naughty cat

McKneff

I know we have dog psychologists who i think are brilliant, but is there such
a thing as a cat equivalent. our Tinker who is about 6 years old has a habit
of biting for no reason. She can be sat beside us on the settee and then
wham, a nip, i could understand it if we were stroking her and she didnt like it but it comes out of the blue.

She has lived elsewher with our daughter and both of them came to live wiht us about a year ago and this happens about once a week.
Does anyone hav any ideas.

She is fed well, company with her all day, has the run of the downstairs.
cushion to sleep on, Regular checkup at the vets, in fact she has the life of riley, so i am at a loss.

lowis

there is a famous cat behaviourist called Vicky Halls - her website is here http://www.vickyhalls.net/

i am sure there are others too, but Vicky is probably the most well known one.

good luck x

McKneff

Thank you so much, have had a quick look, brilliant site. Will have a longer look tomorrow

Hectors_House

anniehanlon wrote: »

Thank you so much, have had a quick look, brilliant site. Will have a longer look tomorrow

I found this on the site which may help:

Q: Why does my cat love to be stroked one minute and then turn and bite me the next?
A: This is a common problem that is referred to as the "petting and biting syndrome". Many cats enjoy the sensation of being stroked since it is like being groomed by their mothers when they were tiny kittens. However the adult cat has a strong instinctive survival mechanism and they can feel vulnerable to attack if they allow themselves to become too relaxed and comfortable. They develop a sense of conflict between pleasure and potential danger and this can result in a sudden aggressive gesture to "escape" from the situation. Cats can often be seen running away a few steps and then stopping to groom their paw quickly as if they are rather embarrassed by the incident! Some cats will tolerate more stroking than others and this can be influenced by their experiences with humans when they were young kittens. Any cat that displays this behaviour will provide strong signals beforehand to give you plenty of warning. For example, he or she will stop purring, visibly stiffen and start to thrash the tail from side to side. If you stop stroking at the first sign you will not get bitten.

My own cat, Sweepy is a very loving cat and very rarely attacks (and gives plenty of warning first). She loves playing with my partner and will dob him and run away and then come back for more.

I think some cats just like more fuss then others. Sweepy will happily lie on her back and let me stroke her belly, whereas my last cat would give me a warning swipe if I tried.

In contrast my parents know a little cat that comes in to see them from time to time that seems to have a problem with suddenly attacking when being stroked.

The way we handle him is to just watch for the tell-tale signs and not approach him from the front. He loves attention but then the tail starts to swish and you know to ease off.

When he gets excited and starts to bite we use a plastic hand on a stick (a small back scratcher) to play with him more and he's welcome to bite that!

Does your cat attack if it's been sat next to you for a while and you move?

Krystaltips

I have 3 cats but one of them is a right grumpy so and so... Sometimes she will come purring round for a fuss and sit on you, other times go anywhere near and you get a hiss and a growl and occaisionally she will jump at your legs as you're standing there, give you a bite and then leg it... I have no idea what to do with her either!

McKneff

Hectors_House wrote: »

I found this on the site which may help:

Q: Why does my cat love to be stroked one minute and then turn and bite me the next?
A: This is a common problem that is referred to as the "petting and biting syndrome". Many cats enjoy the sensation of being stroked since it is like being groomed by their mothers when they were tiny kittens. However the adult cat has a strong instinctive survival mechanism and they can feel vulnerable to attack if they allow themselves to become too relaxed and comfortable. They develop a sense of conflict between pleasure and potential danger and this can result in a sudden aggressive gesture to "escape" from the situation. Cats can often be seen running away a few steps and then stopping to groom their paw quickly as if they are rather embarrassed by the incident! Some cats will tolerate more stroking than others and this can be influenced by their experiences with humans when they were young kittens. Any cat that displays this behaviour will provide strong signals beforehand to give you plenty of warning. For example, he or she will stop purring, visibly stiffen and start to thrash the tail from side to side. If you stop stroking at the first sign you will not get bitten.

My own cat, Sweepy is a very loving cat and very rarely attacks (and gives plenty of warning first). She loves playing with my partner and will dob him and run away and then come back for more.

I think some cats just like more fuss then others. Sweepy will happily lie on her back and let me stroke her belly, whereas my last cat would give me a warning swipe if I tried.

In contrast my parents know a little cat that comes in to see them from time to time that seems to have a problem with suddenly attacking when being stroked.

The way we handle him is to just watch for the tell-tale signs and not approach him from the front. He loves attention but then the tail starts to swish and you know to ease off.

When he gets excited and starts to bite we use a plastic hand on a stick (a small back scratcher) to play with him more and he's welcome to bite that!

Does your cat attack if it's been sat next to you for a while and you move?

No there is never any warning.
Last week i was rubbing her inbetween her ears, she loves that, then she 'invited me to rub under her neck, swanning her neck and closing her eyes as if she was in heaven then Wham, but luckily she missed me.
Last night, no warning again, just sat inbetwen daughters knees, we were all watching TV. no stroking or anything going on, wham, she was close to drawing blood. She was pushed unceremoniously off the settee and looked back in wonder as if to say 'what did I do' very strange.

lowis

i had a cat who used to 'turn' for no apparent reason. like yours she would sit quite happily on your lap but then just go mental and actually back me into a corner, all her fur on end, growling and hissing like a demon - she was only tiny but she scared the living daylights out of me.

we later worked out that it was the sight or smell of smoke that used to set her off. so when my OH was lighting up a cig at the other side of the room, she would sense the smoke and go ballistic.

we think it may have been related to the fact that she was electrocuted when she was just over two years old (she chewed a live wire), the 'funny' behaviour started a few months after that incident.

is there anything happening that coincides with her tantrums?

darich

one of our cats is inclined to lash out but normally gives a growl or a huff as a warning.

I found the best way to get her to stop is to click my fingers close to her head and tap (and i mean TAP) her on the the head while saying "NO". Her eyes shut and she looks as if she's about to be whacked in the face. I saw the vet do something similar when he tried to cut her claws and it works well. He was clipping her claws and she lashed out - he said "NO" firmly and loudly and tapped her on the head with the clippers. Next time she lashed out he merely tapped the clippers off the table and she stopped immediately.
It sounds worse than it is and the vet obviously knows what he's doing.

Every cat is different though so it may be less effective for you.

shelly

I have 2 cats and when either of them have done something I don't want them to do again a loud "NO" and a clap of the hands (or a tap on the nose) does the trick.

My hubby calls me the cat whisperer. Like the dog whisperer on TV, I only have to say a word and both our cats do as they are told :rotfl:

daleigha

my cat would bite and scratch whilst getting stroked, and i now know the warning signs and stop, but there are times i am innocently sitting on the sofa and i get a clawing!! :eek: are you maybe moving your fingers absentmindly or something? i sometimes cross my legs and tuck one of my hands between my knees (if that makes sense!!) and she must see my fingers wriggling out the other side and goes for them!!

we also say 'no' very loudly and tap her on the head when she is being naughty - not that it ever seems to make any difference - she is still a wee monster!! :rolleyes:

did anyone see 'The Dog Whisperer' last night? cant remember which channel - but he was training a dog and cat to tolerate eachother - sooo cute!!

xxxx

MrsTinks

A friend of mine had a cat like this... no warning at all and WHAM! Teeth and claws sunk in and then she'd fly off away... I don't know if she still does it as haven't seen them for years but I'd imagine somethign like a loud clap when she does it might gradually discourage it...