Some cats get overstimulated and "attack" after being petted -- when
Rosalie does this, I usually yell "no" sharply and sometimes I fuss at
her a bit. She has learned just to bat me once with a "soft paw" to tell
me she's had enough -- and also over time you will learn the signs of
when the kitty has had enough -- usually they get progressively twitchier
with their tails before they attack. Getting older will also help with
this behavior, so never fear.

Not sure about the weird chewing. One thing might be some extra exercise
before bed so that he sleeps at night instead of chewing? Do you have
some good interactive toys? Rosie loves the "Cat Charmer" which is a
plastic wand with a fleece tail attached -- with a minimum of effort on
my part, I can get her running and jumping all over the place -- she
really gets a good workout. She's 3 years old -- kittens need even more
exercise.

My old cats used to sometimes keep me awake with their nighttime antics
-- I was not above waking them up constantly the next day in order to
disrupt their rest so that they would sleep the next night.

--Catherine
& Rosalie the calicohead

Are you sure it's really "all of a sudden"? This sounds like overstimulation
to me, not play biting.
Humans tend to miss kitty signals that say when kitty has had enough petting.
Any or all of these signals are supposed to tell you that he's had enough
cuddling or petting and that you should put him down or stop touching him:
- tensing up
- tail twitching
- ears start to go back
- purring ceases
- eyes narrow; pupils may dilate

Try petting him for only 5 minutes and then putting him down while he's still
liking it. Repeat later on in the day. Extend time by a minute or so every
couple days to increase his tolerance.
Also, many cats don't like being pet in one way or another. Watch your own
behavior closely as well as everything else, including your cat's body
language, your dog's location, noises going on around you, etc, to see if
there is a trigger you are missing. Some things are very subtle. Maybe he
hates being pet on the left ear, for example (we had a horse like that). My
Rowan hates being pet on her tummy. Isis prefers that you don't touch her
nose. Jeffrey just wants you to touch him. *g*

He may be responding to something you aren't aware of, is what I'm saying.
We're so used to tuning out the common things that it might be something so
usual to you that you don't hear it or see it any more. Perhaps a clock that
chimes every 15 minutes. Anything at all. Look for the pattern. And look at
HIM. He might be telling you something in a way that he thinks is obvious but
you think is just something he "always" does.

This won't help if it is overstimulation. These are remedies for play biting.
If he's trying to tell you to stop petting him, he's not going to nail the
stuffy instead of you. He's going to nail your leg or hand.
Some cats want to be on your lap, but don't want to be stroked or handled the
entire time they're there.

He's teething, more than likely. My Mom has a cat who chewed on things when
he was little. He grew out of it. Try Bitter Apple in the meantime.

It'd help you not have a cat to worry about any more.  ;)
LA is no area for outside cats. And I don't think the problem has anything to
do with activity levels, anyway.

Obviously, I don't know your kitty, so I can't tell if this is what's going
on (body language is SO important), but it's worth a thought or three.

By the sounds of it, if you have no knowledge about 5 month old cats, you
shouldn't even consider having children.

Pay attention to the cat's behavior. You might be missing signals that he's
had enough. If he bites or scratches put him down immediately, tell him no
and ignore him.

As for the chewing on pillowcases, if this has started recently it *might*
be related to teething. They shed their milk teeth sometime between 3 and 6
mos. old. His mouth may be bothering him and chewing might make it feel
better. I have a foster now who didn't lose the milk teeth before the
permanent teeth came in. He has duplicates of his canine teeth and his mouth
is a little sore as a result.

W

 It so happens I adopted a kitten four months ago and she is now 6 months
old, and I suffer from similar problems.   She doesn't like petting as much
as she loves biting me.  When she is bored, she likes "enticing" me into the
bedroom by meowing miserably, then she hides herself behind the blankets,
pillows or whatever on the bed getting ready to strike.  She jumps out all
of a suddenly at one of my hands and bites it.  To add excitement for her, I
would dodge a few times before letting her get my hand.  It's all a game and
hinting practice she needs instinctively.

 This biting actually started soon after I adopted her.  It's just that she
was tiny then and her bites didn't cause much pain.  About two months ago, I
began to think it a behavioral problem that needs to be corrected.  I tried
stopping her in an angry voice and flicking her nose but to no avail, so the
only choice I had was give up playing when the biting got serious.   Maybe
she has learnt from this, or maybe she is maturing, her bites and attacks
are gradually getting milder.  She seems to be able to distinguish faked
cries and real cries of pain.  I notice that when she gets really excited,
she will hold and scratch and bite the pillow hard instead me.

 I actually talked to my vet about this biting problem two months ago when
the situation was in its worst, and he said unlike dogs, cats normally
prefers using their claws to showing their teeth.  The incessant biting is
likely to be a temporary behavior caused by teething.  This may explain why
my kitten is now easier on me now that her teething process has almost come
to an end.

 So, I believe the biting and chewing and scratching are all aspects of
kitties' growth which you can't change and yet need not be worried about.
I hope you can clench your teeth in the coming two to three months, trying
to minimize your loss by taking all the precautions possible while enjoying
the process, like I do.  I'm sure when she has grown into an independent big
lazy cat, I'll miss those troubled days when she bothered to struggle with
me.

 > Please help!  We adopted Roscoe at the pound 3 months ago.  He is now
 > 5 months old.  He is a very active and healthy little guy, was
 > neutered promptly when we adopted him, has a good appetite and gets
 > lots of play from us and our dog (whom we adopted at the same time).
 > At first I figured the biting was a kitten thing.  A play thing.  But
 > he WILL NOT STOP.  In fact, he seems to have a split personality.  It
 > isn't when he's worked up that he bites.  It's the opposite.  For
 > example, he'll come snuggle and relax for 10 or 15 minutes and then
 > all of a sudden attack my hand or my leg or whatever is closest.
 > He'll latch on and it's hard to peel him off.  He has learned to use
 > his scratch posts, uses the litter box, keeps off the kitchen table,
 > and is very, very sweet but this behavior is not getting better.
 > We've tried replacing human limbs with those of stuffed animals.  He's
 > not interested.  We've tried the squirt bottle.  It isn't sinking in.
 >
 > In addition to this, he has completely destroyed 3 sets of
 > pillowcases.  He chews on the corners of them.  Someone suggested this
 > may have to do with a definciency in his diet but we feed him a
 > natural and balanced kibble and he only does it while we are in bed at
 > night.
 >
 > He is a good kitty 90% of the time but I'm afraid we won't be able to
 > have kids around this cat and it might be best to try to find a new
 > home for him now rather than later.  He is an indoor cat.  Would
 > letting him outside help?  We live in an area in L.A. where cats
 > easily become coyote snacks which is why we haven't let him out.
 >
 > What to do to keep kitty?  Or is he Jeckyll and Hyde?
 >
 > Thanks,
 > Jill

If you can't put up with him, really, how can you expect someone else to? He's
a baby. You have to teach him. Don't give him *any* attention when he bites.
Put him on the floor and ignore him. Never use your hands to play...always use
a toy for pouncing and playing. It won't be that hard to train him. And as he
matures, grows older and settles down, it will get even easier. You just have
to be persistent and patient.

Sherry

 He is an indoor cat.  Would