cat biting

u_c_thesecond

As most of you know we adopted Fudge in December and we found out later he had been badly treated by last owners, and he has a few problems ... clingyness being one but he is doing well

theres one problem he has had since we got him, thats now happening constantly is biting. he doesnt do it in a vindictive way, he lies on his back and meows at you to rub his belly, and when you rub his belly he snaps his head up and takes a chunk out of your hand. He has broken my skin a few times and it is sore.

He is doing it more and more latley,which is upsetting because he has become a very affectionate cat when before he wouldnt come near us and now hes all cuddles. iv tried tapping him on the nose and saying "No" when he does it but it doesnt seem to make any difference. He bit my niece 2 weeks ago and he adores her hes never went for her before.

planetX

u_c_thesecond wrote: »

As most of you know we adopted Fudge in December and we found out later he had been badly treated by last owners, and he has a few problems ... clingyness being one but he is doing well

theres one problem he has had since we got him, thats now happening constantly is biting. he doesnt do it in a vindictive way, he lies on his back and meows at you to rub his belly, and when you rub his belly he snaps his head up and takes a chunk out of your hand. He has broken my skin a few times and it is sore.

He is doing it more and more latley,which is upsetting because he has become a very affectionate cat when before he wouldnt come near us and now hes all cuddles. iv tried tapping him on the nose and saying "No" when he does it but it doesnt seem to make any difference. He bit my niece 2 weeks ago and he adores her hes never went for her before.

Hah that's an old cat trick - roll over and look like you want your belly rubbed, then savage your human slave. Don't fall for it, and teach any kids visiting to only ever stroke the cat on the head. You can't force cuddles on a cat:D It doesn't mean he doesn't still adore you...

luckyfrank

cats arent like dogs, dont think u can change him now

Heroditas

We have three cats and all of them roll onto their back looking for you to scratch their belly.
Two of them will tear lumps out of you if you rub their tummy and the third absolutely adores it.
It's just a cat thing.
Fudge is probably thinking "haha, the sucker is going to rub me AGAIN!"

SuePal

Ours does the same - it's a trap don't fall for it ;-)

Taltos

If you were another cat this would not be a problem - Fudge and this cat would be rolling around having a huge fight but enjoying themselves.

Personally I wouldn't enourage you to rub him here - and actually tipping his nose may just make it worse. When you see him getting too excited use a few doggy tricks - either stop interacting until he calms down or as my OH does - do a little yelp if he comes close to hurting you.

Just have patience but don't continue to play in a manner where you allow yourself to get hurt - not fair on the cat being taught this is OK or on anyone else who manages to escape with their hand torn to bits.

PurplePrincess

We have the same problem with our 7 month old kitten, she's a divil for biting. Usually I say ah ah and put her down and ignore her or if she continues trying to bite put her out of the room. Im getting to know the signs when she's over excited and likely to bite so I stop interacting with her and let her calm down. She's also not a fan of being petted on the body so we do her head and chin only.

Kash

It is definitely a cat trick - my guy loves to do it. I just warn other people not to rub him on his belly, because most people will get hurt.

I let him away with it most of the time (because he loves to do it and I am a sucker) and he normally settles for gentle chewing and pretend disemboweling whilst purring away. I stop if he gets too boisterous. The trick is never to yank your hand away, or you'll get cut to ribbons. I find keeping my hand very still, and gently detaching teeth/claws works well.