Why does my 6 month old cat bite just me

Why does my 6 month old cat bite just me

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Hugo Stiglitz

Original Poster:

38,038 posts

217 months

Tuesday 18th January 2022
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First thing in a morning it wakes and showers me in effection. Only me. No one else. Rubs her face against me. Sits against me in bed.

No one else.

Then later on others in the house can stroke her hold etc.

But if I do she bites and goes onto her back immediately and starts biting, eyes narrow ears back.

My testosterone or something else?

Does this change?

anonymous-user

60 months

Tuesday 18th January 2022
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Rolling onto her back is a submissive position. She is playing - or rather wants you to play with her as another cat would with her taking the submissive role.

Play fighting is just something cats do. It’s not aggressive fighting. Kittens are still trying to learn things.

Simpo Two

86,696 posts

271 months

Tuesday 18th January 2022
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'Tummy of death'!

Mine is about 10 and will often do it, unless she's dozy.

Chubbyross

4,605 posts

91 months

Wednesday 19th January 2022
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BlackWidow13 said:
Rolling onto her back is a submissive position. She is playing - or rather wants you to play with her as another cat would with her taking the submissive role.

Play fighting is just something cats do. It’s not aggressive fighting. Kittens are still trying to learn things.
Yep, she’s biting you out of love. Just go with it. My cats do this. You’ll (hopefully) find out if she’s playing as her claws are retracted as she bites you. When one of my cats does this she’ll try to sink her fangs in me - and sometimes manages - but when she wraps her paws around my hand there’s no scratching and her claws are safely tucked away.

Please don’t sue me if I’m wrong and she rips you to shreds!

Castrol for a knave

5,196 posts

97 months

Wednesday 19th January 2022
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Yep, she is playing, as others have said, the give away is the exposed belly.

Sometimes though, it could be misdirected aggression - she might have been watching the birds outside and you rock up and she releases that pent up hunting instinct on you.

One of ours does this, and we learned to move our hand pronto and then immediately stroke him on the back of the head and he goes all user friendly again.

TellYaWhatItIs

534 posts

96 months

Thursday 20th January 2022
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Yip, biting because she loves you, they are strange little things aren't they.

I have one cat who does this with me, and the younger one does it with our son who has a special bond with him as they were together every day from Lockdown v1.

One bit of advise I can give, at that age they need to learn what is too rough. So when she bites too hard, make an audible noise or something to communicate what is too rough and she will learn over time.

Our older cat that does it with me knows to only go ~ 50%(?) on his bite whereas the younger one will often draw blood as our son hasn't taught him what is too painful for him.

Simpo Two

86,696 posts

271 months

Thursday 20th January 2022
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TellYaWhatItIs said:
One bit of advise I can give, at that age they need to learn what is too rough. So when she bites too hard, make an audible noise or something to communicate what is too rough and she will learn over time.
As they can only savage one hand at a time, that leaves a spare hand which you can use to pull the bugger away by the scruff of the neck...!

Or I just poke the beast somewhere else, and in turning to deal with that, she releases the hand smile

TwigtheWonderkid

44,398 posts

156 months

Monday 24th January 2022
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Simpo Two said:
'Tummy of death'!

Mine is about 10 and will often do it, unless she's dozy.
nono

Tummy of doom.



Boosted LS1

21,198 posts

266 months

Monday 24th January 2022
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It's submissive and a play bite. Sometimes they can get worried due to instincts kicking in, in which case the bite becomes more purposeful.

Ace-T

7,771 posts

261 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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Simpo Two said:
TellYaWhatItIs said:
One bit of advise I can give, at that age they need to learn what is too rough. So when she bites too hard, make an audible noise or something to communicate what is too rough and she will learn over time.
As they can only savage one hand at a time, that leaves a spare hand which you can use to pull the bugger away by the scruff of the neck...!

Or I just poke the beast somewhere else, and in turning to deal with that, she releases the hand smile
If your noise of protest is as high pitched as you can make it, it mimics the noises she would hear when playing with her siblings.

Hugo Stiglitz

Original Poster:

38,038 posts

217 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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My neighbours will think a girl is in distress when I do this laugh

Hugo Stiglitz

Original Poster:

38,038 posts

217 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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OK I'm suffering from anxiety here. I'm panicking about letting her out. She's 6 months old and she legged it over to someone else's garden yesterday.

To quote the film I just have to let it go don't I?

She may or may not come back.

I usually have the front door open but post getting her we treat it like a airlock

V1nce Fox

5,508 posts

74 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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Get her used to the sound of shaking a bag of Dreamies. If she’s out and you shake it, she’ll come back. Always reward with one.

Ace-T

7,771 posts

261 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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Hugo Stiglitz said:
My neighbours will think a girl is in distress when I do this laugh
Them's the breaks when you are owned by a cat. hehe

Also, make sure she is hungry before you let her out. Is she chipped?

sean ie3

2,272 posts

142 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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Our cat shows her belly straight away, not so much to play as to maul me without mercy with teeth and claws, although sometimes she forgets her dislike for me and allows me to pet her. Mostly I'm thinking 'bloody cat'.

OMITN

2,363 posts

98 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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We got our cats (two) from a rescue centre aged around 10 weeks old. This was in the September. We kept them in all winter until the following spring. It was, er, fun..!

We put some treats in a tin and trained them (as much as you can train a cat) that the shaking time meant food.

They’re 5 years old now and we still use the tin. Especially at night - we don’t have a cat flap and we like to have them in at nighttime. They’re black cats and we live in a rural area so we want to de-risk being injured/killed by vehicles where we can.

Ace-T

7,771 posts

261 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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sean ie3 said:
Our cat shows her belly straight away, not so much to play as to maul me without mercy with teeth and claws, although sometimes she forgets her dislike for me and allows me to pet her. Mostly I'm thinking 'bloody cat'.
To be fair to the cat, showing belly is not an invite for us stoopid hoomans to poke at all that floofy softness.... no matter how much we want to. hehe It is demonstrating that said kitty is relaxed and happy. Best thing to do for the cat is to go for a head fuss. That way the cat stays relaxed and your blood stays in you rather than leaking out all over your new carpet/ sofa/ bedding.*

  • delete as appropriate.

Hugo Stiglitz

Original Poster:

38,038 posts

217 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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She loves under her chin stroked. Literally paralyses her.

Chest? Loss of flesh.


Not chipped or neutered.

Rattling the food sounds a good idea. She eats wet food so we'll use a old coffee tin and something rattly inside to summon.

Ace-T

7,771 posts

261 months

Sunday 30th January 2022
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Hugo Stiglitz said:
Not chipped or neutered
Please, please rectify both of these before you let her out again.

There are too many unwanted kittens already. She is old enough to go into season now. If she wanders far, she could be picked up and rehomed as who will know she is yours.