Q: Why is Mitzi starting to bite ?.
Mitzi, my cat, has an attitude problem, because she's spoiled. She usually only bites or nips, when I tick her off, or she doesn't get what she wants. But lately, she has been trying to bite or nip, for no apparent reason. I will just be petting her, and she'll grab for my arm. I'll put her down, and she'll go for my leg or ankle. I love her SO much, and give her everything, so why is she acting like this ?. I try to cuff her nose, when she tries to bite or nip, but she backs away now, puts her ears back, and raises her paw and bats at me, to keep me from cuffing her. I don't want to hurt her, and I'm afraid that if I continue to cuff or swat her, she'll just get more agressive and hate me. HOW can I deter her from biting at me, without hurting her or further ticking her off ?. I really need help on this one, friends.
Sep 16, 2010
I have had to put my aggressive biter/scratcher on Amitryptilline. I hated to do it but he was hurting my other cats as well as my husband. All I seemed to be doing was punishing him so I guess the drugs are better than constant chaos that we had before. I am assuming the cat is fixed which sometimes helps.
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Sep 20, 2010
it's hard to say w/such little background provided, but my first thought is she's learned to ask {or demand} for what she wants through biting. there is an easy fix to this though. whenever she mouths you to any degree, let out a high-pitched "ow!" and ignore her for 2 minutes. get in the habit of doing it every single time and she'll quit. but b/c i can't tell from here if this is definitely the case, i have to add not to walk away from her. if this is more aggressive than it sounds, you don't want to teach her that her method of biting actually works. so squeal "ow", then ignore her. in two minutes, if she's behaving, pet her and tell her she's a good girl.
never cuff her nose or do anything physical or negative. this will indeed make things worse b/c it will make her insecure about your behaviors {cats NEED us to be reliable and safe} and it will put her in the defensive mode.
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Sep 25, 2010
I am not sure why, but my kitten started the same behavior. I stopped him from biting me/attacking my ankles - without hitting him - by giving him a quick spray of water from a spray bottle. With this technique, he very quickly learned that biting/attacking is not acceptable behavior.
I read that even lightly swatting a cat will increase their combative behavior, so you need to distract them (in my case with the water from the spray bottle) so they "forget" their aggression. Good luck!!
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