip.  Move away as soon as you can.  Do NOT reward him by petting just because he released you.  WAtch kitten litters playing - observe the behavior of a kitten who bites and those he bites, it will give you a pattern to follow. Also if the mom kitty is around watch how they discourage biting from their babies - again, this will give you a type of behavior to follow of the alpha cat to the young cat and both you and your boyfriend can emulate.

I will assume that you have taken the cat to a vet at some point to make sure his teeth are in good shape and no gum problems or whatever.  He should be too old to be teething but one other thing I might recommend is to put your cat on a raw diet with bones.  there is a ton of good info on the web about it on the web - and if you can transfer some of his biting to bones, it should help too.  Plus a raw diet with appropriate supplements is a more natural and healthy diet for your cat and will give him many years of additional life and health.  Some possible sources of info are below.

http://www.barfworld.com/

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/an...

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/

As a last resort, I would immediately make the ow sound for your cat but if he does not release or stop biting after a trial period.  Take the cat by the scuff of the neck and give him a shake or two and growl at him.  If he understands dominance behavior, he will stop quickly by this method but since it's a bit rough, I would only use it as a last resort.  I will explain what I mean by grabbing the scruff - just in case it's not clear.  Take the cat by the skin behind the neck and between the shoulders - a decent sized hunk of skin - and lift slightly and give a couple of shakes to the cat.  Cats have a built in response to the scruff grab that usually makes them release and go limp.  A good growl - look them directly in the eye when doing this establishes your dominance position.  it's obvious that your kitty thinks he can 'dominate' you both so you both have to do this - probably several times - in order to get him to quit.  After you have established your dominant position, a growl or a light grip to the back of the neck usually will remind them of who's boss.

I might also suggest getting a 5-6 mo old kitty - male - from the pound for a companion.  Make sure to get a outgoing lively one or he will terrorize this new companion too!

Good luck, I can see you have gotten lots of suggestions and I hope that you can cure your kittie's problems with one of them.