Hi I posted this questions a few months ago and no one responded!! I havent seen any posts with no responses and I really need some advice, anything will help! thanks!

I have a 11 month old kitten/cat that has a major bitting problem! he can be the sweetest cat and loves to cuddle but man when he plays he gets rough!! or he will just attack me when he wants to play or bite my anckles. ive read all posts about it and even posted one when he was a baby. hes always had this bitting problem and i tried everyhting. whenever i try to discipline him he attacks harder thinking im playing with him. when i try to distract with a toy it works for alittle but then he will just bite again later. ive kind of given up and now eveytime he bites i hold him by the scruf of his neck and say no and then ignore him but it doesnt do anything. ive even tried putting him in time outs everytime, used the spray bottle, tryied putting my fingers in his mouth everytime i just dont know what else to do. is it to late to do anything?? is it something he can grow out of or can he be a full grown cat that still bites and attacks???

when my cats start playing really rough, I yowl loudly like a cat who's tail has been stepped on. I think that 'speaking their language' in that case (as best we can) helps them to realize that they need to stop because they are hurting us, not just because we don't want to play.

You should be able to train your cat not to bite, although the longer it has been going on, the harder the habit can be to break.

Check out this article on Cat Aggression

Another: Teaching Your Cat Not to Scratch and Bite

You can also try hissing at him....again it's speaking his language. We have a thread on hissing at your cat currently being discussed....

https://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... ht=hissing

Hi Hbchick22,

I have a cat, Squirt, who is now 5, who used to latch on to my hand with his teeth when he was little and we were playing...and he would NOT let go. I would tell him "NO" loudly and tap him on the head with one finger, but it made no difference. He did eventually grow out of this when he became an adult and calmed down a bit.

And a warning: I don't know if you have tried catnip on your kitty, but the stonger stuff my cat still cannot have. (A little bit sprinkled on the cat scratcher seems to be ok with him, though.) Catnip seems to bring out the biting aggression in him...he is very dominant as it is, which might have had something to do with the biting aggression he displayed when he was little. Now he just dominates my other 3 cats!

Good luck with your kitty!
Karie

Instead of trying all those different things, choose one and stick with it until your cat learns not to bite. I think you main problem is just not getting the message across. It takes time -- patience, persistent, and consistence

That's a pretty good article above. I've used the "No!!" coupled with the attention suspension techniques successfully.

All of my guys know the word "No". I think it's the #1 most important word to teach any animal. And, unless I'm late and have to use the word to stop a behavior already in progress, "No" means to stop thinking about doing something. Cats are so transparent (they aren't good liars, lol). And "No" is so much more effective when used before the behavior actually takes place. It really works!

It works so well that I really would love to have some video of Maggie's feeding time. Maggie is almost 22, and gets fed (several times a day) in the bathroom. Fancy Feast, mmmmm. I try to be as sneaky as I can about it, but since Maggie is deaf and screams like a banshee when she's hungry, it's kinda difficult to feed her without all the 'vultures' noticing. So, Maggie is following me down the hallway and, one by one, cats start jumping off their perches and following us. I can make one or all of them stop by saying a name or names and "No". It's hilarious; imagine 3 or 4 cats scurrying along and when one hears his name and "No", he stops in his tracks. It's actually fun, and I (almost) feel guilty doing it......

That's an excellent observation and so true.....however, it works only when a person knows and understands their cat, and that takes time and experience which the OP hasn't had yet.

I had a friend who was a dog obedience trainer. When I got my first kittens she recommended the same method for them that she used on puppies. As soon as my cats get too rough, I (try to) make a noise like an injured kitten, put the cat down and/walk away. Then don't play again for a few minutes. She told me that this was dog speak for "if you play rough I won't play" and is the reason puppies removed from their moms too soon are often nippers. If you've ever watch a litter of kittens they do the same thing. I've done it with all my cats and I rarely have even minor scratches. I do clip toenails by the way. Don't know how effective this would be with a mature cat, since mine have all been kittens.