If you’re looking for a way to stop this behavior, you grab them by the scruff of their neck. Don’t worry, it doesn’t actually hurt the cat. But it does trigger senses in them that they’re being disciplined. So you grab the scuff of their neck, and act like your wrist is hurt. (the one they were biting/clawing, not the one you’re using to grab the scruff of their neck).
Once they realize they’re hurting you, and also realize you can grab them by the scruff of their neck, and are therefore more powerful than them, they’ll stop doing that.
Of coarse, this is also assuming you’re being a good cat parent to begin with. I see so many videos online titled “Cats go crazy” or something similiar. They aren’t going crazy. Their humans are usually doing some shit to repeatedly piss off their cat. And eventually the cat says “FUCK THIS!!!” and lashes out.
As long as the cat routinely feels safe, and loved with you, the scruff thing works. If your cat feels unwelcome in it’s own home, yes, it will lash out.
Also don’t play fight with a cat, especially a kitten using your hand. If you want to play fight use a stuffed animal or something. Teach them from an early age that human hands are not toys.
My cat would be really confused and probably a bit frightened at this point if I tried to roughhouse with her using my hand but if I get her “battle buddy” stuffed animal out it’s on.
OOOOH! Yes. That’s another good point that I never even thought about. I just naturally never used my hands, because I don’t like it anyways, but I always used a feather on a stick/string.
Another thing I never use is laserpens. I used to. I feel bad that I ever did. It’s fun, but then you learn that cats play is only stimulating their hunting drives. And since they can catch the feather on a string, they feel a sense of satisfaction for having caught it. Whereas they can’t catch a red dot. So never catching it apparently gives them PTSD. They feel depressed that they can’t be good hunters if they can’t catch the red dot.
If you were using both, it was probably okay. The cat quickly learns the red dot is a lie and either decides not to chase it, or decides it’s good for a bit of pouncing and then grabs a different toy to fight or a snack of kibble to bite.
So, are hand puppets a middle ground?
hmm that might have been a better strategy than i used. my first cat isnt a biter but she was very liberal with her use of claws when i got her. she would have them out for anything from cuddles to playtime. i got her to be more careful around me by just playing up my pain response every time she got me with her claws. id jump and yelp like she really hurt me. she eventually learned but it would have been cool if she learned faster lol.
I had to hold down one of my kittens to give him his spot-on flea treatment and felt bad afterwards. They’ve never scratched me. They just get so excited to be pet I thought I’d miss. I was like “You’re cute, but this stuff is expensive”
Oh man. You just reminded me of the time I had to give my cat a flea bath. That was like 20 years ago, but I still remfmber I had to wrap her in a thick towel to act essentially as a cat straight jacket. I kept her head free, but everything below the neck was in a towel.
Oooooooh boy did she growl.
I hated it, but it had to be done. We got rid of those fleas. And all it cost was traumatizing my baby…and myself. Because I know she hated it. I at least made sure the water was luke warm, so she wouldn’t be cold, or too hot. But still…she HATED that bath.
If the cat does that, it’s because it doesn’t actually understand that it’s hurting you.
Start making a big “YELP” and clearly show that you are in pain when it does it, and it will gradually start to be more gentle.
It doesn’t understand that you don’t have fur that protects it the way it does.
Can confirm this works, unless he gets too excited my cat is very careful about keeping his claws retracted. To the point that one time he actually slapped the absolute fuck out of my leg, that actually made a slap sound and stung a tiny bit from his pawpads slapping me, without leaving a claw mark. Chaotic little beast.
I did this so often with puppies and kittens over the years that I had to unlearn it when dealing with women, lol. Believe it or not if a woman bites you yelping isn’t the response they are looking for. Well results may vary I suppose…
This is how I taught my cat.
He still tries to use his claws like tiny fingers sometimes, but he really doesn’t mean it.
I love wrasslin with kittens.
This stopped real quick with my cat. Anytime he would try to bite me, I would just shove my finger down his throat. Don’t worry it didn’t hurt him but it did trigger his gag reflex lol now at most he will lightly bite if he doesn’t like something. He doesn’t use his claws on me as well.
So that definitely worked with my void too
This is a product of both participants and a behavior that can be changed pver time.
Someone pointed out how me saying it was my fault my cat scratched and hurt me sounded like a textbook abusive relationship. Is there a way to unlearn things?
At least snip their nails ;-;
I would often wrap an old sweater around my hand to do this with my old cat. When he was really into it I could pick him while he was still attached to my sweater hand.
