Why my cat start to bite/nip all of a sudden?

catboyz77 · New member Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Posts: 12

I got my 2 yrs cat from an adoption center about 4 weeks ago. When I first got him, he was calm,relaxing and is pretty playfull occasionally...a perfect cat for me I should say. He had allergy with an eye infection in the first week of owning him but thats all gone now and have been taken care of by the vet. In the second week, he becomes very active and plays a lot, but one thing he never did before was biting. I'm sure he just playfully bite and nip but he doesn't realize it still hurt b/c his teeth are very sharp. He usually go for the arms and legs. Its really disappointing for me b/c I sometimes have a lot of kids around and I would have to put my cat in another room. I've tried many discipline tactics like the simple yelling of NO/Stop", water spray,treats,toys, and a slight slap on his butt(not harmful!), but still no luck. I wonder if his state of mind/personality change from visiting the vet, since he was really stressed out from the shots/medication. Please any advice to help me get my cat to stop biting would greatly be appreciated.

vene · Super Senior Member Plus Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 4283

Maybe he was just stressed out and will mellow out after a bit. Rene would nip and wrap her claws around my ankles when she was first adopted. I had her play fetch and other toys to get her energy levels down. How old are the kids? Are they grabby? Perhaps using a Feliway diffuser will help calm down your kitty. Is he teething?

sunset05 · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:11 pm Post subject:

I agree, it might be stress or possibly it is just his personality.

Both my kitties nip but my Mittens is worse at it and can bite. I used to try to squirt water at her or yell at her but it would just make her more hyper. She did much better when I would be more calm and calmly say no.

Also, if she started to bite, I would just say no and stop moving for a minute so there was no motion in front of her. I think she goes into mouse mode Mr. Green

when something moves in front of her.

She has improved a lot since we first got her.

Best of luck.

lynnhaz · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:29 pm Post subject:

i would call the adoption center and ask them if he ever displayed this behavior. then, you might get a good idea whether its new behavior or old. i would think if hes a biter, then he would have done it before this. sounds like stress to me. mikey bit me the first week he came, when i was leaving the back bedroom where i had him. he was overaroused.

do you spend quiet time with him? just you and him in a quiet room? maybe some alone time, quiet time would help his stress level.

i think its stress. two of my cats were adopted from rescue. it took christopher a good year to relax and even look up at me. he used to walk around with his head down all the time. mikey, took about three to four months to adjust