How to stop my cat from biting?

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Sharenadi
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How to stop my cat from biting?

Post by Sharenadi »

How do I stop my cat from biting? I've had him for almost two years now. Caesar is the sweetest most loving cat. He really loves his cuddles, but then he changes. Right down to how he holds his body and he bites hard. I have scars.

He's about three and was hand raised by a lady who found him under her boat. He lives with me and three other cats and normally he has no issues with them. They eat together and everything, but when he's in this mood, I call it going crow because of how he holds himself, he'll attack them too. It's also important to know he never leaves the bathroom, ever. I've tried all the tricks and advice I can find, but he's not having it. I love Caesar, but I hate Crow. I've had cats all my life and it doesn't seem like a normal I'm annoyed stop bite. He's trying to hurt me. There's none of the traditional signs of over stimulation. It's literally out of nowhere if he's in my lap. If he's sitting next to me he holds his head in this strange position that truly reminds me of a crow and sometimes his body like ripples.

I want to teach him to stop, but my aunt wants me to get rid of him because “he's too old to learn to stop"
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Mollycat
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Re: How to stop my cat from biting?

Post by Mollycat »

I'm a little confused about some details.

He never leaves the bathroom, is his food in there with him? Do the other cats go into the bathroom sometimes and that's where he attacks them? And you have playtime and cuddles with him in the bathroom?

So you say he bites without warning, but then you say he does this funny head movement thing, so does that happen after he bites you, or is that a warning maybe?

Has he been to the vets? Because what comes to my mind when you say he looks like a crow would be treatable medically, otherwise skin rippling and stiff neck / head held back into the shoulders are both warnings of a bite coming.

How do you respond when he bites you, do you shout at him, punish him in some way, move away, what do you do?
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fjm
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Re: How to stop my cat from biting?

Post by fjm »

If the crow posture is really very different from normal cat body language I would be wondering about something neurological. Definitely needs a vet visit, ideally with videos that show the sequence. And does he really live his entire life in one small room? That indicates a level of anxiety about the world that would worry me.
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Ruth B
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Re: How to stop my cat from biting?

Post by Ruth B »

I would agree with the others, the first stop is the vets to get him checked out if you haven't already done so.

When you say he never leaves the bathroom, i am assuming the door is open so he can get out if he chose to. I am also assuming that all his food, bed and litter tray are in the bathroom with him. It seems strange that he hasn't wanted to explore if he is given the option to, or it could be that he considers the bathroom his territory and den and the rest of the house as belonging to the other cats. Have you seen anything that might be a trigger for the attacks, it might be as simple as one of the other cats coming into view and and he is getting ready to defend his den, and then redirects the aggression on to you. Two years spent in just one room does seem very odd, i know cats can manage like that and some that have ended up in rescue can spend far longer than that in a single room, but if he is meant to be a full member of the household then he should be coming out at least some of the time

While there are books and videos available, i would recommend Vicky Halls' Cat Confidential or Cat Detectie, both a great starting point for understanding cat behaviour, and Jackson Galaxy has some great videos including one on expanding base camp (which is what i think you might want to start with) free on Youtube. You might also want to ask your vet about a referal to a cat behaviourist if they can find no physical reason for the Crow, a professional behaviourist actually in the house might spot something that we can't see over the internet and that you have become so used to that you don't see it anymore.
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