No, she has her claws. I am hesitant about declawing her b/c my vet
says that sometimes makes them bite more. And she already put my on
antibiotics when she bit me. I've never had a cat like this, all the
rest have been calm and affectionate.
> No, she has her claws. I am hesitant about declawing her b/c my vet
> says that sometimes makes them bite more. And she already put my on
> antibiotics when she bit me. I've never had a cat like this, all the
> rest have been calm and affectionate.
Your vet is right, that's why I asked.
First you have to figure out why she's biting. Is she becoming too
stimulated by play or petting? [Be sure you play with her *only* with toys
and not with your hands.] If it's from too much petting you'll have to
learn to watch for the signs she's getting enough *before* she bites. Look
for twitching tail, ears laid slightly back, back twitching, very low
pitched growling or grumbling, or increased respiration. Once you start to
see those signs stop petting her immediately and set her down to let her
calm down [and BTW, don't ever pick her up when she doesn't want to be
picked up - let her come to you]. It's always better to leave her wanting
more petting than to over-stimulate her into biting and having that become a
behavioral problem.
What you'll have to do next is start behavioral modification when she does
bite you. First, as soon as she gets too rough with you give a high-pitched
"MEW" - this is a kitten's signal to another kitten that they've gotten too
rough - it should make her immediately stop her agression. Next, and this
is the hardest thing to do - going against your every instinct, don't pull
your hand back when she bites down on it - shove it slightly forward
instead. This not only contradicts a prey's behavior in nature and throws
her a surprise, it will make her gag her mouth open enough for you to
withdraw your hand more easily with less damage to yourself (everything in a
cat's mouth, teeth, tongue, and its structure, is designed to pull things
inward that are struggling to get outward). Next, after the bite, give her
time-out in another room with no distractions.
Having a cat whose a biter (I was ignorant and had her declawed before I
even knew what that entailed), I would advise you to keep current on your
tetanus shots.

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