CAT CARE QUESTION

[donotpassgo]

I have a cat...17 months old. I got him from this crappy pet store and was crammed in a cage with a bunch of other aggressive cats.

Otto seems to be constantly amped up on catnip (although I've never given him any), especially around people. He's soooo friendly, but he gets too friendly and has a tendency to wind up biting and scratching with his back claws when he is petted.

I know its playful (Because He'd draw a lot of blood if he were angry). But how do I get him out of that habit of the bite/claw play?

[donotpassgo]

1. PS....I'm leaving now so please PM me RE: this.

thanks.

[arcane1]

2. mine does that occasionally when she is overstimulated...

from too much petting...

also, a friend has a calico that gets into the wild play for no reason whatsoever

thus, I'm not sure if I'm any help :silly:


but it maight not hurt to pet him in small does, and stop if he gets wild...

is he fixed? Fixed males tend to be kind of mellow, in my experience..

[donotpassgo]

3. yup fixed. He's always been a bit of a freak.

He makes the weirdest sounds and sprints from one part of the apartment to the other for no reason.

[LightTheMatch]

4. Usually that's a sign of indoor cats...

That want to go outside! My black cat used to do that all the time at an almost specified time every single night.

It's dangerous to let cats out outside in many neighborhoods, though, so it might help to play with him as much as possible.

[SoCalDem]

5. It just sounds like you are lucky enough to have found a "goofball" cat

I have TWO of them..the others are mellow.. They are a treasure (the goofy ones).. He will settle down as he gets older.. Just say AAACCK or NO in a loud voice when he gets too frisky,.

So many cats could not car eless if they interact with their humans, it's a treat to get some who enjoy playing "kitty games" with their human..

:)

[Raenelle]

9. These active ones do settle down with age--that's the good news

The bad news is that they don't quit being kittenish, IMO, until they're 4 or 5. From there, they very gradually calm down. Very gradually.

[Clete]

6. Sorry it's his personality.

The best thing is to let him be himself, but let him know now and then when he gets overly agressive nicely of course with a gentle rap on his nose. My Benny is the wildest little kitty around. Although I have had him since he was a kitten, I think daddy must have been a tough old field cat tom.

Sometimes I have to play with him and tire him out to get him to stop his "attack" play. I have some stuffed toys, I let him beat up rather than me. Also, on the petting, sometimes they get tired of it and that's their way of telling you to stop. Some kitties use gentle nips and other, like Benny take a chunk out of you. If it's any consolation, they calm down as they get older.

[roguevalley]

7. I agree with goof ball. I had three of those. I loved them.

Make sure they have lots of toys. You might get another cat so he
can play with someone his own age. ^..^

[slappypan]

8. undersocialized

Sounds like he loves attention but does not understand that biting and clawing hurt! It will take some time to train him out of these habits. Basically, reward the good behaviors and punish the bad. Pet and pay attention to him as long as he is calm, and withdraw as soon as he gets too aggressive. Get him some cat toys he take out his aggressions on and encoutrage him to get rowdy without hurting anyone. Unfortunately, he may never be as gentle as cats that had more socialization as small kittens, but that doesn't mean he won't make a great pet.

[Interrobang]

10. I agree with what everyone else said, and then add my own two cents.

You may have to (if he continues biting and clawing) grab his paws (put your thumb between his claws and his foot-pad) and force him to retract his claws. A few gentle taps on the nose might also help to get the point across if he's really slow. I had to do this with my cat when I first got him because he hadn't figured out that he was a BIG cat (about 15lbs) with huge oversized claws and teeth (his fangs hang down over his lower lip so he looks like Dracula!), because he was tearing my hands to ribbons. Now he understand that hands are not for playing with, but he's not the sharpest spoon in the drawer. (Really obedient, though, once he understands what you mean. How many cats do you know who lie down on command?)

If that doesn't work, and he still doesn't calm down, you may want to have him checked for Addison's Disease, which is a problem with epinephrine (adrenalin) uptake, where it doesn't break down in the body and causes almost perpetual overexcitement. Eventually, it leads to alimentary problems, arthritis, cysts, hair loss, and death, and overstimulation hastens the progress of the disease. If you should find out that he has it, you'll want to switch him immediately to a low-stress, no-play, no-excitement routine, and the most digestible food you can find.

Hope that helps.

[grasswire]

11. are you a veterinarian?

It's nice to have someone so knowledgeable on the board.

As to the no-petting behavior, they're just all different. My calico will beg beg beg to be petted, but then snap at me after three pets or so. She's always been that way. She lived in a college dorm when she was young, so she probably got ramped up too much, too.