Not when he's angry, but when he's playing. I can't figure out how to make him stop. He grew up in a house with lot's of other cats and I know that that's what happens when cats play with each other, but I'm not a cat and it's annoying.
Any suggestions? Any ideas on how to teach him to stop?
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Squirt him with water when he does it? or have someone else do that? Perhaps that would stop him.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Mine nip on occasion, and a sharp word is usually enough. Sometimes it's hard to tell them no convincingly when i'm giggling from tickles.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
That's kind of like trying to get Bernie not to go in my room when he does that little dance to distract me.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Unfortunately you probably won't be able to prevent him from biting. What you can do is figure out what specifically stimulates him to bite, and avoid putting your flesh in that situation. If he bites when he plays I suggest toys on string or a stick so you can play with him without endangering digits. If he's the kind that pounces without warning and begins gnawing, you might try tapping him on the nose and telling him no. Don't hurt him, just let him know his biting isn't appreciated. A third option is to just not play with him, and to push him away when he tries to bite. It's not the best solution, and is only advisable if his biting is really bad, and won't stop.
Posts: 349 | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I second Audeo's "tap on the nose". That's what I did with a cat of mine that bit while playing. You don't want to hurt the cat, but their nose is very sensitive and they don't like getting it tapped, even lightly. Just be sure to do it immediately when they bite, each time they bite, and add the firm "no". They will associate the bite with the tap on the nose (hopefully) and eventually learn that's not a fun thing to do.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Bite back. I had a cat that bit. I bit her back one time, kinda hard, and she never bit me again.
Posts: 2596 | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
Now, severity of biting is the issue, I think. Most cats, when you are playing with them, will put their teeth on you. Often this is just a light pressure, and not any attempt to hurt you.
Playing to a cat is just practice (or a substitute) for hunting, after all. They swat, stalk, chase, pounce upon, grab, and bite things. It is the rare cat that will let you rub its belly like a dog does without quickly collapsing on your hand with paws and teeth - in a playful or serious manner.
If the biting is light, and not intended to break the skin, I wouldn't worry about it. I've played with cats that nip lightly or put teeth on my hand just to say "ha, I got you" - in their mind, winning that sparring round.
If the biting is hard, or it looks as though there is intent to break the skin - often with ears back and rapid strikes to bite - the cat gets a rap on the head. It has to be immediate, so that the cat directly associates the act with the reaction.
Sometimes the biting is a push for dominance, which you cannot afford to lose. If a cat feels like it is dominant over you, it will bite more frequently. For example, my cat never bites me unless I somehow really pissed it off (only happened once or twice since its adulthood), and it always got a bop on the head for it. By contrast, my cat bites my mother all the time because he (very clearly) feels dominance over her.
If a cat is really trying to show dominance, my advice is to "get big". There's very little misunderstanding of dominance in a cat's mind if you stand up tall over it and raise your voice. If the cat has a high perch, this is more difficult, and my suggestion would be to remove any opportunities for the cat to get on eye level with you.
Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
