On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 19:06:58 GMT, "mcdowelldrew"
dijo:

I have a 4 year old neutered male cat who came to live with us when he was

I have had a number of cats over the years, mostly neutered males. I
have observed this behavior to varying degrees in all of the males.
The females react a bit differently.

Here's the deal. When a male cat mounts a female he holds on by
grasping her around the middle with his forelegs, claws extended to
hang on, while at the same time biting her on the back of the neck to
provide further traction. In short, the behavior we are seeing is the
mating behavior.

Your cat loves you. Unfortunately, sort of like teenage human males,
they cannot distinguish between lust and love. It's all the same to
them.

So when your cat bites you and grabs you with his forelegs, claws
extended, it is an expression of love. And just as with teenage boys,
it is an instinctive reaction.

However, we humans have an incredible intellect. We can use our
intellect to override any of our instincts. We can even commit
suicide, overriding self-preservation, the most basic instinct of all
animals. Thus, it is possible to teach even teenage boys to behave
themselves in society. (Well, with some difficulty, but let's not go
there.)

It is also possible to teach a cat not to bite or scratch you when
expressing love. However, you have to deal on a more basic level than
you would with teenagers, because their intellect is so limited in
comparison.

Over many years with male cats I have discovered that a simple
reward/punishment system works best. When my current neutered male
came to live with me from the shelter he bit and grabbed too hard.
Every time he did so I bopped him on the head and yelled "Ow!" I
didn't hit him hard; just enough so he closed his eyes and ducked. If
he bit or grabbed really hard I yelled, bopped him, and he got ignored
and I wouldn't have anything further to do with him (the cat
equivalent of a time out). It didn't take too long. Most of the time
now he bites and grabs me, but very gently so as not to hurt me. And
when he does he keeps an eye on me to be sure he hasn't gone too far.

My teenage human is now a first year university student and doing
similarly well.

--
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