# Miu went a little crazy with the biting



## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Last night I was sitting down and Miu was walking by, she suddenly nipped my foot then walked off as if nothing happened. I did the usual short intake of breath thing, but she didn't seem to notice. 

After a while, I was sitting again, she crawled into my lap and was purring. I did not touch her. All of a sudden, she bit my foot again, this time pretty hard. Her movement was so fast you couldn't stop or prevent it. She was purring throughout the incident. She wasn't looking out the window, I wasn't touching her, she wasn't in the middle of play. I have no idea what provoked it. What could it be?

I've also noticed her aggression has increased. She regularly rough houses Rocky the dog now to the point where he asks us for help sometimes to avoid her. For example, going up the stairs. He'll be going up and suddenly she'll dash out of nowhere and pound on his tail as he's ascending. He runs up to the top and then turns around to face her. She'll box him and he'll be growling at her to stop. I have to separate them. I don't think she means harm, it looks like she's just playing rough, but I'm not sure if it'll escalate into something worse later on. I'm a bit worried.


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## ChelleBelle (Sep 14, 2009)

How old is Miu now? I ask because I just went through a horrid stage with Bella biting us. Not vicious evil I'm going to hurt your world up like Brandy did, but just small unexpected nips from time to time. Got pretty bad there for a while, you couldn't even cook dinner or stand up for any length of time without her running up behind you and biting at your calf, thigh, hand, or foot. It was seriously insane. She never drew blood or scratched, but it hurt! 

This went on for like three months and.... STOPPED! Like two weeks ago, suddenly. Nothing has changed in the time from when she started to know, only change was she had her birthday last month and became a year old. That is the only cause I could think of her insane teenage hormones trying to be a huge brat. Brandy went through her nasty stage around that age too. Two weeks of peace and our sweet Bella is back. I seriously don't get cats at time. :roll: 

'Chelle


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

Miu is just playing, like a little lioness. She's inviting you to play. Enjoy this while it lasts.  
:kittyball


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Hmm...Miu is now 9 months so it would seem she's entering those teen years? Yeah, she's definitely become more brattier and play aggressive. 

Enjoy it while it lasts? I'm not sure if I do! Although she didn't draw blood, I certainly don't relish the moments. It can get pretty painful!


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

Hmmm ... some pennies in empty soda cans make a good startle noise. Place them strategicly so you'll have one near you at Miu's favorite places to bite you.


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## faithless (Dec 4, 2009)

Yeah, I'd say at around 8 months she could at times get a little wearying and has calmed down now in her 12th.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Ok, digging up this old thread because Miu's biting is getting worse. I think she's about 11 months old now. Roughly the last week or two, she's been ramping up her bites.

Lemme explain. She usually bites in the morning before I feed her. I'm assuming she's hungry, so I took a bit off her morning meal and feed it to her as a before bed snack. That did not help.

Secondly, her bites are vicious (no blood drawn though), quick ones. Painful and fast. it's like she's attacking a prey and aiming to kill it. She draws back from the bite real quick so if it's your hand, you don't have time to react and push it into her mouth.

I tried turning her over on her back real fast and then hissing at her. She runs off at that point, but it hasn't deterred her from doing it again the next day.

She also does this sometimes when you go up the stairs. She'll come up behind you and nip real hard on your calves.

I'm not sure what to do, any suggestions?


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

I'm curious about this, too, so I'll watch this thread for responses. My little 9-month-old girl started acting weird last night--she kept meowing at me and jumping in my lap. She cuddled in my lap and then walked around on my legs and started mouthing my clothes. Not a *bite*, per se, but she took bunches of my pants and shirt between her jaws in a slow, gentle, bite and let go, looking really upset/worried. I was pretty stressed out and upset last night (we found out a longtime family friend died), so maybe she was just reacting to that? She's always been the one to sense when I'm upset, but she's NEVER done anything like that.

But yeah, all night she kept following me around, looking at me with a little worried expression and meowing plaintively. I may just be projecting, but it seemed like she was saying, "MOOOM?? Are you OKAYYY? What's WROOOONG? You're WOOOORRRRYING MEEE!"


Alpaca, is there something else going on in your life--different work schedule, extra stress, other changes--that could be affecting your cat's behavior?


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. It does sound like she's worried about you.

Yes, there is stress going on. However, I'm not sure she's as perceptive as your cat though. Because of the stress, I've been sleeping more than usual. Could she be frustrated with me being a motionless lump and not paying attention to her? 

I forgot to mention that it's sometimes unpredictable because she'll be all relaxed, purring affectionately, then she just strikes! So fast it's like a snake, then after the bite, she just reels back immediately perhaps to 'survey the damage'. I have no idea what triggers it. But as I said, it's usually in the morning.


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## mimitabby (Apr 20, 2010)

Alpaca, that's just what i was thinking. Is Miu bored? She needs a workout!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Doran and Muffin both went through a similar stage, although much briefer.

Since I train dogs at PetSmart for a living I just applied what I would do to a pup in the same situation. As soon as they bit I would say "UH uh!" In a firm voice. Then if they were sitting on my lap I'd stand up so they got dumped off. If I was standing I would glare at them for a second (think ticked off teenage girl glare), then ignore them.

The glaring idea isn't what we do with puppies, it's what my older cats did, and it worked well most of the time.

I also found that some of the issue was excess energy, so I would make a point of wearing them out (to the point of panting) with a wand toy or laser pointer every day. It help a ton. DO NOT break out the toys when they are misbehaving. Only when they are behaving well/playing nicely.

By doing this they grew out of the biting part of being a bratty teen very quickly, like a month at most.

Basically they learn that by doing these behaviors the things they wanted (attention) would go away.


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

My kitten used to bite me over every little thing. Pumpkin would nip your toes if they wiggled, nip your hand if she did/didn't want to be picked up, nip you for taking something interesting away, nip you for disciplining her, and she would even "drive by" bite/attack you if she wanted to play. Unfortunately, Pumpkin would draw blood & my flatmate became scared of her. I had to take Pumpkin to the vet for an eye infection about two months after the biting started, and he remarked how Pumpkin was not "socialized." Kittens are taught by their mom cats and siblings that biting hurts. My Pumpkin did not realize that this was an inappropriate way to communicate her wants and needs. It sounds to me like your cat is trying to get some kind of "reaction" from you with the biting & then stepping back to "survey" you. I am not sure the circumstances of how you got your kitten, but is it possible that her mom never taught her these lessons, or that she has regressed? My simple fix was to give Pumpkin another cat to learn social niceties with and play with (less pent up energy). If this is not an option for you, it might take longer/be more difficult to socialize her. Make sure that you play some strenuous games with her to get some of that energy out (like getting her to do flips/chase after wand toys or taking her for a walk outside); these were the only things that seemed to make a difference in Pumpkin before I got another cat.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Thanks for the answers! I think I will try the laser pointer route then. I feel bad sometimes that perhaps I'm not giving her a whole lot to do. She really is being a sweetheart sometimes when she goes off to entertain herself instead of bother me or torture Rocky the dog. 

However when she does bite, it really hurts! She nips my calves when I go up stairs sometimes. She nips my hands and feet in the morning. I tried to give her a before bed snack thinking she might be real hungry in the morning but that didn't help.

Also, I think you're right that she may have been taken away from her mom too early and no interaction with another cat. I got her at the shelter when she was 2 months old. The shelter couldn't give me any details about her.

She understands NO. I have glared at her and said NO. I've flipped over on her back right after she bit and said NO while hissing. That only stopped her in that instant. The next day, she'd do it again.

My question though is why would a cat bite when it has excess energy? Is it to get attention? Or to tell me in cat language that she's bored?


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## Shamu (Aug 6, 2010)

You know what seemed to work for me when Maxie was attacking/playing/biting my feet? Use the squirt bottle ON MY FEET! Not "her" but actually spray my feet! lol 
Instead of biting and attacking them, she would just lick them.

I've heard its best not to use a spray bottle, but just in case I do have one. (Maxie is a little unnerving at times, she's jumped on my shoulder, bit and attacked me) I'm reading up and learning to just ignore her and walk away when she does, and I know alot of it is is she's only 8 months and is playing.

But I don't know.. for you.. you could try spraying your own feetsies with the spray bottle...seemed to work for me.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Well, I got a laser pointer! Wow, I've never had experience with this before. She was literally panting like a dog! She totally loves it and figured out early on that the jingle of the keyring on the laser pointer means play time! Once when I stopped too early, she mewed mournfully for me to pull it out again. Perhaps the excess energy is a factor in her biting habit.

Anyways, the biting...she stopped biting me in the morning. However, I got bit in a new place now. Got a bite on my upper arm. She was somehow peeved that I petted her so she bounced up from lying down, bit me then ran down the stairs. I didn't even have time to retaliate. What do you do in these instances?! You can't do anything since she runs off so fast!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

This morning Miu put two holes in my hand. I've never been bitten this badly before and was totally unprepared. She bit me once not as hard, I didn't move. Then she bit down way harder, didn't let go and then I could feel her increase her jaw strength and sink her teeth right into my hand 

I'm crying right now because I feel like I'm at the end of my tether. I did everything I could think of and she's still doing this. I gave her a before-bed snack, used a laser pointer but to no avail.

Usually she bites in the morning when she's hungry. However, the bites otherwise come without warning. Just seconds before she bit me, she was purring and head bonking me. Then it's Mr. Hyde and it's as if she's a totally different cat. She's like a ticking time bomb.

I had visions of surrendering her to the shelter and that's why I'm very sad. Asides from this, she's very good. I want to be with her, I want to be her friend. But I right now, my hand really smarts. One of the holes is so deep, the flesh around it is pluckering up and blood is oozing out of it. I've lost trust in her and I feel very helpless.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Please get medical attention for your hand right away! Cat bites can be very infectious. Did you wash it well with soap and water immediately and put on something like Neosporin or Polysporin? Since it's such a deep bite, you'll probably need an antibiotic from your doctor or medical clinic. Don't delay as a bad bite such as this can result in a nasty infection. Get yourself to a doc or medical clinic right away.

It sounds like she may never have learned bite inhibition and doesn't really know she's biting down that hard. This is usually the case with a kitten taken away from it's mom and littermates too soon (earlier than 7 wks.) as that's when they learn how hard not to bite. 

So sorry, will try to think about this, do get medical attention right away!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I didn't know it can be so serious. I did wash it with soap and water right after I got bit. It's been five hours after the bite. The hole is scabbed over a bit. I put some polysporin on and bandaged it up just now.

I can't get medical attention right now. 



catloverami said:


> Please get medical attention for your hand right away! Cat bites can be very infectious. Did you wash it well with soap and water immediately and put on something like Neosporin or Polysporin? Since it's such a deep bite, you'll probably need an antibiotic from your doctor or medical clinic. Don't delay as a bad bite such as this can result in a nasty infection. Get yourself to a doc or medical clinic right away.
> 
> It sounds like she may never have learned bite inhibition and doesn't really know she's biting down that hard. This is usually the case with a kitten taken away from it's mom and littermates too soon (earlier than 7 wks.) as that's when they learn how hard not to bite.
> 
> So sorry, will try to think about this, do get medical attention right away!


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

If your hand starts swelling, turns red, you'll need to get medical attention for it, as there is the possibility of blood poisoning which is a lot more serious. Please be careful of your health, Alpaca.


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

Why can't you get medical attention right now? If you share the reasons, we might be able to come up with ideas. 

I agree that the most important thing is seeing a doctor ASAP. I have no idea what to do re: the biting. I do know that if Miu is surrendered to the shelter, she may likely be PTS since she has a bad bite history (even if it's a "no-kill" shelter). I'm not saying that to guilt-trip you, but just as a fair warning. We are going to do our very best to help you with this, but the #1 consideration is YOUR HEALTH. 

*hugs*


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I said that in a fit this morning because I was so upset. I would never surrender my furkids. I'm sorry to worry you guys.

I was at work and couldn't take any time off. I'm going to leave it and monitor. If it starts to swell etc etc..then i'll rush off to the doc asap.

I'm more concerned about stopping her in the future.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Update:

This morning I was surprised to wake up to find Miu sitting by the window. She did not wake me as usual. Also, the time I was home today, she either followed me around or was calm in my presence.

I'm thinking maybe the water spray right after the bite might have been enough to tell her no means no. I'm not sure since it's only been one morning later. I'll wait and see if it's indeed an improvement.

My hand feels like it's bruised now, but definitely it doesn't hurt as much as yesterday. But wow. I never realized how strong a cat bite can be. She's only seven pounds but she's so strong. I can't imagine what it would be like to get bitten by a 20 pound cat.


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

Alpaca, so sorry you got hurt! Def. see a doc if it starts looking red or swollen! Cat bite infections can be really really bad! 

About Mui, I don't really have any answers for you sadly. It sounds like this is maybe two different things going on. Play/prey drive run amuck (attacking you going up the stairs etc) Which is normal kitten behavior that should be able to be redirected onto appropriate toys. But this biting then running off thing, I don't know what to make of that. Is it only after you've been petting her? Where are you petting her? Could she have feline hyperasthesia syndrome (does she wrinkler the skin on her back, twitch her tail, suddenly start licking at her back and tail for no reason, etc). I'm at a loss. I'm sorry you are going through this.


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## BreaMarie (Aug 11, 2009)

That almost sounds like puppy behavior!

The squirt bottle works wonders for my cats. After a few times, all you have to do is shake it and they'll shape up. And my cats aren't even afraid of water- they'll jump in a running shower, but for some reason, the squirt bottle is highly unpleasant, lol.

Good luck with your kitty!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Thanks for the well wishes. My hand is slowly healing. It's now as itchy as ever. LOL.

She's not given me a major bitting after that time (crosses fingers), however, she has still given me some small nips. Again, these occur in the morning when she's trying to wake me up to feed her breakfast. One of them was hard enough to give me a scratch-like mark on the same hand. (I guess I can't aspire to be a hand model anymore. Haha)

Yes, I got the squirt bottle next to my bed. As soon as I pick it up, she stops and stares at me. Then she runs off.

@Kobster: I don't think she has what you're talking about. She doesn't display the major symptoms of that.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

I know only too well how much cat bites hurt. When I had multiple cat bites on my wrist, they treated it with an updated tetanus shot and antibiotics. That's one thing to consider -- getting a tetanus shot, if you don't have one now, so that you're protected in the future. Hopefully it won't come to that.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

You might feed her last meal of the day just before you go to bed. By morning she shouldn't be that hungry that she wants to nip at you. Worth a try I think. Glad to hear she's behaving better. (fingers crossed!).


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I think I'm up to date with my tetanus shot but my physical is coming up so I'll mention that. Thanks for reminding me!

Yeah! I do feed her a before-bed snack. That seemed to help a bit, but again, she nips occasionally. 

She seemed to be really interested my feet especially if they're under covers. I have no idea why. I'm not even moving my feet. Suddenly she'll sit up, fixate on them and I know she's gonna strike so I 'NO' her before that happens and sometimes, that breaks her focus and she stops. Nevertheless, I got the water sprayer at the ready. Sometimes that's difficult if you just woke up though. Haha.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I'm so upset. I have no words to describe my current state of mind.

This morning she was unusually affectionate. Purring, head bonking. She even laid down beside me a couple of times and buried her head into me. She hardly does this. Therefore, I was totally unprepared for what came next. Suddenly she bit down hard (I think twice as I was between waking and sleeping), then she jumped off the bed and ran off. I instinctively grabbed the water sprayer and chased her out to the hall. Then I pointed, said NO and sprayed her a couple of times. I was not close to her so I'm not sure how much water she got. Then I went back to the room and shut the door.

A minute later I realized I had to wash it. So I came back out and when I finished to come out, she was outside the door. She stared at me and started meowing. (The kind she wants to be fed). It isn't her breakfast time so I ignored her and went back to the room. Then shut the door.

Previous night, I fed her the before night snack. She was affectionate all the time I was home, napping with me, following me around. I played a lot with her and the laser pointer.

I'm at my wits end. My wrist now sports some marks. Two of them bloody. I have no idea what else to do or what provokes this. I'm not petting or touching her when it happens. The attacks come totally out of the blue. They usually occur in the morning before breakfast.

Some time later: I was walking to feed her. She was still meowing for food. She comes over and grabs my leg with both paws, no claws. I sharply intake my breath, she runs off towards the kitchen. I fed her and she's very happy, running and doing circles around me, as I do my morning chores. I haven't talked to her or acknowledged her presence. She doesn't seem to care the least, but I'm sleep deprived (with her affectionate wake up routine) and upset with her sudden bite attacks.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

I know I wouldn't like to be wakened up with a bite on my hand. Often cats that are dominant in nature when they're hungry really feel cranky and will attack you or cat playmates before they get fed. She's pretty dominant and alpha in her personality. I think you should consider barring her from the bedroom at night, so you can get a good night's sleep. Mind you, she will scratch at the door and meow her head off, so do you have another room she could stay in other than the bathroom? By the way, pouncing on feet under a blanket is standard predatory kitty behaviour---most like to do that.

Are you free feeding her with food left down all the time? If you are I would change that to specific meals. What food are you feeding her and what quantity? At her age, she can be fed twice a day in the morning and evening with some treats mid-day or early evening. Feed her evening meal just before you go to bed in the room where she will stay for the night, and feed her when you get up in the morning. Hopefully that will stave off her hunger attacks. Hope this helps.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Thanks for your reply catloverami, very grateful that you are following my predicament and offering help.

Yes, she is an alpha type. I've considered barring her from the room during the night, but one time I did that, she chewed up the cable in front of my door. She's very ...affectionate. She likes to be with people most of the time. She has almost the entire rest of the house to herself, Rocky the dog sleeps behind my mom's closed bedroom door so if I close my door, she'll be alone. I felt sorry for her so I didn't want to close my door. Just figured being wakened by cats is part of the cat parent territory, but the biting is not!

She's not free fed. She gets breakfast at 7am, dinner at 5:15-5:30p and a snack at 1am. She's 7 pounds and 11 months old. I feed 1/8 cup dry breakfast, half a 5.5-6oz wet can dinner and a handful of dry for snack.

I have two more options I can try. One, is to lock her up in her cat room overnight, but I don't want to do that unless it's a last resort. Two, buying an automatic feeder that feeds her in the morning so she learns not to bother me. 



catloverami said:


> I know I wouldn't like to be wakened up with a bite on my hand. Often cats that are dominant in nature when they're hungry really feel cranky and will attack you or cat playmates before they get fed. She's pretty dominant and alpha in her personality. I think you should consider barring her from the bedroom at night, so you can get a good night's sleep. Mind you, she will scratch at the door and meow her head off, so do you have another room she could stay in other than the bathroom? By the way, pouncing on feet under a blanket is standard predatory kitty behaviour---most like to do that.
> 
> Are you free feeding her with food left down all the time? If you are I would change that to specific meals. What food are you feeding her and what quantity? At her age, she can be fed twice a day in the morning and evening with some treats mid-day or early evening. Feed her evening meal just before you go to bed in the room where she will stay for the night, and feed her when you get up in the morning. Hopefully that will stave off her hunger attacks. Hope this helps.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

I would opt for keeping her in a separate room at night to break her of the cycle of coming in waking you and biting. I think if you do that for several months she may outgrow her "bratty" behaviour. By having her main meal later at night she wouldn't likely feel as hungry and as aggressive as she does in the morning when you're trying to get her food ready. I have not used an automatic feeder, so can't comment on that. If you give her an active play session before her last feeding to tire her out, she'd likely be ready to sleep after eating her meal. Cats do well with a routine as most animals do, so you'd have to be persistent to stick with it, even tho she may protest for a while being shut out of your room at night. My cats have always done well on this routine and have for many many years, since I need an undisturbed sleep to function well. I do allow them cuddle time in bed tho for a nap if I have one. 

As far as her food is concerned, cats generally do better on a good quality grain free canned food (eg. Wellness), but since she does get some dry make sure it's "grain free" (no corn or soy) or anything like that. There are good ones on the market these days that are grain-free and high in protein. My cats like a bit of kibble too. I like the EVO Ancestral Diet brand. I found I actually had to feed less of it or they start putting on weight. Soon I hope your cat will settle down.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Well, the automatic feeder did not work well. She figured out how to get the tray out in 2 minutes...so back to the store it goes.

I gave her a pretty active play time last night with the laser pointer to the point where I heard her panting. Also, she was pushing her luck playing with a wire. I said NO several times, tapped her on the nose and her reaching paw, but to no avail. Finally, I water squirted her and she stopped. These two things may have helped her not attack me this morning. In fact, she only came running in when she heard my alarm.

I got thinking and I'm going to try another method. I try not to let the alarm go off because previously I didn't want her to push me to get up after she hears it. However, I now think it's the opposite. If I train her that as soon as she hears the alarm, I'll feed her, she has something solid to trust. Perhaps her biting is that she's anxious I may forget to feed her. I wake up fast so I don't mind getting up as soon as the alarm sounds.

I feed her Orijen dry food.

Again, I didn't want to shut her out of my room. Although she has a cat room she stays in when the family is out, my room is her second heaven. I'm in my room a lot and she follows me almost constantly to sleep and play in there. If I shut her out, she may feel abandoned.



catloverami said:


> I would opt for keeping her in a separate room at night to break her of the cycle of coming in waking you and biting. I think if you do that for several months she may outgrow her "bratty" behaviour. By having her main meal later at night she wouldn't likely feel as hungry and as aggressive as she does in the morning when you're trying to get her food ready. I have not used an automatic feeder, so can't comment on that. If you give her an active play session before her last feeding to tire her out, she'd likely be ready to sleep after eating her meal. Cats do well with a routine as most animals do, so you'd have to be persistent to stick with it, even tho she may protest for a while being shut out of your room at night. My cats have always done well on this routine and have for many many years, since I need an undisturbed sleep to function well. I do allow them cuddle time in bed tho for a nap if I have one.
> 
> As far as her food is concerned, cats generally do better on a good quality grain free canned food (eg. Wellness), but since she does get some dry make sure it's "grain free" (no corn or soy) or anything like that. There are good ones on the market these days that are grain-free and high in protein. My cats like a bit of kibble too. I like the EVO Ancestral Diet brand. I found I actually had to feed less of it or they start putting on weight. Soon I hope your cat will settle down.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Sounds like you're making some progress, and the alarm would work like a clicker, give it a try. 

As for wires there are some kind of wraps or covers that you can buy to prevent chewing but can't remember what they're called. Did you try the _Bitter Apple_ spray and that didn't work? or was that another poster? You could rub it with lemon rind, or wipe with vinegar or lemon juice, a little sprinkle of cayenne pepper or some hot sauce. Usually one taste is enough to deter the cat that this isn't something pleasant to chew. You might try covering wires with aluminum foil, or double side masking tape. Some of these suggestions might work.

Review and comments on Orijen you may find of interest: http://catfoodreviews.com/orijen-cat-food/


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Let's hope so.

I'm thinking of getting cord protectors. She's kinda weird. She isn't deterred by citrus smells and I don't want my stuff smelling funky. She eats tape so that doesn't work either. Ha ha.

Oh thanks for reminding me about Orijen. For some reason, I forgot about their Australian fiasco. She's tried the Petcurean NOW treats and loves them. I think I'll try out their food too. I don't mind changing up her food now and then. It's good for her to have variety. I've done that ever since I got her so she's used to different foods. Currently, she's on a mix of Nature Variety's Instinct, Wellness Core, and Innova Evo (I heard they haven't changed formulas yet).



catloverami said:


> Sounds like you're making some progress, and the alarm would work like a clicker, give it a try.
> 
> As for wires there are some kind of wraps or covers that you can buy to prevent chewing but can't remember what they're called. Did you try the _Bitter Apple_ spray and that didn't work? or was that another poster? You could rub it with lemon rind, or wipe with vinegar or lemon juice, a little sprinkle of cayenne pepper or some hot sauce. Usually one taste is enough to deter the cat that this isn't something pleasant to chew. You might try covering wires with aluminum foil, or double side masking tape. Some of these suggestions might work.
> 
> Review and comments on Orijen you may find of interest: Orijen Dry Cat Food


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Update: Seems a combination of factor is helping my situation.

1) Kept up with the laser pointer games. It breaks her boredom and helps vent her built up energy from when I'm at work.

2) Spending more time with her. Teaching her some new commands. Also is helping with the boredom/built up energy.

3) Taking a more tough love approach. If she bites during play time, I stop, get up and leave abruptly. If she ignores commands to stop playing with something (ie: wires), I take a harmless thing like a placemat and hit the area beside her making a loud noise while saying NO or I do a water squirt depending on what's readily available.

4) I now set a 'food alarm'. So it goes off for breakfast and for her night time snack. So far so good. She's not bitten me yet in the morning for about a week now. I'm slowly healing. She seems to recognize what the alarm means. When it goes off, she comes running to me and 'leads me' to the food area.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Yay! good to hear progress! You've got a smart cookie there for sure, just have to try and keep one step ahead of her. First thing you know she'll have forgotten about biting.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Okay, I more or less get the hang of how to deal with her. However, I have some last questions.

I know it differs with every cat, but I'm wondering how long it took you guys to get your cat 'on the ball' about such things. Like teaching them what and what not to do. To get that balance where you're living in harmony and know each other's comfort levels etc.

I find there's some days where it's alright, then there's backsliding where she forgets or something. I suppose the tactic is just to keep soldiering on?


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## Olivers-Slave (Jul 25, 2010)

lol oliver tried the biting thing with me. I used to hook my foot under him and toss him across the room. lol kind of like air hockey. Then make a loud noise. Really I follow everything up with a loud noise for him so then later on I just do the loud noise and he gets the hint. 

Maybe you can get her a toy she likes. Oliver grew attached to my pencil holder and he drags it around and flings it in the air, attacks it, sleeps with it, harasses it, even occasionally humping it. 

Should see if you could find something like that for her. She may benefit from it ^_^

(and as for on the ball oliver tends to learn pretty quickly what hes allowed to do and not to do. BUT some things are harder then others. like the things that he does within eyesight he learns quickly. with like jumping on the kitchen counters...we are still working on. He doesn't do it often but if I bleach them I'm constantly getting up to have him get down. but for every day don't get on the curtains, don't claw my sofa...it took about a month and lots of sit...get comfortable...get up...sit down...get comfortable...instantly have to get up...so just enjoy the exorcise lol)


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

You toss your cat across the room?



Olivers-Slave said:


> lol oliver tried the biting thing with me. I used to hook my foot under him and toss him across the room. lol kind of like air hockey. Then make a loud noise. Really I follow everything up with a loud noise for him so then later on I just do the loud noise and he gets the hint.
> 
> Maybe you can get her a toy she likes. Oliver grew attached to my pencil holder and he drags it around and flings it in the air, attacks it, sleeps with it, harasses it, even occasionally humping it.
> 
> ...


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## Olivers-Slave (Jul 25, 2010)

Alpaca said:


> You toss your cat across the room?


yeah, have you ever played air hokey? he just slides across the slick floor like one of those pucks.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

How long does it take?....oh most of the cat's life! :wink Seriously, Miu's still only 9 mos., so is really in that bratty teenage rebellious stage, and will be until she's probably about a 1-1/2 yrs. and then should start mellowing out somewhat. Jumping on the kitchen counters bothered me and my hubby, and cats wouldn't do it if I were in the kitchen but would otherwise, so I got the aerosol motion-activated cat deterrent called *SSScat!* and it worked well. After a year, the repellent was used up and I haven't replaced it, so very occasionally my cats test the counters, but have mostly given up jumping on them. I just use an antibacterial wipe now before any food preparation just in case, and don't fuss about it. 

Cats are sorta like perpetual 2 year olds, when you're occupied with something they'll deliberately get into mischief they're _know_ bugs you or not supposed to do. e.g. whenever I get into a long phone conversation, my girl _always_ starts doing stuff, like pushing papers, pens, pencils off my phone counter or getting into my plants that she knows I don't like. As soon as I get off the phone she stops! She's 6 y.o. now, but my others cats I had before used to do the same thing. Only until they got elderly, did they stop doing stuff like that. :smile:


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## ZoeH (Jun 27, 2010)

oy I mis-read the subject heading as "MIL went a little crazy with the biting." Sounded about right.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I thought you meant something like throw...oops. But now I never played air hockey. I'm not sure Miu would enjoy that. Ha ha.



Olivers-Slave said:


> yeah, have you ever played air hokey? he just slides across the slick floor like one of those pucks.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Oh man...I guess I wasn't sure what I'd get into. However, I'm now in a cat zen state. No matter what she does, I just take it as part of being a cat parent.

Pushing around pens..haha. Miu loves doing that. Actually, when it's near meal time, she'll come over to me and yes, start doing things to get my attention...things she knows I don't like. Why are they so clever?

Update with the alarm method: seems she's starting to learn that the alarm means food will be coming. Therefore, perhaps the problem was indeed the need for assurance that I will definitely not forget to feed her. Also, she nips when she's really happy to see me after work. It doesn't hurt, just a love bite or sometimes play bites...but I tell her NO and she stops.



catloverami said:


> How long does it take?....oh most of the cat's life! :wink Seriously, Miu's still only 9 mos., so is really in that bratty teenage rebellious stage, and will be until she's probably about a 1-1/2 yrs. and then should start mellowing out somewhat. Jumping on the kitchen counters bothered me and my hubby, and cats wouldn't do it if I were in the kitchen but would otherwise, so I got the aerosol motion-activated cat deterrent called *SSScat!* and it worked well. After a year, the repellent was used up and I haven't replaced it, so very occasionally my cats test the counters, but have mostly given up jumping on them. I just use an antibacterial wipe now before any food preparation just in case, and don't fuss about it.
> 
> Cats are sorta like perpetual 2 year olds, when you're occupied with something they'll deliberately get into mischief they're _know_ bugs you or not supposed to do. e.g. whenever I get into a long phone conversation, my girl _always_ starts doing stuff, like pushing papers, pens, pencils off my phone counter or getting into my plants that she knows I don't like. As soon as I get off the phone she stops! She's 6 y.o. now, but my others cats I had before used to do the same thing. Only until they got elderly, did they stop doing stuff like that. :smile:


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## Olivers-Slave (Jul 25, 2010)

Alpaca said:


> I thought you meant something like throw...oops. But now I never played air hockey. I'm not sure Miu would enjoy that. Ha ha.


oh no lol I wouldn't really throw him. Air hockey is fun you should try it ^_^. I used to play it when I was younger with friends. lol Oliver enjoyed it a little to much at times. But now he is to large to do it his big butt only moves like two feet if that. He still does like to dart out and go after the feet but I've gotten him used to the noise I make so as soon as I do it he backs off. The only reason I don't do super loud noises or like "NO" is because I live in a apartment so shouting at him or shaking coins at 3am is not exactly enjoyed by my neighbors. You don't have to make it a loud noise just a noise that gets their attention. mines kind of like a sharp "PSST" and its our universal lanuage for "stop doing that NOW" lol should try it with every thing that miu does wrong. not just the bitting, eventually they get it, it just takes patience.

Another thing some people say you could do is the squirt bottle but I dunno, my cat likes it and tries to catch the water in his mouth lol. But I hear for normal cats who arn't bizzar and freaky like oliver, it works.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

Is there a cue or something we're missing? Percy's done this too. With no warning, and seemingly no malice he'll chomp me on the hand or ankle. Am I asking for it? Are we unknowingly sending a signal 'bite my finger,really,really hard'?


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## Olivers-Slave (Jul 25, 2010)

bluemilk said:


> Is there a cue or something we're missing? Percy's done this too. With no warning, and seemingly no malice he'll chomp me on the hand or ankle. Am I asking for it? Are we unknowingly sending a signal 'bite my finger,really,really hard'?


mhmm, its called breathing lol


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Yeah....as I said, she's starting to get the hang of it I think. The alarm idea is helping. she's also starting to get used to me. If I say 'uh huh' or even a quieter and firm 'no', she stops what she's doing. 

I used the squirt bottle idea already. I think she doesn't like water squirted right in the face....haha.. but it's quite funny that you're cat tries to catch it in his mouth! I was laughing pretty hard.



Olivers-Slave said:


> oh no lol I wouldn't really throw him. Air hockey is fun you should try it ^_^. I used to play it when I was younger with friends. lol Oliver enjoyed it a little to much at times. But now he is to large to do it his big butt only moves like two feet if that. He still does like to dart out and go after the feet but I've gotten him used to the noise I make so as soon as I do it he backs off. The only reason I don't do super loud noises or like "NO" is because I live in a apartment so shouting at him or shaking coins at 3am is not exactly enjoyed by my neighbors. You don't have to make it a loud noise just a noise that gets their attention. mines kind of like a sharp "PSST" and its our universal lanuage for "stop doing that NOW" lol should try it with every thing that miu does wrong. not just the bitting, eventually they get it, it just takes patience.
> 
> Another thing some people say you could do is the squirt bottle but I dunno, my cat likes it and tries to catch the water in his mouth lol. But I hear for normal cats who arn't bizzar and freaky like oliver, it works.


 
@bluemilk: who knows. For me, I think it was cuz she was scared I'd forget to feed her. Other times when she'd bite is either during play or a love bite. Maybe for you, it's one of those?


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

EUREKA!!! I think I've solved at least part of the mystery! Miu,guys,do you frequently pet or handle OTHER animals? I came back from the fair Saturday,Percy sniffed-then attacked! I don't think sheep and horses were the problem,but Angels for Animals had a tent,with kittens to adopt. I ALMOST bought Percy a little sister, I was soooooo tempted!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Other than Rocky the dog and Smokey the chinchilla, no I don't handle other animals. Miu should be totally used to the smell of those two since they were in the house from day one.

But yeah! I know what you mean! Kittens are so tempting!


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## landosmom (Sep 12, 2010)

I know my cat can get pretty bitey sometimes, to the point that he has drawn some blood. But for him its more lack of play than anything I think. I got the da bird toy and it has REALLY helped the issue. I play with him hard several times a day and the biting is pretty much gone. I always do it right before I go to bed as well and I will get him going until he is panting then I will set the toy down and go to bed and he wont bother me one time during the night, sleeps like a baby lol. Ever since I have started the play routines (and I usually do it at the same time everyday as more of a work out program ha) the heavy biting has pretty much stopped, if he gets nippy I get out da bird and let him go to town.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Yep, that's one of the methods I'm using for Miu. I'm using the laser pointer to wear her out and yeah, it's right before bed to the point where she'll be panting. Seems to work well at drawing away excess energy that could have been driving her bite aggression.


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