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How so I stop my cat from biting my breasts?

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  • How so I stop my cat from biting my breasts?

    This is probably one of the weirdest pieces of advice I have ever had to ask for, but since there are so many pet parents her on CS I thought someone might know the answer as to why he's doing it, and how to stop it.

    So I adopted Felix about 6 weeks ago (full adoption story and photos to be posted later). He's a 6 year old tom, and he's a sweetheart for the most part. He's really good with new people, and very cuddly. But he bites a lot.

    He attacks me feet sometimes, even when I'm just sitting. He attacks my hand sometimes when I'm petting, which ususally prompts me to stop. But in the past few days he's been worse. He bites at my arms at the forearm, and when I hold my hand away he reaches out to try. This is always after he's started biting at my ankles or hands, so maybe he just wants to play?

    The weird thing is that he's started to bite my breasts, like right on the nipple. He always starts by kind of kneading around my stomach then just just tries to latch onto my breast. Is my adult cat trying to nurse? or is this something else all together?

    Also what can I do in general when he gets bitey. He doesn't scratch or his or anything, so I honestly feel it's just him playing but it hurts and I don't know what to do. I give him toys, I play with him, but he always goes back to attacking me later. Sometimes he gets really cuddly first then starts biting. My friend advised me to put him in "Time out" in his carrier if he gets to be too much. Felix always goes into the carrier without fuss and sleeps there normally with the door open anyway, but i can't leave him in there too long.

    So what should I be doing?
    Hinakiba777- Student of Divinity-Always trying to get laid.

    Annoying student=I pay tuition here so I pay your salary!
    Desk Worker=I pay tuition here, too. So I guess I pay myself.

  • #2
    There is a very real chance that the former owner played rough while the cat was young, and the reason he went up for adoption was because said owner didn't understand why the cat continued to behave in the manner he had taught it to behave.

    My brother does the rough play with his cats, but he quite explicitly trains them that the only time they're allowed to be rough is when he's got his "play mitt" on - he's got a welding glove he uses for rough play, and his cats know that him putting that on is a sign that it's rough play time; if there's no glove, then there's no rough play and there's absolutely no biting or scratching of bare skin, ever.

    One site suggests against the "rough play mitt," but with proper training, a cat will learn the difference between when it's allowed to be rough and when it's not. However, I do agree that toys that distance the cat and owner are much preferable.

    Unfortunately, this is something that is best taught to them while they're very young. It's much harder to train out bad behavior, but with some effort, it can be done.

    The general suggestions on dealing with this is that when he attacks you (or anyone else) that person should make an immediate sharp sound that is only ever associated with deterrence. For me, this is a very sharp hissing noise - I'm quite good at it, but some people can't get it loud enough. You can experiment with what your "stop that right now" sound is - it's kind of like a kitty safe-word. This should be followed by a very firm "no" and then a time out. Since the kitty was trying to get attention in an inappropriate manner, you cannot give him attention until after a suitable grace period.

    There are other punishment options, but the voice one is best because it can always be immediate, and you can't leave it in another room or out of reach.

    Other than inappropriate play, cats will sometimes bite as a response to being in pain, so that might be something to look into, but it doesn't appear to fit the circumstances, here. If he's an "ankle-biter" who sometimes lies in wait to pounce, then it's almost assuredly a training issue.

    ^-.-^
    Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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    • #3
      Actually, the best noise to scold a cat with is a "shh" noise, not a hiss but more like the sound of a garden hose.

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      • #4
        I definitely agree that someone in this cat's past did engage in rough play. Perhaps you could use toys to re-direct him when he gets bitey. Try throwing a ball across the room for him to chase. Another option would be one of the numerous wand toys that mimic natural hunting behavior. Also perhaps you could try a feliway difuser or some Rescue Remedy in his water to help calm him down.

        His biting could also be due to being separated from his mom/siblings to early when he was a baby. If this happened he may not have properly learned boundaries as a kitten.

        I have a five year old female that I adopted when she was 6 weeks old. I know she was separated to young. When I first got her she loved to wake us up by cleaning our faces. However she also had a thing about nipping noses randomly. I trained her out of the nose biting by tapping her lightly on the nose when she would do this and saying no bite. It took a while but she does not nose nip anymore. She had to learn that was not an acceptable way to show affection.

        Perhaps you could try getting your cat a stuffed animal to play with and he will start trying to suckle that instead of your breasts. Even though he is older this could be him trying to get milk out of you if he was separated to young.

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        • #5
          You don't want to engage him after he gets bitey, as the reason he's bitey is for attention, so giving him attention is a positive reinforcement for the biteyness. Post bitey should be an immediate time-out. Attention can be given later, when it's no longer associated with being a "reward" for being bitey.

          Another option, is to get him a playmate. Cats can rough and tumble with each other because they've got fur. The two we have get pretty rambunctious with each other, but other than wild swings that end up tagging us accidentally, neither of them try anything like that with people.

          ^-.-^
          Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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          • #6
            On a few rare occasions, my cats will bite, but it's what's called a "love bite" -- they close their teeth but definitely don't cause any pain. I was going to suggest a spray bottle, since cats hate getting sprayed (especially in the face) but the suggestions about making a sharp noise, and Andara's suggestion about giving him an immediate "time out", are better. The spray bottle is likely to be effective, but of course the problem with it is you may not have it at hand when you need it.

            If you think you can manage a second cat, that's also a good idea. My two take out their occasional bouts of excess energy (they're middle-aged for cats, so it's not like I've got two hyper-energetic kittens, LOL) on each other, instead of me.

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            • #7
              On the subject of "love" bites; those are usually the later part of a series of signals a cat gives off regarding wanting the petting to stop or to not touch a certain area.

              The earlier signals can be difficult to spot, and depend on the cat, but can include various signs of irritation, including tail lashing, swiveling ears, and the cessation of purring.

              I actually ran into this while brushing out my brother's cat's fur the other night. He likes a heavy hand on the brushing and has a very thick coat, but I'd gone past his comfort line, and he gave me a very light "clawing." Basically, he put his forelegs around my wrist and let me feel his claws before pulling back almost immediately. I dialed back on the brushing and he went back to purring contentedly.

              ^-.-^
              Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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              • #8
                Interesting! Thanks for the clarification, Andara. I didn't know that -- I'm lucky my cats to date haven't felt it necessary to "emphasize" what those gentle bites meant!

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                • #9
                  Well, if it's grooming followed by a nip, that's usually a sign they want to play. That should be discouraged the same as the full-contact play behavior. It's a lot like a puppy that runs up, acts play-aggressive, then runs off. Which is another behavior that should be corrected, not encouraged.

                  ^-.-^
                  Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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                  • #10
                    I have tried the harsh noise, and he has responded too it. He usually stops the biting right away. It works very well.

                    As for getting him a friend, I'm pretty sure that when I adopted him the shelter said he wasn't good with other pets. Plus I live in a 15x15 bachelor. However, since I am usually in class during the day it might be nice. I will have to check with the shelter and see if he can handle a friend then think about it.
                    Hinakiba777- Student of Divinity-Always trying to get laid.

                    Annoying student=I pay tuition here so I pay your salary!
                    Desk Worker=I pay tuition here, too. So I guess I pay myself.

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                    • #11
                      Our old queen was supposedly an "only pet" type, too.

                      She actually likes our younger, grooming him regularly and not bullying him like she does every other animal she's been near.

                      ^-.-^
                      Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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