[sdascher]

I have been reading about ways to stop a playful kitten from biting...... ha ha!! I have been dealing with Max for over a year - he is almost 2 in human years and weighs 16 lbs. Squirting with the water bottle only gives me time to get away from him!! He will sometimes get into the hunting pose, but most of the time he will just run up and bite (hard) the tops of your feet or ankles. He leaves these scars on my feet. He does not nibble - he draws blood!! I try to always wear sneakers, but at night I don't and thats when he's most hyper.
He has several toys, and sometimes I play with him with strings, balls and other toys. He gets loving & attention but I think that he wants attention all of the time. When he starts the biting mode - I have always harshly said STOP and I will not pay any attention to him until he stops.
I have found one thing that I do is to put him out on our screened in porch where he can have a hour or so to calm down, but other than that I have never been able to stop this behavior. He will do this to company also.
This cat was a dumpster kitten that my son found and took him to our vet as he was injured a little bit. He had Max for approx. 6 months and because he was wild, nearly ripped his apartment apart, he couldn't keep him!! Ha Ha - So my husband & I gave Max a home. We started him out in a huge oversized garage, and we spent hours with him everyday - he has been slowly brought into the house for a couple of hours visits each day - declawed and now rules the entire house. With a lot of time spent together, Max has grown into a wonderful friend!!He follows me everywhere. We are very fond of him - Except the biting!! Any ideas :?:

 

[sdascher]

The article is quite interesting, but not a fact for every cat as Max is not the first declawed cat that I've had and I have never had the behavior described in the article with any other cats.??? I don't think that is a connection at all. Max had this behavoir worst before he was declawed and less after he was declawed. Of course time took care of most of his wild behavior. He was declawed approx. 9 months ago and his behavior in every other behavior has improved over the past year from training and lots of love & attention. Max was extremely distructive with his claws and now, he hasn't been for a long, long time, and I don't see that coming back. He just likes to bite people on the foot to get them to play with him. I guess in time, we will work through this also. I will figure out a way, squirting water works sometimes. Other than the biting, his behavior is great. He uses the litter box OK, eats well, doesn't jump up on counters or tables very often (while I'm home) he is still playful, likes to be rubbed down several times a day, purrs very loudly, follows me all around the house rubbing up against my legs constantly and when he's not rubbing me, he is rubbing up against my husband legs and he sleeps between us on the bed everynight!

 

[sdascher]

You may be correct about the declawing, I will never say that I am sure about anything of this nature, but I really don't think that Max's behavior in this case is because he was declawed. He not only would bite all of the time, (like everyday)but he also would claw the heck at any part that he could reach. He was really wild & mean about 9 months ago, he is almost like a different cat now. His behavior has improved greatly. After I say Stop loudly, he stops, pins his ears back for the few minutes and if I don't pay any attention to him he will either try again or go away. He just is starving for attention all of the time. Its not a real big thing, considering how he was & is now, just shocking and painful when you don't expect it. He also doesn't bite every day or even every couple of days. I would say that he will bite hard approx. 3 to 5 times a month. I have one of those large cat carrier cages and Max does like to go inside of it. Its a good idea, I'll try it. Thanks.

 

[sdascher]

My problem was my son sort of "left" this cat with us and we tried to find a home for Max and was unable to do so, nobody wanted him. Max was so destructive - and I mean destructive, that the only way we could keep him was to have him declawed. That was a year ago. I do understand the pros & cons behind this matter as I am an elderly lady and I have had both clawed and declawed cats. Max is the first one that I am responsable for declawing as the choice was to take him to the shelter - or declaw!! He was destroying my house! I think I made the correct choice. Max & I love each other!! Max is missing his front claws, I don't believe that he suffered at all because I paid big time out extra for the morphine patches that he wore on his front paws for awhile. I had to try to keep him down as he was healing as he was running all over the place when I brought him home!! No signs of pain what-so-ever. Not everyone is this lucky though, I have heard horror stories of declawing that makes me sick!! Max is a wonderful cat, he just sometimes bites - he always did and he still does, but a lot less than he use to. He only bites when he wants to play!!
If I couldn't have had this cat declawed, I would not have been able to keep him & I am sure that he would be dead by now along with thousands of other cats out there. If you have patience maybe the kitty will settle down as he/she gets older, say in 2 years! Also, sometimes after the cat is "fixed" they will calm down a little bit. I am a bit surprised that someone out there doesn't chirp in with "fixing" a cat is cruel.........because Max was in pain for a few days with that operation!!!!

 

[sdascher]

Yes - You are correct. I do firmly tell him to stop and I will not pay any attention to him until this mood passes and he really is coming around. Now I can't answer for the little kitty cat that this other guy has.
I do support and I believe that it is being responsible to have your pet "fixed" if you don't intend on breeding so I would never tell someone not to, that's for sure. I was just being a smarty because there is always someone who will disagree with you no matter what!! Isn't it great to live in this wonderful free country??? You could never be this free in other countries that's for sure!!

 

[sdascher]

Thank You Jeanie, that was most kind of you. I don't really feel bad - but Thanks!! I do however feel bad already about having Max declawed and I did make sure that he didn't suffer - I really did - it was the only way that I could have kept the big guy!!
His weight is now at 17lbs.!!! He loves it outside ( don't jump ) he almost stays most of the days in a very large screened in deck/porch ( about a 15'X 20" ) if its not too hot. He likes to chase bugs!! I go out with him a lot, but he won't come in for too long, I guess I'm boring!! Ha Ha!!

:wink: