Just curious, is your kitty declawed? Cats who have had their claws removed often develop behavior problems as a result.

But, your cat may just get overstimulated very easily. Having "too much fun" is activating her instinctive attack/bite hunting behavior pathways. The good news is, your cat can learn to control those instincts. More good news: cats are fast learners. They have to be, to survive in the wild.

It will take some patience on your part. Just remember that you must have the mindset of a loving parent and teacher, not a 'trainer', and you can't go wrong. :wink: You can train a dog, but you teach a cat. There's a big difference.
Here's where the patience comes in. To teach your kitty what she's doing wrong, you'll have to learn her signals for when she's about to pounce, and stop petting the instant you see those signals. You may get bitten a couple more times as you learn her warning signs.

Cats don't just suddenly bite with no warning. They clearly "telegraph" when they are about to bite, if you know what to look for. First, her pupils will dilate. Her posture will change to an aggressive "closed" body language. If you continue petting her, you'll feel her tense up, coiling like a spring before she sinks teeth and claws into you.

When you see that she is getting overstimulated, fold your arms with your hands and fingers under your arms where kitty can't get them. Completely ignore her. Don't look at her, or respond to her in any way. This way, you are ending the fun of her attack/pounce hunting game. Pulling your hand away or yelling is a "prey" response, feeding into her hunting instincts. If you're going to do anything when she bites, gently push your hand into her attack. She will immediately let go of you.
By doing the opposite of what prey does, you are making her engage the thinking, problem solving part of her brain. That is good for her, making her a smarter kitty, and much less painful for you. :wink:

I hope this helps. Sorry about the long-winded post.
rcat

 

Does she give any signs? Like a moving tail or something? If she does give any signs, just stay away. Mine bites too. She bites everytime I pet her when I want to pet her She doesn't bite me when she wants to be pet, when she comes to me, not me to her. But she never botes through my skin though. They're more like "play bites". Maybe she likes to play more than she likes to cuddle? Mine is like that. So I never pet her unless she comes to me and tells me she wants to, I just play a lot with her.

 

Thank you so much for your help. I will give you the specifics so that you can help me with the details.

The problem is not so much with biting that comes after petting. Like you said, I can recognize the signs when she's getting into her attack mode. Post-petting bites do happen with guest, and I try to warn them about petting the kitty and how flighty her mood can be.

The main problem happens in the morning when I'm in a hurry and getting ready for my day. First thing in the morning I feed my kitty, and that distracts her for a while. By the time I'm putting my makeup on she seems to want attention and since I'm moving around the place she chases my ankles and bites them and scratches them. I'm busy, in a hurry, and there is kitty in full attack mode hurting the skin of my calves...I've tried different approaches: first was giving her attention and holding her in my arms, that distracts her for a while and she's stops biting, but from a behavioral POV it might reinforce the behavior. For a while I would just put her in another room in the morning when she began to misbehave, but she cries and it breaks my heart. So, lately the inflicted pain is so much that I have to cover myself- entire body- with a blanket until her mood passes.

I have tried pushing my hand into the attack, but it doesn't seem to stop her that much; she takes a breather of sorts, and then continues the attack. When she is in the mood for bitting/scratching I do fold my arms but then she would very painfully bite my forearms...it seems that she's a stuburn kitty...but there must be some way to make her stop. I will take your advice to heart and stop vocalizing completely when she's in her attack mode but I do need some practical advice on what to do in the morning so that her behavior diminishes, at least to an extent.

Don't worry, I like lengthy replies. I need all the help I can get with this, it's really becoming a real problem.

 

How old is she? She sounds like she's still quite young.
My Little-one was a biter when I first got him and was almost a year old! Ouch! Although he thought it was fun...I did find that pushing my hand, or whatever he was biting, gently into his mouth made all the difference. It took a while but he did stop completely. Never bit again. Along with that, with other kittens going through their "hunting" phase I would make a loud YELP! every time they grabbed my ankles. That's worked for me.
If all else fails, I don't see anything wrong with putting her in another room while you're getting ready for work 'till she grows out of it.

 

How old was she when she was taken away from her mum? Kittens usually learn not to bite and scratch too hard, by feeling the pain of that themselves. They learn this by playing with their siblings. If she was taken away early, then maybe she hasn't learned.

 

I agree, there's nothing wrong with putting her in a separate room while you get ready for work. She will soon figure out that Meowmie puts her in time-out when she bloodies Meowmie's calves.
Give her some toys to play with, so she can be occupied while she's by herself. A couple of things that come to mind are, a scratch pad hanging from a doorknob, or a wiffle-ball with some treats inside so the treats drop out as the ball rolls. Catnip stuffed toys are always a hit, too.
Do you talk to her? If you don't, I think you should. You'll be surprised how many words she will learn the meaning of. :wink:
rcat