To ask for help with my cat?

[TheCatOfAthenry]

My much loved, MASSIVE middle cat of 3, Biscuit, is 10 months old. We got him at 5 weeks because his mother was ill. He was initially anxious whenever I left the room, but bonded really well with my slightly older kitten.

Biscuit was neutered at 12 weeks. He's a little bit vicious and combined with his fussiness, the vet thought he was just anxious. He is now on a supplement for his anxiety and is slightly less fussy, but basically, Biscuit is still very bitey and scratchy.

I'm an experienced cat-servant. I adore the little fecker. But we're a little scared of him. He sometimes just approaches me for a little swipe, or gives me a non-affectionate chomp.

He'd benefit from a run, I think, but he's too scared to go outside.

(We have no small children in the house, btw.)

Picture of The Boss attached.

Any help at all would be massively appreciated (also asking Litter Tray, but the traffic here entices me).

Hi OP! Aw biscuit looks a lot like my Pippa!

I can’t help but there is a cat section on the board “The Litter Tray”, you might get more of a response by asking the bord admin to move your thread over?

Thank you! As mentioned in my OP, I'm checking in there too, but there are more people here.

I'm no cat psychologist (but a cat servant!) and wonder how a mother cat would train her kittens not to bite? (Since Biscuit thinks you are his mumcat). Could you use natural behaviours to tell Biscuit that biting is not acceptable?

We have a swipey, bitey cat too. He has a similar sad start in life and we suspect he has slight cognitive impairment. He's huge and v scary.
We have all learned his boundaries and stick rigidly to them. We give him lots of space.
We let him have lots of outside time. This wears him out and keeps him busy.
During stressful times (Christmas / house move) we plug that calming enzyme into every room and spray calming spray. Stinks. But definitely helps. Occasionally in the past he's been prescribed tablets to calm him down. I don't like to keep him on them long term.

Firstly you can't beat watching a few episodes of My Cat from Hell with Jackson Galaxy. It's available on demand on sky or on youtube.

Is he bitey/scratchy with you? Everyone? Specific people?

Do you play with him?

Does he have cat furniture - scratching posts, beds, etc?

Gorgeous cat OP!

You mention he gets on with the older cat. How about the younger one?

Do they all play together?

I also have a bitey cat who will be sitting snuggling into my lap then take a chunk out of my belly for now good reason unless she’s trying to tell me something about my Christmas muffin

Assuming you’ve tried the usual things like feliway on top of his anxiety medication, maybe you could try tiring him out with extra playtime. I find with my two, wearing the bitey one down for more sleepy time works.

Good luck. He really is a beauty.

Feliway plug ins are helpful. Vet recommended them to us and they definitely helped with a very nervous and unpredictable cat.

Our male big ginger was bitey until he was about 2. We stopped picking him up and giving too much affection. He liked his own company. He now comes for a cuddle and sits on me at 10pm every night.

Oh and lots of time outside.

We have a scratchy bitey swiper as well. He's a big beast but we got him as a kitten from a rescue centre and they thought he'd been taken from mum too early.
We approach with caution. I am permitted to stroke him 3 times on the head. No touching his tummy. He's an outdoor cat though and runs off his energy outside.

Thanks all! We have a house full of Feliway. I have tried the hissing technique to warn him off biting like a mother cat might.

He's very good with kittens - used to baby some fosters we had and loves our little cat.

I'd love to just stick him outside for a few hours, but he's so scared and I'd feel terrible if anything happened to him because he's not used to it.

I have no advice but Biscuit is a very gorgeous cat.
He may well grow out of it, one of mine will be picked up now but it's taken her 5 years.
Cats are very weird.

Thanks for all the support. The little weirdo is currently sucking a blanket and looking adoringly at me.

Have you tried one of those laser pointers for him to chase and generally wear himself out? Mine are obsessed with it.

I think the exercise of being an outdoor cat would help. One of my horses is particularly grumpy when she's not had enough exercise/freedom. Can you not help him get used to being outside? I adopted two indoor cats at 1yr old. They were terrified of outside at first. We have a photo of the pair of them hanging off the back door handle trying to get back in! I used to shut them out in the back garden while I was around (it was summer so I was gardening or something). Initially they stayed around me nervously sniffing around, then they went to the end of the garden, then into the field beyond, getting progressively braver. I used to keep the kitchen window open while i was home so they could come in and out (they went in and out every five minutes!!). Within a couple of weeks theyd realised how fantastic the outdoors was and were queueing to go out at every opportunity.

He worked out where the laser came from and won't chase it any more.

Ha - mine is the same. Once she worked it out she gave me a withering look of disdain.

Bless him - gorgeous Biscuit! Have you tried sitting outside with him? Our HUGE B&W boy didn't go outside until he was 2 years old because he was too scared. DP eventually spent hours sat in the garden with him until he was brave enough to wander off on his own (the cat, not DP ).

@Royalfuckup shall we start a group for gifted cats?

Have you heard of Zylkene, they are calmoing capsules,not a drug, they are made from caisin, which comes from milk, also royal canin have cat biscuits with it in
I have used them in the oast,when i looked after my daughters cat, who was a biter and swiper, they are very good, you just empty the powder from the capsules into their food,it is tasteless
You might be able to get him used to not biting etc while hes calm
You can get them from a vet or off the internet [ much cheaper] although they are not expensive anyway, maybe worth a try
Such a shame poor thing must be miserable

What about a harness and lead and taking him for walks/ my db did this with his cat to get him used to his new outside surroundings when they moved back from hot and sandy overseas to green and leafy western Europe. It worked a treat, and gave db's cat the exercise he needed as well.

Excellent idea Athenry! However I have a sneaking feeling that every cat will belong in some way or another....even my very gorgeous but apparently very stupid other cat has her moments when I realise that she’s been playing me all along...

We had a cat harness with a lead, it's fair to say poppercat hated it and I felt faintly ridiculous- ok fully ridiculous.