Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Charlie is often very affectionate with me, she licks my face/hands/arms whenever possible, although sometimes after licking me for a while she will bite me (sometime gentle 'love bites' and sometimes hard).
However she will bite me, as already mentioned, and scratches my hands if I have them loose in my lap when I'm sat at the computer, and she sometimes jumps at me as if to attack me, trying to reach my face (she usually does this after I shut a door she was intending on going through, or I remove her from my daughter's room after bedtime, but sometimes she does it for seemingly no reason)
She likes being around me, wants to play fetch every evening, cuddles up against my neck on the back of my chair at dinner time but she also attacks me more than anyone else in the family.
Sounds as if she just wants your attention and that is her way of getting it (either for affection or play) From the sound of it, she loves you I may advise you to give more playtime for Charlie. Do you have toys to interact with her with? E.g., laser lights to chase, a cat wand for her to jump and chase? Crinkle balls (my cat's personal fave), etc.? Try to devote at least an hour (depends on the cat on duration) to tire her out. You may see that once you're fulfilling her "play" needs, she may be less aggressive in getting attention.
We've got her favourite toy, an old soft toy, that we play fetch with every evening and a laser pointer sometimes and a whole host of different balls I roll or throw for her. She brings me her toys when she wants to play usually. She gets plenty of food.
I'll try playing next time she's jumping up and see if that's it.
Every so often I also try to find a new "toy" to keep my cat interested. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - sometimes it's just a new cardboard box, or a long ribbon. It keeps her occupied and sometimes the new "smells" it brings really fascinates her. I also have a cat tent so that she can sit outside and watch the birds and enjoy the outdoors in a safe enclosed area. She loves it and I have the reassurance that no birds of prey can scoop her up. Just offering my experiences. I hope you find something that resolves your kitty issues! Good luck!
From what you've described, it sounds as though Charlie is easily over-stimulated and hasn't learned what is (and isn't) appropriate play behavior. The nipping and scratching your hand seems to indicate they she sees your hands, and maybe the rest of you, as a play object. You might try this- whenever she does the biting, scratching, jumping at you, etc., remove yourself from the situation with a firm 'No' and ignore her for a while. You could also re-direct her with a play session, and use a wand toy or something that separates you from the play object.
I have a very loving girl cat that loves attention, but has a short fuse when it comes to over-stimulation. She can go from half asleep being petted in my lap to clawing & bunny-kicking my hand in a split second if I'm not paying attention. I always just remove my hands & totally ignore her for a minute or 2 until she calms down.
From what you've described, it sounds as though Charlie is easily over-stimulated and hasn't learned what is (and isn't) appropriate play behavior. The nipping and scratching your hand seems to indicate they she sees your hands, and maybe the rest of you, as a play object. You might try this- whenever she does the biting, scratching, jumping at you, etc., remove yourself from the situation with a firm 'No' and ignore her for a while. You could also re-direct her with a play session, and use a wand toy or something that separates you from the play object.
ITA! The loud "no" or an "ouch" works. If she is biting your hand at that time, let it go limp instead of pulling away. Pulling away will only encourage more biting. Slowly walk away and ignore her for a bit.
Also, if you know she gets crazy when you go to the bathroom, for instance, carry a toy in your pocket that you can throw to distract her.
Does she have a tall cat tree to climb? Buying a cat tree was one of the best things we did.
She is quite young (only turned 1 in December) so it could very well be that she hasn't learnt appropriate behaviour.
I try and go limp when she bites as then she usually goes really soft with the bite. Had a cat tree but she got tired of it but it wasn't very tall. She has high places to climb and one chest of drawers she's allowed to scratch. She broke her wand toy, will have to get another one, or use the ***** willow sticks we have as she loves them.
Do you think more time outside would be good? We go outside with the leash sometimes and she seems to really enjoy it but its not very often.
Location: Los Angeles>Little Rock>Houston>Little Rock
6,489 posts, read 8,808,426 times
Reputation: 17514
DeuxDad does that. When she was very little she bit hard and her teeth were very sharp. Nowadays, she still bites, but just little nips and she licks in between bites. I guess she is basting me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
From the sound of it, she loves you 
