Hello,

I've had my cat for almost 2 years now.
He's very playful, and likes to wake me up in the morning and play with me on the bed. But biting has always been part of the game!
Usually it's play bites, so they don't hurt.
But when he gets too excited it can hurt a lot, scratch my skin deep and make me bleed a little, and they are periods when my arms look like I've been cutting myself a lot.
I try to teach him not to go beyond the playful bite by yanking my hand away and saying NO, and it seems to work most of the time, but sometimes he gets even more aggressive! His ears go back, he prepares himself and attacks my arm or leg in one quick and very strong bite, as if it were an animal. This happens mostly after I've groomed him. How can I get him to stop?
When I see him prepare for the attack, I always look him in the eyes and keep saying no. Sometimes he drops himself on the floor, accepting my "dominance", but sometimes it just won't work and I have to distract him by throwing him a toy or something. If I don't have anything handy next to me, he will attack me, after which I punish him by putting him in the bathroom for 20 seconds, which calms him down completely.
But I don't like doing that.

Any advices please?


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Here's a picture of a morning play moment




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You've taught him bad manners for two years, it's going to take a while to get him to stop when you want him to stop. This is why new owners are advised NEVER to start letting kittens bite hands, even though it's just for "fun" and doesn't hurt.

I've been having Milo for a month today, he was only 6 weeks when we brought him - and as a baby he tends to nibble on me a lot, and I always thought he was teething, which I don't see it much of a problem, but as he is getting older, he becomes bigger and stronger with sharper teeth. I think most of the time it's him being playful, and I have been trying to stop him by saying NO which works at times. From what people been telling me, you need to be hard on them, say no then walk away, and you will need to be consistent with it. I'm still not doing a good job on that myself. Or another option is to have a soft toy next to you, when he bites u can just put that in his mouth.

Hope things will work out soon


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I actually bought him a great toy with catnip inside, and he likes to take it everywhere and bite on it. I always give it to him when it's next to him and he's in a biting mood, and it works. What I'm really trying to know how to deal with is the aggressive impulsive and sudden attack I get some times, where he sinks his teeth in my arm or leg as if he was attacking to kill an animal. How to make it stop?

It sounds like he could be overstimulated. Does the aggression show after a few minutes? I.e., do you pet him for 5 minutes, then out of nowhere he attacks? If that's the case, maybe stop petting him after a few minutes before he gets overstimulated. Usually cats show signs before that happens (they start flopping their tail really hard, they pull their ears back, etc.). So if that happens, you need to stop. Either way, when he does attack, you need to let him know that it's not appropriate. Say "NO" very loudly to startle him, and walk away. He needs to know that if he exhibits that behavior, you will not play with him. It will take time though. It's MUCH harder to "unlearn" a behavior than it is to learn one...

Um..... Just out of curiosity, what could be the cause over overstimulated?


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Actually this happens mostly when I groom him. I do shout at him, and if he attacks me anyway I walk away from him and ignore him until he comes to me and purrs as if to apologize.