My cat always bites me!?

Question

For the past three nights my cat has been biting me really hard! And i mean deep enough for blood and bandages. Yesterday he bit my leg and there are 2 long red scars. And he just took a nice chunk out of my finger. Tonight when he did it he was laying on my lap purring and i pet him, and then he just had my finger in his mouth. What do i do? Also, is it bad that i put him in his crate right after he did this? I dont know what the heck to do but he is terrorizing me :(
please help!!!

Answer 1

What you are describing is more seriious than the normal kitty love and snuggle biting. Putting him in a crate was very good. It will help him see that his behavior is not acceptable and will get him removed from his person. It will also protect you from the bites.

This sounds like a tom cat coming of age thing but of course I don't know how old he is. One of our cats is way past that age and still has times he plays too rough and gets tossed off the bed and sometimes into isolation (crate or bathroom) until he remembers his manners.

Is there one spot or area on his body that you have been touching when he does this? Could he have a hurt place there or an inside hurt there? That would be another possibility.

Has he been out or around animals that go out? Is he acting odd in any other way? If the answers to these questions could be yes a vet check up may be in order just to be sure there are no serious problems. If he is acting kind of loopy or drooling a lot or sitting and staring a lot and these things are different from his usual behavior he definitely needs to see a vet and get checked out because there is a very small chance that he could have something that you could catch from his biting you and if so you need to know and take mneds to prevent it. If he has had a rabies shot this is very unlikely but even then it would be good to have him checked and if the vet thinks he may have rabies have him quarantined to be sure he is OK and to keep him from biting any person or animal till you are sure he is OK.

If he is not showing any of these behaviors and it is not that he has a hurting place that you happened to touch he just needs to learn to behave better. Cats play rough with with each other sometimes and he may see you as a playmate. If he is an unaltered male 5 mo to 2 yrs old he may be showing "studdy: behavior and trying to show you he is boss tom in this place. If you let him get away with it he will do it more and more. If he is not neutered you may want to consider that as it will help him to be safer from fights and some illnesses and not to want to stray as well as helping tone down agressiveness. Any cat of any gender including a spayed or neutered cat can get into playing too rough but it is more frequent with toms.

Some cats will do this biting thing when something has upset them or someo0ne has been playing rough with them or has been in their opinion mean to them. They are likely to take that out in someone other than the person who "started it"

The best ways to prevent this rough behavior are to give him some toys he can be rough with if he wants and be sure he gets exercize to work orr his excess energy. Catnip balls or packets are good so is any ball he can bat around the house or if someone in the family is unsteady on their feet and could get hurt if he left the ball where they stepped on it make him some paper balls. Paper or a toy tied on a strong to chase while you pull it is another good toy for working off excess energy. Do not give him strings to play with without your being there to supervise as some cats will eat them and they are not good for them at all. Be sure no one plays rouhgh with him with their hand or lets him play pounce and catch with their hands or feet even under the covers because that is one thing that often makes a cat start to play rough and he does not need any encouragement to do that.

If he does try to pounce or play too rough a squirt from a spray bottle and saying no quietly but firmly may remind him to stop,. Do not yell at him, wave your hand at him, slap him with your hand or a newspaper at this point because he will be more aggitated and slap or slash back. If "No" and a squirt doesn't do it it's crate time. Crating him at least briefly is a good way to show him that what he did is not acceptable.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Believe it or not, he really IS just playing. The only reason he may bite hard is because he's had no one teach him not to do so. If he tried it with another cat, the other would bite him and show him the 'right' way. My youngest will stalk me, much like Kato from the Pink Panther did Inspector Clouseau. And yes, my lil' ones ears also go back, a defensive gesture as he prepares for the big attack. As for stopping him, just say "no" and don't interact. Not 100% effective, but it will buy you some time for a hasty retreat. Good luck and laugh. One day he might just go sedate on you and then what will you have to run from?

Answer 4

I have a vicious little terror as well, everyone at work comments that my hands look good one week, and like hell the next.

I am getting better at understanding her moods though, and the type of motions that I do to set her off. You maybe petting to fast, so therefore "it's time to play!" and as they get older the playing get's more rough.

I do agree with other posters, take him to the vet for a check up. Try to pet slower and, maybe holdback on "kitty massages", and get yourself a squirt bottle with just water. Keep it handy at all times. It's amazing what a little water in the face will do to a cat.

Putting your cat in the crate is pointless. Sorry, but it is. And you need to go to the doctor and get put on antibiotics, if a cat is drawing blood, you may have a small infection starting. And people are hospitalized all the time for cat bites. I got blood poisoning last year from one.

Answer 5

There is something wrong either he doesn't feel good or he doesn't like where you are petting him. Many times cats bite because people don't pay attention to the warning signs like his tail movement or the look on their face. It is rare that he would bite hard enough to break the skin though, so like many of the other people have suggested I'd take him a vet.

As for putting him in the crate, that is a bad idea. He is going to resent it, and his crate is a place that he needs to feel safe in. There are other ways to punish him, like if you are on the sofa petting him tell him in a firm voice NO and move him away from you, and sort of ignore him for a while. You have to be firm about it though.

Answer 6

Cats bite humans that are petting them for a number of reasons. To show affection, to let you know they dont like being touched there, to let you know they are bored and need something to do, or a more serious problem that a vet visit could help with.

I suggest the vet first, have a check up done.

If it doesnt work, then try activites, playing with her/him , getting the cat a new toy maybe. Cat-nip is a cats best friend at times:)

The crate could also be the cause of the problem, not one cat i have ever owned or seen enjoyed being in a crate for any reason.

Answer 7

my cat bites me to show his love....but he doesn't break my skin. he probably just doesn't realize how hard he's biting. when he does it tell him NO!! i don't know about crating him though....because then he may feel punished for loving you and showing how animals show affection. If he's purring the whole time then i don't think it's malicious intent....usually cats will give you some kind of warning. just be persistant and if it gets too bad you may want to take him to the vet for more info....but i don't think he's trying to hurt you at all

Answer 8

Hi Bonits, Your cat does not like you. You need to find a nice home and give him to the nice people. Your cat isn't going to stop biting you,in fact it will probably get worse. So to save you from the cat from HELL,give him away. No you didn't do anything wrong by putting him in his crate. It's a lucky thing you did.
A Friend.

Clowmy

Answer 9

he loves you
but its not good if he is breaking skin
and a if a scratch is only 2 days old its not a scare yet
u might want to check with ur vet, he may be hurting some where and thats his way of telling u something is wrong pay attention to where u are petting him when he does bite u

Answer 10

Is your cat declawed? The declawed cat I had growing up would bite hard when he got mad, probably because he was declawed.