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Argh! Charlie is very sweet but she is still mistaking my hand for a toy and trying to grab it with her claws and mouth (and just a moment ago my ear which luckily she didn't actually bite down on). How do I get her to stop this? I always say no and put her down on the floor when she does it but she's not getting the message.
Cats have individual temperaments as do humans. One Siamese cat we own has the nickname bitey due to her proclivity to nip without notice. She will purr while being petted and nip at the same time. Her brother is the antithesis, uninterested in aggression toward anything but a can of cat food. Each cat reacts differently to the various members of my family. Another cat (we currently own 4) likes to nip toes, my policy is when a toe is cat nipped to return it with a kick. This particular toe nipper ceased nipping my toes after the 3rd encounter, yet my wife still gets her toes nipped regularly. It's about people and cats. I have a son who is so bad with cats, even in peaceful mode in Minecraft, he can aggravate a virtual kitty. Yet we have one real cat who adores him. My cat awkward son, gets along with my most human awkward cat.
The trick is to read the cat's language and respond appropriately.
Some cats act like they want love, and when being petted bite seemingly out of nowhere. This is overstimulation. If a kitty starts flipping its tail around, that's a sign it's getting agitated and it's time to stop petting and let it calm down or leave if it wants.
Sounds more like yours is going through the kitten thing of just being super playful though. You need more or better cat toys, and to play, play, play...but only with the toys and never with your hands. Most cats can learn pretty easily that toys are for playtime, hands are for petting and not attacking. Don't try to love on the cat when it's in "frisky play mode." You can tell if the cat's pupils are huge and it's acting all fierce that it's time for play, not for snuggles.
That's the thing about cats...you can't tell the cat to stop being frisky and settle down to have snuggles if it's not in the mood for that. The cat dictates if it is time for snuggles or time for play, not the human. So you just have to work with whatever energy they show you at the time.
Also, if she isn't spayed yet, she will be more feisty until she gets fixed. That's normal. Hopes knows, her cat was much more wild and ferocious before she got her fixed.
Excellent advice from Sonic Spork. Learning to read your cats' body language is a huge asset to have. They will tell you many things if you are paying attention.
Yeah she's not been fixed yet, going to call the vet tomorrow to make an appointment.
She goes from snuggle mode to play mode at a flick of a switch! Whenever I sit down she jumps up for petting and to have a snooze but then sometimes will just suddenly try and play with my clothes or my hands. Guess I need to just put her down immediately when she starts looking more active.
She also does it when I move her when she doesn't want to be moved (like if she's on my chair and I need to sit down). I guess maybe it would be better to move her by distracting her with a toy than just picked her up and risking the scratch?
Yeah she's not been fixed yet, going to call the vet tomorrow to make an appointment.
She goes from snuggle mode to play mode at a flick of a switch! Whenever I sit down she jumps up for petting and to have a snooze but then sometimes will just suddenly try and play with my clothes or my hands. Guess I need to just put her down immediately when she starts looking more active.
She also does it when I move her when she doesn't want to be moved (like if she's on my chair and I need to sit down). I guess maybe it would be better to move her by distracting her with a toy than just picked her up and risking the scratch?
Yeah that might be a good idea. One of my ladycats is the same way about being moved when she doesn't want be and has a bit of a short fuse. So I have to be a little careful handling her sometimes. She's been that way her whole life (she's 12 years old). She's a sweet girl, but just doesn't like being handled if she's not in the mood.
As has been said already, you probably notice a big difference (for the better) after she's been spayed.
Bobbles was a crazy girl in this regard. She is getting much better. An animal behaviorist told me to not pet her for a while----only use my hands with a toy for playing. She would eventually learn that hands aren't for playing. Since it's hard to not pet an adorable kitten, I'm sure I delayed Bobble's learning.
Whenever she bites, I was told to disengage from her----get up and walk away. She doesn't understand "no" and gets angry when I say it. More recently, I've had success with just picking her up and putting her on the floor (when she does this in bed) and she just goes away. She's 8 months old now so it took quite a few months for us to get to the point where I can pick her up and move her without her viewing it as my being aggressive.
Definitely move her with a toy instead of picking her up. You want to avoid any interactions that encourage this behavior until she outgrows it. Also put her down as soon as she starts playing while she's on you. She'll eventually learn that you are not a toy.
The spay will also help. Bobbles was much tamer almost instantly. She's not perfect but she's not as wild. The biting has subsided.
Some great advice, thanks you lot, shall try out the suggestions She really is a lovely cuddly cat, just this one issue that makes things a tad difficult but hopefully it'll get better in time with these suggestions.
Bobbles did something funny last night. She often comes up to my face when I'm sleeping and gently places her front paw on my nose. I have no idea why she does this. It's like she's just checking in and touching base. Last night it was extra dark. She must not have been able to see me. Since my head was turned the other way, she came upon my long hair first. She went into attack mode---clawing and biting at my hair. Not my head. It didn't hurt. I realized she was just surprised so I stayed still and quiet waiting for her to stop. When she didn't stop, I said her name quietly. Then she realized it was me and followed the sound of my voice to my face. She stuck her cold nose to my nose to say "hi" and went to lay down at my feet.
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