I am pretty sure most cat owners have been bitten from time
to time. If biting is happening
regularly though, it’s not good. This
post will give you 7 tips to help you discover why the cat is biting and how you can
train away this behaviour.
The first thing to ask yourself is;
WHY?
You can’t really address this problem until you understand
why your cat is biting you. There are
many reasons but common ones include; getting over-excited whilst playing,
boredom or frustration, maybe your cat is scared, or even ill. Once you understand this, you can hatch a
plan to get it under control.
PLAY WITH TOYS
If your cat is biting during play, he is probably getting
over-excited and not meaning to hurt you at all. Try to always play with toys and never use
your hand as the toy. Toys like feather
sticks etc are great for this as your hand is kept at a safe distance. You may get nipped accidentally from time to time but you are looking out for him actually going for your hand.
STOP PLAY
If your cat does bite you during play, and you can see that
he did this on purpose then call a time out.
The best way to do this with a cat is to stop playing immediately. Ignore him completely for at least 1 minute
and then turn back and make friends. You can continue
this cycle multiple times and he will catch on, eventually!
KNACKER HIM OUT
If your cats is randomly biting outside of play, chances are
he is bored or frustrated. After the initial bite, ignore him for at least one
minute (as above) and then find a toy and play with him until he is worn out. You should play with your cat every day anyway – it is
a great way to bond as well as helping him exercise and use up some
energy. Some cats like specific toys more than
others so try a selection of toys until you learn what he likes. Sometimes cats will play as soon as you start
waggling a toy – others need you to persevere for a bit longer! With Melly Boy you need quite a lot of patience!
TRANSFERRED AGGRESSION
Transferred aggression means that your cat is stressed or
anxious about something unrelated to you, but they are taking it out on
you. It could be a multitude of
different thing; not being able to go out due to horrid weather, territory
problems with another cat (Melly Boy had this problem for a while), changes to the home, work being carried out etc. Try to find the source of the problem to eradicate
it, if you can. Where this is not
possible you can try Feliway which is a plug in diffuser that secrets a synthetic
pheromone. This can be very effective with many cats.
SHOW SOME RESPECT
Sometimes cats can bite when they are startled (this has
happened with MellyBoy a few times as you’ll have seen from my other
blogs). Try not to reach over his body
to pet him. If he is a nervous cat as he may
feel threatened by this. For instance,
with Melly Boy, I have to approach his face from the front/side with the back
of my hand rather than going to the top of his head. Then, when he relaxes I can stroke him anywhere (apart from his tummy!).
Also remember, cats don’t always want to be handled all of the time
so learn to understand his body language and when he wants some time on his
own, respect that. This picture may help
– Cats
Body Language
ASK THE EXPERT
There are two good reasons to speak to your vet in this
situation. The first is that the
aggression could be caused by your cat being ill so it is important that your
vet give him a full check-up. Secondly,
if there are no medical issues and the problem is persisting, your vet can
sometimes prescribe special food or medication to calm your cats mood.
 |
| Cheeky Melly Boy - This bite isn't aggressive - he is asking for attention! |
No comments:
Post a Comment