Cat is biting

We took in this stray cat several months ago because she was so
friendly and sweet. I've had her spayed, shot, built her a house on
the deck, bought her toys, and she gets lots of love and attention.

Over the past week or so, she's started biting.
I've never had a cat before, so I don't know the behavior, but one of
the neighbors says she's just playing.

But she bit my son on the arm and made him cry.
When we try to pet her, she constantly nips at our hands.
It's very annoying, and I don't appreciate it.

Has she gone mad? Is she playing? And if so, how do we show her that
we don't enjoy this kind of playing?

My neighbor is a doctor, and he says that a cat bite to a knuckle or
any other joint is prone to very painful infection.

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 11:01:31 -0600, Gary wrote:



Even though she
can't breed, she can still have "urges", and certain petting might be
stimulating her into some sort of mating behavior. Just a thought.

YES! She seems to bite more if you touch her flanks.
And come to think of it, she no longer rubs against your leg when she
walks by.

Will this pass?

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 11:01:31 -0600, Gary wrote:



Even though she
can't breed, she can still have "urges", and certain petting might be
stimulating her into some sort of mating behavior. Just a thought.

YES! She seems to bite more if you touch her flanks.
And come to think of it, she no longer rubs against your leg when she
walks by.

Will this pass?

I know that when animals are in pain or are sick they may bite at you when
you touch them. One suggestion would be to take the cat to the vet for a
check up. Especially if the cat is an outdoor cat (you may not know what
he/she has been into)

Paige


wrote in message
...
We took in this stray cat several months ago because she was so
friendly and sweet. I've had her spayed, shot, built her a house on
the deck, bought her toys, and she gets lots of love and attention.

Over the past week or so, she's started biting.
I've never had a cat before, so I don't know the behavior, but one of
the neighbors says she's just playing.

But she bit my son on the arm and made him cry.
When we try to pet her, she constantly nips at our hands.
It's very annoying, and I don't appreciate it.

Has she gone mad? Is she playing? And if so, how do we show her that
we don't enjoy this kind of playing?

My neighbor is a doctor, and he says that a cat bite to a knuckle or
any other joint is prone to very painful infection.

I know that when animals are in pain or are sick they may bite at you when
you touch them. One suggestion would be to take the cat to the vet for a
check up. Especially if the cat is an outdoor cat (you may not know what
he/she has been into)

Paige


wrote in message
...
We took in this stray cat several months ago because she was so
friendly and sweet. I've had her spayed, shot, built her a house on
the deck, bought her toys, and she gets lots of love and attention.

Over the past week or so, she's started biting.
I've never had a cat before, so I don't know the behavior, but one of
the neighbors says she's just playing.

But she bit my son on the arm and made him cry.
When we try to pet her, she constantly nips at our hands.
It's very annoying, and I don't appreciate it.

Has she gone mad? Is she playing? And if so, how do we show her that
we don't enjoy this kind of playing?

My neighbor is a doctor, and he says that a cat bite to a knuckle or
any other joint is prone to very painful infection.

wrote:

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 11:01:31 -0600, Gary wrote:


Even though she
can't breed, she can still have "urges", and certain petting might be
stimulating her into some sort of mating behavior. Just a thought.

YES! She seems to bite more if you touch her flanks.
And come to think of it, she no longer rubs against your leg when she
walks by.

Will this pass?

I don't know. I do know that if I pet Lectris or Troni certain ways, it
gets them "horny" and they get rough. This differs from the "love bites"
that Troni gives. I would expect it to be a seasonal thing, as their
hormones come and go. Some cats, particularly toms, can't be petted
anywhere but on top of the head.

BTW, I dealt with love bites by pathetic whining. Sometimes, I'd make a
BIG deal of it and scream like she really hurt me (when she didn't). I
would also "shun" her for a while, even running from her like I was
afraid. She seems to get it and has mellowed down with the love bites a
lot.

Gary




-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

wrote:

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 11:01:31 -0600, Gary wrote:


Even though she
can't breed, she can still have "urges", and certain petting might be
stimulating her into some sort of mating behavior. Just a thought.

YES! She seems to bite more if you touch her flanks.
And come to think of it, she no longer rubs against your leg when she
walks by.

Will this pass?

I don't know. I do know that if I pet Lectris or Troni certain ways, it
gets them "horny" and they get rough. This differs from the "love bites"
that Troni gives. I would expect it to be a seasonal thing, as their
hormones come and go. Some cats, particularly toms, can't be petted
anywhere but on top of the head.

BTW, I dealt with love bites by pathetic whining. Sometimes, I'd make a
BIG deal of it and scream like she really hurt me (when she didn't). I
would also "shun" her for a while, even running from her like I was
afraid. She seems to get it and has mellowed down with the love bites a
lot.

Gary




-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

I have to wonder how your son was touching or playing with her. Cats don't
normally bite unless they are love bites, they get overstimulated from being
petted or stroked, or are scared enough and despite all warnings (hissing,
growling, etc) the human persists in bothering them. The other explaination
could be medical and that would need to be checked by a vet.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
wrote in message
...
We took in this stray cat several months ago because she was so
friendly and sweet. I've had her spayed, shot, built her a house on
the deck, bought her toys, and she gets lots of love and attention.

Over the past week or so, she's started biting.
I've never had a cat before, so I don't know the behavior, but one of
the neighbors says she's just playing.

But she bit my son on the arm and made him cry.
When we try to pet her, she constantly nips at our hands.
It's very annoying, and I don't appreciate it.

Has she gone mad? Is she playing? And if so, how do we show her that
we don't enjoy this kind of playing?

My neighbor is a doctor, and he says that a cat bite to a knuckle or
any other joint is prone to very painful infection.

I have to wonder how your son was touching or playing with her. Cats don't
normally bite unless they are love bites, they get overstimulated from being
petted or stroked, or are scared enough and despite all warnings (hissing,
growling, etc) the human persists in bothering them. The other explaination
could be medical and that would need to be checked by a vet.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
wrote in message
...
We took in this stray cat several months ago because she was so
friendly and sweet. I've had her spayed, shot, built her a house on
the deck, bought her toys, and she gets lots of love and attention.

Over the past week or so, she's started biting.
I've never had a cat before, so I don't know the behavior, but one of
the neighbors says she's just playing.

But she bit my son on the arm and made him cry.
When we try to pet her, she constantly nips at our hands.
It's very annoying, and I don't appreciate it.

Has she gone mad? Is she playing? And if so, how do we show her that
we don't enjoy this kind of playing?

My neighbor is a doctor, and he says that a cat bite to a knuckle or
any other joint is prone to very painful infection.

Gary wrote:

wrote:

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 11:01:31 -0600, Gary wrote:


Even though she
can't breed, she can still have "urges", and certain petting might be
stimulating her into some sort of mating behavior. Just a thought.

YES! She seems to bite more if you touch her flanks.
And come to think of it, she no longer rubs against your leg when she
walks by.

Will this pass?

I don't know. I do know that if I pet Lectris or Troni certain ways, it
gets them "horny" and they get rough. This differs from the "love bites"
that Troni gives. I would expect it to be a seasonal thing, as their
hormones come and go. Some cats, particularly toms, can't be petted
anywhere but on top of the head.

BTW, I dealt with love bites by pathetic whining. Sometimes, I'd make a
BIG deal of it and scream like she really hurt me (when she didn't). I
would also "shun" her for a while, even running from her like I was
afraid. She seems to get it and has mellowed down with the love bites a
lot.

Gary


I'll second that - it worked well with a tom I had about ten years ago.
After a while he'd just back off and look at me with a expression I can
only describe as "Sorry, I'm really sorry".

Getting furry fixed might cure some of it though, if the parent poster is
willing to.

Andy
--
[ Guh! Frotz! Shazbot! ]