My cat bit me and my husband, now fuming and a bit scared of cat!!!

[Italiangreyhound]

We got a new cat last month, from a rescue centre. he is a 6 year old neutered male short haired domestic cat. He was very loving and nice when we got him.

He has been with us about 7 weeks and all was going well.

He is a big eater and seems to meow for food A LOT.

We have just come back from two nights (just over two days) away and a very cat friendly nice lady (who has been here almost once a week for the last 7 weeks) was looking after our cat for us.

When we arrived back tonight at about 11.00 the cat was in and waiting for us, looking through the door. I went straight in, gave him a pouch of food (100g) and there was water and dry food out and obviously he had had wet food too as dirty cat dishes so I know she has been in twice a day feeding him. She had texted to say he was happy to see her.

He was very meowing and so I petted him a lot and talked to him.

Then I walked into the hall and he ran after me and put his teeth around the back of my calf. He did not draw blood but I would definitely call it a bit, rather than a nip. With in one or two minutes he had run up to DH who had bare feet and bitten his foot and drawn blood. I was so angry and a bit scared. I didn't know what to do. I was told never to hit or smack cats so I did not but I was scared so I didn't want to be in the same room with him.

He continued to meow so I Gave him some Dreamies and then after a few more minutes a 50g pouch of food. He is nor furled up on the sofa like nothing has happened. I am fuming and very upset. I can't take him back to the rescue centre because I feel it is not fair and the kids will be so upset but I am worried he will bite one of the kids (aged 10 and 4). I am not sure if he was hungry or angry we went away or what. I feel really sad now because I just never expected him to turn nasty on us and I feel I can't trust him now. This probably sounds like an overreaction but I am juts not sure what to think. I can't walk around my house scared of the cat!

[cozietoesie]

Seniorboy used to bite my mother when she had him. She used to say 'No' but in a tone of voice which really said 'Who is Mummy's Coochy Coochy Coo boy then?.....' When he came to me - at about 14 years of age - he ran into a very firm 'Oi!' or 'Excuse Me???????...' and that was said in a tone of voice which really said ' One more like that and I'm going to sack your village, salt your fields and sell your kittens into slavery'.

He realized I meant it and stopped biting forthwith.

You've got to be firm with them. Not physical or violent of course but just.....firm. Ignore and put out of circulation for bad behaviour and keep on doing it. It's got to be utterly consistent behaviour until they realize that they've got a Top Cat to live with. Surprisingly, they won't resent that but are rather likely to relax in the security of having someone strong around.

[Italiangreyhound]

Thanks all, et said to monitor him if nothing physically wrong.

[Italiangreyhound]

VET not et

[RubbishMantra]

Italian, you asked what others did, when going away/on holiday. My cats have a "Godmother" who comes to stay at our house while we're away. Both cats LOVE her.

She gets somewhere quiet to study, and the cats get company. Win-win.

Do think about getting a Flying Frenzy toy for him though. i posted a link to it for you in my previous post. Really wears them out, and has been designed so they can fulfill their prey-drive. (So less likely to hunt ankles)

[fenneltea]

Oh, just had a thought, my old deceased cat would go mental and attack anything/anyone when he had catnip or catmint, it only lasted a short time, but the results of him having it were pretty spectacular. I wonder if yours could be the same?

[GatoradeMeBitch]

My cat does that when we come home. He just gets over-excited to see us, though it doesn't feel very flattering while you're hobbling round the kitchen looking for the Germolene!

[Fluffycloudland77]

We call it "saying it with teeth and claws",

Doesn't make it less painful though. Tea tree oil takes the sting out of bites really well.

[SunshineAndShadows]

Italian - being in a shelter is a significant risk factor separation anxiety and attachment issues in cats. When you go away he doesn't know how long it's for so this can be stressful, and that stress can manifest as you've described on your return.

It's great that he's an indoor/outdoor cat as that gives him lots more scope for adventures! But he still need stimulation from the family in the form of play seasons, and also quiet calm petting interactions. Try not to feed him on demand if you can as this is self-reinforcing but distract him with a game or attention instead. Channelling his predatory behaviour in a more constructive way will help him to cope better with stress in general (such as you going away)

[Limer]

My cat does exactly the same nipping on the ankle when we return home after a weekend/few days away. It's a welcome back!

[Italiangreyhound]

RubbishMantra thanks. Our ginger tom did a lot of hunting and caught mice, is there a reason why our new cat doesn't want to hunt but still feels the need to bite, that you can imagine?

fenneltea thanks, don't think so as he had the cat nip before and no issues.

GatoradeMeBitch, Limer and Fluffycloudland77, does everyone just put up with this? If dog did it there would be a totally different scenario!

SunshineAndShadows that all makes sense. It is just so sad that the behaviour that signifies he needs attention is pretty much he behaviour that drives people away!

[patienceisvirtuous]

I got wise to it and could see it in her eyes when my legs would get pounced on

She still got me sometimes. Can't say it ever annoyed me. I would just use an antiseptic wipe and some germolene if she broke the skin.

I saw it as one of her quirks and loved her all the same!

[Fluffycloudland77]

Well yes, I mean even if it goes septic I can get free medical care and a prescription for £8 whereas his healthcare costs me loads.

Maybe he'd prefer a cattery? he'd have other cats to look at so he wouldn't feel so alone.

I doubt he'd bite the kids randomly, our cats put up with more from babies and kids than we got away with.

[tacal]

I had a rescue cat who was a biter and scratcher. She made us really unhappy. My ds has a scar on his forehead from where he was scratched. It goes from his hairline down to the top of his nose. Everyday I was getting bitten and scratched. When my family came to visit they went away with bites that had broken the skin. They were scared of my cat.

It does sound like your cat bit you because you went away. Hopefully he will get more used to you going away and come to understand that you will be back. If you can arrange more attention for him while you are away that might help.

[shaska]

To answer 'does everyone just put up with this?'.... I do, yes. But then, I knew what I was getting into and my vicious little beggar's getting better all the time.

He likely will stop, or you'll learn to recognise when he's in 'that' mood. It is important, I think, not to make him afraid of your reaction to the behaviour, as I think when they start to bite in fear (as mine does) that's much harder to deal with than a simple overexcitement/confusion/play bite.

I think of it as similar to the way little kids at birthday parties will often burst unexpectedly into howling sobs - the emotions just all get a bit much and come out in strange ways.

[RubbishMantra]

When MCat sits on a lap, it's flattering and scary at the same time. One time, a depressed friend, going through a rubbish time, came to visit. MCat sat next to him, purring. "See, he DOES have empathy!" I exclaimed. At which point he delivered a lightening fast bite to each of friend's hands. reminded me of a snake.

His vocation in life is clearly not as a therapy cat. Whereas the little curly one is gentle as anything. I worship them both equally though.

[Ruhrpott]

Our neutered rescue tom cat does this, especially when he is hungry. He is very vocal for food and also goes up on shelves or kitchen surfaces to deliberately knock stuff on the floor to get attention. He will chase you and rugby tackle the back of your legs or just walk up to you and nip the back of them if he is hungry and thinks you should feed him.
He also sometimes chases you down the stairs or gets the crazy look in his eyes. I find the best way to deal with that is to turn round and face him, look him in the eye and talk to him rather than walk away. Walking away backwards, facing him also helps to calm him down.
We have had him now for 9 years and he was 2 when we got him. He is a grumpy old thing that will bite people and I make the vet wear his leather guantlets. I just warn other guests in the house not to stroke him. He is mostly nice to us and he especially dotes on me. We accept him for what he is, a grumpy cat who does bite and scratch sometimes. You get to know their body signals, when to leave him alone, when to turn around and face him and when to feed him.

[EnlightenedOwl]

mine's a biter always has been
he's old now and had to have some teeth taken out due to dental disease - I would say karma!

[cozietoesie]

One characteristic of my relationships with my cats is that I'm very active in them. Generally, they do what they want as long as they abide by the few House Rules but I'll call them to come to me or go looking for them for a quick Hello if they haven't been seen for a bit. And I talk to them a lot - always answer every single miaow or yowl.

Maybe they sometimes secretly think 'Oh Gawd - it's her again' but most of the time they seem to like all the attention. That might be something for you to consider - whether you can raise the general verbal attention level. (They don't get a whole load of physical touching unless they ask for it - I mostly leave that to them to decide.)

[butterflyballs]

In answer to do I just put up with this...Yes we do. It's just him. He's 14 and has so many quirks and this is one of them. He also would rather knock on his cat flap so we open the door than use the cat flap. He will also jump on the windowsill and look through the window wearing his sad face so one of goes through to open the door!!

[RubbishMantra]

Haha, mine has a nice line in sad faces too. Mournfully staring through the cat flap. Which he went out of 5 minutes previously. If I'm lucky, I may get an angsty yowl. He's the Franz Kafka of the cat world. Or maybe Morrissey.

[Fluffycloudland77]

sad faces and complete astonishment that biting you and bunny kicking your arm has made you shout at them.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Yes we all put up with it, it is a feature of owning and semi domesticated pet, those with Bengals put up with it even more as they are still classed part wild cat.
Cat bites can become infected, but not often I have been bitten every other week at least for 17 years by either patients or my own cat. I have only needed antibiotics twice. But in general cat bites smart a bit, but rarely do serious damaged. Compared to dogs cats give much, much better signals before they bite out of fear or aggression.

[Italiangreyhound]

Lonecatwithkitten thank you. I guess I am lucky our last cat was not like that. I would never own a Bengal, I read about them because I kept seeing photos from the rescue centres and they are beautiful but I would never own one, too difficult.

I am so sorry you have been bitten so much, you are a braver person than I am!

butterflyballs Re He also would rather knock on his cat flap so we open the door than use the cat flap. He will also jump on the windowsill and look through the window wearing his sad face so one of goes through to open the door!! They can be quite lazy, can't they.

cozietoesie Re And I talk to them a lot - always answer every single miaow or yowl. Maybe they sometimes secretly think 'Oh Gawd - it's her again' but most of the time they seem to like all the attention. That might be something for you to consider - whether you can raise the general verbal attention level.

I do talk to him quite a lot. I talk to him like he is a child!

EnlightenedOwl Hope your cat is OK toothless.

Ruhrpott Re I find the best way to deal with that is to turn round and face him, look him in the eye and talk to him rather than walk away. Walking away backwards, facing him also helps to calm him down. Very helpful.

RubbishMantra Re I worship them both equally though. You too are better than me.


shaska Re I think of it as similar to the way little kids at birthday parties will often burst unexpectedly into howling sobs - the emotions just all get a bit much and come out in strange ways. that is helpful.

tacal Re I had a rescue cat who was a biter and scratcher. She made us really unhappy. My ds has a scar on his forehead from where he was scratched. It goes from his hairline down to the top of his nose. Everyday I was getting bitten and scratched. When my family came to visit they went away with bites that had broken the skin. They were scared of my cat. I am so sorry, not sure how you put up with that really. It is upsetting when pets are not nice, I guess we love them like people sometimes but they are not people and it is hard to know when what they are doing is 'normal' or not!

Fluffycloudland77 Not sure we will go for a cattery? Does anyone have positive or negative experiences of them, please?

patienceisvirtuous it really did upset me, I took it very personally, I am a sensitive soul!

[Italiangreyhound]

Fluffycloudland77 what does sad faces and complete astonishment that biting you and bunny kicking your arm has made you shout at them. mean?

[Fluffycloudland77]

It means the look of astonishment when I've shouted at him to stop biting me or dh. It's like "what? this isn't fun for you too?

I have a Bengal though.