How to stop cat biting me?

Question

I've recently purchased 2 cats from the rescue they are both 5 month old a male and a female

The male always wants to bite me
Its always my socks or any part of skin or flesh

He'll rub up against my clothes say for instance my t-shirt and when he gets to my arm (skin) he'll bite it and it bloody hurts!
Or he'll rub up against my jogging bottoms and when he gets to my feet he bites my socks
If he cant reach with his teeth he'll grab my skin with his claws and pull my arm in and bite it

Is this aggressive behaviour or playful because sometimes he rolls onto his back and if i try and rub his belly he claws my hand towards his mouth

How do i go about letting him know that biting my feet / socks or any flesh is bad!?
I've kinda said NO!! and moved my feet away but he just chases them and once or twice ive held him away from my feet and he persists on getting to them

I just want to let him know its bad and i need to stop him doing it

Answer 1

have it put down

Answer 2

As others have indicated it's a case of training and disipline... I have had many cats over the years and everyone has always commented how they dont scratch or claw. I did this by giving their paw a gentle but firm squeeze whenever they did it. I imagine a similar solution with the biting should work,perhaps a firm but abbrupt push away with a voice response as well ? be careful not to do something they they see as a game which makes it worse... I would err away from tapping them on the nose or anywhere near the mouth..! (I have read somwhere that a cats nose is very sensitive and tapping it can be extremely uncomfortable for them and actually damage it)... persevere though...cats can be right stubborn things..!!!! :) Much like us they will eventually reaslise the link between the crime and the punishment...!!

Answer 3

Umm,, kinda don't work.. "No!" in a stern, meaning business sort of way is better (the tone you use to a 4 yr old kid that is reaching for your expensive computer or fragile crystal). Push him off away from you. Just snatching your feet away means to him that he should play chase. You can try having a squirt bottle of water in hand when he tries for the socks. Try giving him his own sock that has your feet smell on it. (sounds weird, but he may love the smell of your feet!) If he insists on pouncing your feet, see if a sudden clap of hands takes his mind off his 'prey' (because that's what he thinks your feet are at that point)
You didn't say he was nipping skin when being playful or just coming up to rub and bite. If he's doing this during play only- he hasn't learned to play nice. Be consistent and stop playing the second he nips/claws during play. Push him away from you and ignore him a few minutes. Tell him no, ouch, that hurts... whatever phrase you want him to learn as his cue to play nice-as you push him away. My dad tells his cat "Put up the knives, boy!" "I'm not your supper, boy!", or "Play nice" when the cat gets too rough.
I'd not try to force the belly rubs until he's learned that playing rough means no playtime.
Ask the rescue what background he came from... if he's been abused it's going to take some patience on your part to get him secure feeling enough to stop nipping. They may also have some good tips on how to manage his overzealousness. Have both of the cats spayed/neutered ASAP if they are not already fixed.
I had a seal point Siamese who would actually come up and slap as hard as she could when she was demanding attention and wasn't getting it....quite a startling thing, but she knew claws were NOT an option except for the scratching post.
Speaking of scratching posts.... buy one that has sisal/hemp type rope instead of carpet. Saves the cats confusion between the scratching posts and the carpet on the floors/upholstery.

Answer 4

The cat is playing. Me and my gf's cat does that all the time. He'll do the little feet kicking thing and grab my hand. If you don't want the cat to do that hiss at him. Hissing is a language cats understand.

Whenever I do a small little hiss noise my cat looks at me and always makes a pitiful noise back and stops what he is doing or, sometimes he'll run up to me and just look at me. I'm not a super cat nut but, it does seem like some sort of communication that is more effective and less humiliating than being sprayed with water.

Answer 5

I used to have a cat that would do that because he wanted to stop me or punish me for leaving for work or wherever. It might be that he was abandoned and left and doesn't want you to do that to him too. Ask a Vet for advice. I think you have to tell him in a firm voice "NO" and then when he backs off, reward him with a treat or
pet.
A lot of cats will not let you rub their bellys because they
are ticklish. Remember how that was when you were a kid?

Answer 6

Male cats actually bite the neck of female "mates" when they are getting ready to mount. My cat is fixed, but he still has the instinct to bite when he gets "excited" or "playful". I asked my vet the same question that you posed and she said that his instinct is still telling him that biting=excited. The only thing you can do is to keep pushing him away when he starts to bite. Eventually, he will get the idea that biting is not allowed and he will stop. Theoretically!

Answer 7

The cat is playing. It does not mean harm.

Get yourself a spraybottle with water. Whenever the cat bites you spray it a little. It will not like this and soon stop the behaviour!

Hi from Germany, we momentary have English pages flipping up by accident! :-)

Good luck!

Answer 8

I would say that this is attention seeking and you need to make him feel extra secure. Who knows as a rescue cat he may have been mauled by children (you know what they are like with young animals) and biting was his form of defence.

Answer 9

I've always found a good squirt in the face with a water bottle seems to do the trick without hurting the animal.Cats hate water and you hate being bittten.

Answer 10

Male cats usually play rougher than females. Grab him and tell him NO. It will take a while as cats don't listen as well as dogs do.

Buy him some toys and redirect his attention to a toy when he gets to rough.

Answer 11

Fill an empty spray bottle with water, keep it by you and spray him in the face when he starts his tricks. Cats hate water so he'll soon learn.