Does anyone else have a cat that likes to bite during play?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

I just got a new cat after my Koda (the black and white cat in my signature picture) passed away two months ago. We named him Basil and he's a great cat. But sometimes when I play with him, he grabs onto my hand with his two "hands" and puts my hand in his mouth. Then he kicks with his back paws. He doesn't have his claws out, and he doesn't bite hard. He just chews. He's not yet a year old. I've never had this happen with any of my other cats. Any experience with this?

[sasquatch]

1. That's how shows affection and plays with you

Relax as long as he isn't hurting you there's no problem.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

9. Thanks...I'm just worried. He's a rescue and when we brought him home,

he was growling and biting for real. He's settled a bit now though.

[DesertFlower]

2. yes. my cat joey bit me even

when i was petting him. he'd be purring and then he would grab my arm with his claws and bite real hard. he wouldn't let go.

he was mean, but i loved him. actually he was one of my favorite of all the cats i've had. am i nuts?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

10. Nah. One of my cats Stitch is the most aloof cat I've ever seen

But I love her to bits.

[zanne]

20. Love doesn't have to be returned. It's still love. nt

[jobycom]

3. My teenager's friends all think I'm emo because of my cat.

She used to tear me to ribbons with her claws and teeth. She bites pretty hard, too. Draws blood a lot. I think she was feral for a while before I got her. Strangest cat, but very smart in her way. She never looks in your eyes, only at your hands. I've never seen another cat do that, like she's sizing up the threat.

After about a year she outgrew it, mostly. She'll still does it, but usually only when I give her the signs it's okay.

Somehow, she knew not to attack my kids like that, though.

[DesertFlower]

6. my cat joey attacked our neighbor's

little girl. she was about 3 or 4 -- tiny, sweet little thing. i guess she tried to pet him. he drew blood.

as much as he bit and scratched me he never went near my face.

[jobycom]

25. I've kept my youngest daughter's friends away from Amber.

Just to be safe. When she's cornered or coralled by my youngest, who was six when we got Amber, she gets a little aggressive, but she's very aware of the difference of attacking me or attacking my kids. She doesn't use claws, and doesn't bite as hard.

She once scratched my ex-spouse's eyeball. Spouse was catsitting while I was out of town, and she tried to hold Amber to keep her from soing something. Amber climbed up her chest and face, and caught a claw in her eyeball. Bled frighteningly, but did no damage, luckily.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

11. lol, yes in chem lab, I'm getting odd loocks from the little scratches I have.

They're not deep, no blood or anything, just little scratches.

[skooooo]

18. My right hand and wrist are always covered in scratches...

...it's Kitty Love!

[Lorien]

4. Most young cats do this

I've had a lot of cats and I've fostered many more. Most cats will do this-not a problem unless they break the skin, and that's usually something that happens with kittens who didn't have siblings (who would give back what was dished out). If you want to discourage the behavior then simply leave the room the moment Basil starts to kick and bite. Trying to reprimand a cat usually backfires, but simply depriving him of your company will get it through to him that kicking and biting lead to less fun, not more. If you don't mind it then keep wrestling with him, he probably won't ever hurt you if he hasn't already. They even make special faux fur covered gauntlets for wrestling with your kitty!

http://www.cattoys.com/playpaw.html

[SemiCharmedQuark]

14. I was hoping to talk with you about Basil, Lorien

He's a Maine Coon mix and very different from any of my other cats. I wanted to buy him some new toys that are interactive(I'm definitely getting that glove). Any thoughts or tips you have would be very much appreciated.

[Lorien]

29. Any of the products made by Vee enterprises should be Maine Coon proof

If he gets to be anywhere near the size of the average MC then he'll tear through a lot of cat toys, but I've found that wand toys like these from Vee enterprises can not only stand up to the punishment an MC dishes out, but they even survived my serval hybrid: http://www.pethealthandnutritioncenter.com/shopscript/index.php?productID=421

http://www.pethealthandnutritioncenter.com/shopscript/index.php?productID=422

http://www.veeenterprises.com/N.htm

Larger catnip toys are needed too. Oberon loves these catnip cigars: http://www.kittycity.com/catnipcigar.html and George the lame duck: http://www.thecatconnection.com/page/TCC/PROD/TYS/8283 the perfect size for biting and kicking!

Other than that he may like a play tunnel (I've found some very inexpensive ones at Target). Maine Coons love to hide in tight places:



Congrats on the new member of your furry family!

:hi:

[CreekDog]

5. mine does that

and he's eight.

he does exactly what you describe. he does it when he's wrestling my hand. he doesn't bite too hard unless he is really getting into it.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

12. Sometimes Basil even runs up a chair and grabs my arm as I'm walking past him.

He's an odd one...

[Heidi]

7. Ginger does that if we get him too excited during play.

He's done it since he was a kitten and I know many cats who do this. If you allow it to continue, the claws at some point are going to come out and it's gonna hurt as he gets bigger. (When you pull your hand away from those little curved claws, that's when the "ouch" ensues. I've learned two things: 1) Don't get Ginger so excited that he wants to play "fighter biter," and B) When his claws are attached to my flesh, try not to suddenly pull my flesh away. )

Congratulations to you and Koda! :hi:

[SemiCharmedQuark]

13. Yep! That's when I get those little scratches, when I pull away.

I'm more lenient with him now, because he is still so new to our house and he's a rescue so he's not used to home life.

Thanks for the congratulations. Koda has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I miss him a lot, but I thought I should open my heart and home to another rescue.

[zanne]

21. This is my theory...

Sometimes cas who aren't raised properly do not develop the necessary social skills to succeed in today's society. (Yeah, right. I think they sometimes play that way because that's the way they play with each other.) I just wished they'd realize that, without fur, those teeth hurt!

[Lil Missy]

8. Yeah, I have one cat that does that. He considers them "love bites"

Subsequently, I keep my toes and feet covered when I sleep. I don't consider getting my toes bit while I'm trying to sleep either loving or adorable. Pisses me off, as a matter of fact.

It's a good thing I love the little shit, cause he sure is a pain in the ass.

[littlebit]

15. That's how my Lucy shows affection

She walks up to me I pet her and she bites me. She has been doing it for 7 years now.

[Orsino]

16. Congratulations on your promotion to cat toy!

Every cat I've known does something like this. You may want to watch it in case he becomes too aggressive, but the behavior you've described seems very typically cat. Enjoy!

[skooooo]

17. Relax your hand when he does this..

...and it may minimize the behavior somewhat.

[Brewman_Jax]

19. You're being nommed

[Sanity Claws]

22. Go EEEEK very loudly when he bites

I'm serious. My kitty used to bite. I decided to scream (High pitched squeal) when he bit. It freaked him out. He would stop biting and just look at me.
He caught on and stopped biting entirely.

[Mutley]

23. Yes. He also likes to bite when I'm petting him.

Neither the play bite or the love bite are meant to hurt. They're both very soft, unless he's getting over-excited during play. :P

[mnhtnbb]

24. That's precisely how my two cats, Mouse and Simba, play with each other.

They're almost 12, and they still do it! Mouse will also bite (not hard) my toes when he wants
to be petted.

If you get Basil a toy to play with, he'll probably do the same thing with it.

[applegrove]

26. That is how he would play with another cat. Best to train him not to think of

your hands as toys. Though I play that very same way with my two cats on occassion. If you want to stop that behaviour make a very very loud "OUCH" sound every time your cat starts. That will make it not fun for him and you can retrieve your hand. But just to let you know it is completely natural for your cat to want to play that way.

[montanto]

27. All the time, and

the rougher you play, the rougher he'll get. This is a cat/animal kill move. When they fight each other or try to kill something large they bite the throat or face and try to eviscerate their enemy/prey with their back paws. My cat has actually slashed my wrists doing this. But he's a sweet kitty and he was only playing. I learned not to play too rough with a 20 pound kitten.

[Rhiannon12866]

28. My cat did that and the vet said it was "love bites," that he just got over excited.

He was adopted, rescued as a small kitten, as well. I just got out of his way when he did that, but now I understand. Otherwise, he was a great kitty. :-)

And I am so sorry about your loss. I sure understand, and it never gets easier...:hug:

[EnviroBat]

30. He's trying to disembowel your arm.

It's a hunting technique cats use to kill their prey, (in this case your arm). I was told by some vets not to encourage that type of play in cats as it makes them mean when they get older. They told me to stick to more "mouse-chase" stuff, and don't wholler the cat too much. I still think it's fun though. When I was a kid, we had a cat named "Chessie" who would run down and kill wild rabbits that were easily as big as he was. If you whollered Chessie, he'd tear your arm down to the bone-marrow. He was a great cat, but very aggressive. He spent most of his time outdoors, and hunted most of his own food. he was really affectionate too, unless he was trying to kill you...