Cat help: biting

[ysobel]

Hey, cat folk, I need some advice:

What do yu do if a kitten is playing too rough (bites and scratches, all shallow but painful) and *you can't move your hands*?

Loki (he of the major vet bills a while back) has started using my hands as prey during the night. It was tolerable when he was gentle (I tried not to encourage it, but I did let it happen, and that may have been a mistake but I'd probably be in the same position), but now it really hurts, and is leaving visible marks.

I've tried a deep authoritative "no!" but it does nothing. I've tried high-pitched yelps of pain but it does nothing. I've tried burying my hands under the sheet (or rather getting the sheet up over my hands), but he digs them out and attacks anew. I don't have the mobility to physically remove him, to physically remove *myself*, or any of the other usual suggestions for when playtime gets too rough.

I *haven't* tried whacking him lightly with the small backscratcher I use for face itches at night, just because I suspect escalating the violence won't help. But I've completely run out of ideas.

What can I do?

(And yes, I know to keep an eye on the bite areas and see a doctor stat if it starts looking weird, but I'd rather avoid getting attacked in the first place.)

Signed,
She who had a sleep-in morning interrupted by 6am kitten attacks grrr (which is ridiculous because I'm never up this early during the week so it's not like I've broken routine yet)

Comments

[helens78]

I hiss at Olaf when he starts biting for attention. This has been the most effective method of dealing with him by far. A hiss is kind of a "hssshhhhhh!" noise, and it seems to get through to him that he needs to stop what he's doing NOW.

[syderia]

Here by way of the network page.

Is there a way you could get a small sprayer filled with water? People I know have had some success getting their cats to abandon some behaviors by spraying them.

[twistedchick]

Two thoughts: to a cat, a loud hiss means you are a bigger cat and you are not happy at all. And cats do not generally like citrus. Is there something lemon-scented that you could put on your hands, or near your hands?

[vass]

Leather gloves?

[niqaeli]

As I understand it, yelps are more of a dog's verbal communication of pain -- as other people have noted, cats tend to hiss (or growl) when they are unhappy or in pain. I don't know if you can imitate a really pissed off, hissy cat, but if you can it might be more effective than the other verbal options. (It probably won't be less effective, anyway.)

If you want to try something citrus-y to deter kitten, lemon or orange essential oil diluted in water makes a good spray. You can also put some essential oil in lotion and put that on your hands.

[krait]

Depending on positioning, try blowing a sharp puff of air right in his face! (or as close as you can aim) I use this a lot when I'm handling cats at work who are on the other side of kennel doors from me and have tried to grab hands/hair through the bars, so I can't physically reach them. It's not ideal, but it's certainly harmless and it usually startles/disrupts them.

[kaisa]

I could not get my kitten to stop biting and attacking me, fingers, toes and ankles mostly, and when it was around 9 months old, I decided to get another cat, because I worried that my cat was bored and/or lonely. That solved the problem for me. After that the cats were happily biting and attacking each other and came to me for petting and sleeping.

[morgandawn]

lemon or orange scent on the hands. lots of play (with a wand toy or laser pointer) during the day). puffs of air and hisses. I also slept with a small stuffed toy next to me that I would shove in his direction (note these may not all be feasible if you have physical limits),

when the cat did this during nap time, I would get up and leave the room and lock him in. the key is that you immediately leave the cat alone - no words or noise, or touch. they soon learn that this ends their play session and they are ALONE which is not FUN.

last - lock the room door during the night and do some of the above during the day.

icon is of the kitten that we successfully worked with - he turned 1 year this month.