my cat bites

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wingrider - 01 Dec 2005 22:44 GMT

is it common for cats to bite for no reason. he will let you pet him for a
while and then he will get down and walk away, a while later he will come
back and if we go to pet him again he will bite for no reason

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Beth - 01 Dec 2005 23:01 GMT

> is it common for cats to bite for no reason. he will let you pet him for a
> while and then he will get down and walk away, a while later he will come
> back and if we go to pet him again he will bite for no reason

Yes, this is a common thing that I've seen many people here post about,
myself included. It my cat's case, she would plop down and give me the "pet
me now" look and I'd pet and she'd roll around so I could get her back and
her tummy. All of a sudden she'd attack and often draw blood. Part of the
problem was that she didn't know it hurt. After getting advice here, I
"cry-meowed" at her when she did it. She looked very confused and backed
away for the first few times. Now, she sometimes still bites at me, but
it's not hard and it's when she wants to play. So, I toss her beany-baby
toy at her and she jumps up to catch it and claws/chews the hell out of
that. Mine also does it in retaliation when I've been gone long or she
doesn't want me to go. Sometimes she bites at my leg when I'm getting in
the shower because she knows that when I shower, I leave not long after.
She also does it some times when I leave in the morning as sort of a "no!
You're leaving me! You may not pet her majesty!" Other times, she's all
over me when I've been gone for a while. :) Rule one...try the crying
thing. They really don't always get that they are actually hurting you and
just think they are playing.

Beth

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KG - 01 Dec 2005 23:09 GMT

[SNIP]
Sometimes she bites at my leg when I'm getting in

> the shower because she knows that when I shower, I leave not long after.
> Beth

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kate - 02 Dec 2005 10:39 GMT

Sometimes she bites at my leg when I'm getting in

> the shower because she knows that when I shower, I leave not long after.
> Beth

Oh I have a cat that will attack me lol when I get out of the shower or
will
attack my hands after washing them. I have changed soaps several times.
I
think she just likes her food cleaned before eatting it. LOL

Angus does that too. My shower is over the bath and he usually waits
'til I have one leg in then he jumps up and bites my calf. Then when I
finish, as soon as I pull back the curtain he is up teetering on the
wet, slippery edge of the bath reaching up with his front paws to be
picked up. I usually manage to get a towel 'round me first but when I
pick him up he crawls up on my shoulder and gets all wet and doesn't
care, just wants cuddles. He mostly does it in the morning, when he is
at his cuddliest. Although he mostly bites at night. He will also wait
til I take my shoes off and attack my bae feet - OW!

He will also sometimes try to get in the bath when I'm showering but it
is just a bit too much water for him.

On an unrelated topic, I shouldn't laugh but he just s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d
out and fell off the couch :)
Kate

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LMadigan@hhnt.nhs.uk - 02 Dec 2005 11:07 GMT

> On an unrelated topic, I shouldn't laugh but he just s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d
> out and fell off the couch :)
> Kate

Redunzel is famous for things like that. When she was smaller she used
to like to snooze on the PC's base unit (It was warm since we installed
a better fan she doesn't like it anymore!) and would roll over in her
sleep and fall off.

Her other stunt is the top of the bookcase, she likes to sleep up there
and if someone comes into the bedroom, she'll make little "meep" noises
(We think she has never learned to say "miaow" properly) and those
little gestures with the head that mean "I want skritchies". Alas it's
a bit far to reach up to her and she tries to come forward for a belly
rub and falls off. She put a pillow at the foot of the bookcase, we
used to think it was for sleeping on (well sometimes it is) but now
we're starting to think it's so she has a soft landing

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

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whayface - 02 Dec 2005 14:19 GMT

>Oh I have a cat that will attack me lol when I get out of the shower or
>will attack my hands after washing them. I have changed soaps several times.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>He will also sometimes try to get in the bath when I'm showering but it
>is just a bit too much water for him.

I have one (Kitty is her name) that will grab my hand every morning while
I am in bed and the longer I take to get up the harder she bites until I get up and give
them some fresh food!!

http://members.aol.com/larrystark/

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carola - 02 Dec 2005 16:58 GMT

: I have one (Kitty is her name) that will grab my hand every morning while
: I am in bed and the longer I take to get up the harder she bites until I get up and give
: them some fresh food!!

Feed her before you go to bed ...

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whayface - 02 Dec 2005 22:54 GMT

>: I have one (Kitty is her name) that will grab my hand every morning while
>: I am in bed and the longer I take to get up the harder she bites until I
>get up and give
>: them some fresh food!!
>
>Feed her before you go to bed ...

I do. I feed the 4 of them 2 cans Fancy Feast AM and PM plus dry always available but
even if there is canned left from the night before they still want their fresh!!

http://members.aol.com/larrystark/

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Dan M - 01 Dec 2005 23:02 GMT

That's frequently a sign that the cat gets overstimulated by the petting.
Suggestions for ways to handle this would be to try to determine how much
petting he can take without overload, and hissing at him when he trys to
bite.

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Judy - 02 Dec 2005 04:55 GMT

If he bites you, there is a reason. It's up to you to figure out why. :c)

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Jason James - 02 Dec 2005 17:46 GMT

Some do it more than others. Our house cat, Misty, can be very cantankerous.
He once drew blood on my hand aftr I tickled his tummy, and has given
numerous scratches to my g/daughter,..who of course annoys him.

He'll also give me little "play-bites" on my heel when sitting in front of
the computer,..that is a 'feed me' thing.

As to the unprovoked bites,..they get better with age. Misty will bite
ocassionaly for no apparent reason, but he is improving. I use a loud "stop
it" when he has given an unprovoked bite.

Jason

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CatMan - 02 Dec 2005 22:13 GMT

He may have been abused. Just an auto-reflex for him. Try to only pet his
head and chin. Some cats dont like their back or tail touched. Also give
him snacks when you pet him. Dont give him a snack when he bites. He will
teach you how to pet him.
- Rich

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dnr - 02 Dec 2005 22:56 GMT

> He may have been abused. Just an auto-reflex for him. Try to only pet
> his head and chin. Some cats dont like their back or tail touched. Also
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>> while and then he will get down and walk away, a while later he will come
>> back and if we go to pet him again he will bite for no reason

I have a "biter" who was abused as a kitten; but over time he's mellowed
into biting w/o drawing blood...like "love bites"; he likes only his head
and ears petted, not his body. Also, another cat will bite/scratch if
petting goes on too long (more than a few minutes) as if she gets
overstimulated; doesn't stay irrritated, but when I back off, just goes back
to sleep peacefully. They both cuddle up to me whenever *they* feel like it.
I believe the biting
cat mentioned first does this because he was declawed long before he lived
here.His bites never break my skin and I am tolerant of his personality
quirk; I just say "no"
when he does it.

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