Naughty Newton strikes again. Do you see the scandalized look on Pierre’s face as he looks on?
Newton has a new habit of biting. Not biting like Cathy Keshia does the TW, either. No, Newton’s biting comes along with some amorous moves. (We won’t include photographic evidence of those in our blog post, in case kittens are reading along with you.)
Besides putting vampire-style holes in the head peep’s arm, it just seems odd that a nearly five year old cat would suddenly decide to express his dominance quite this way.
Has anyone else had a cat who did this? Any suggestions about ways to successfully redirect him so he’s not trying to make out nightly with the head peep’s arm?
Tee hee, Newton. 🙂 We’re sorry but we have no suggestions for your head peep. The only kind of bitey our Mommy gets are from Tutu and they aren’t gentle bites either!
Is he neutered?? The best way to discourage biting without hurting the kitty is to blow in his face. But you have to do it every single time he bites or he wont get it. I’m too on again off again with Leo, he’s a bit of a nibbler.. Not amorous, but too rough playing occasionally.
Newton needs, um, “refocusing”… MOL!
Ooo err, Missus! Sorry but we don’t have any advice.
Ouch!
Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx
Maybe play with Newton more to get out some of his excess energy?
Is Newton healthy? Sometimes behavior changes can mean kitty isn’t feeling well.
We certainly hope that you can find a solution!
Hmmmm…we don’t have advise…except to maybe redirect his attention somewhere else. Ernie likes to make biscuits on the mom’s arm and gets pretty rambunctious when doing so.
We don’t have any tips either but we do have a biter in our midst, but don’t worry Sascha, I won’t mention any names.
I have one or two male cats that like to bite but I watch them very carefully and don’t let them get a chance to do it. In other words keep your arm away from his mouth so he doesn’t get in the habit of doing it It is a way of male cats showing their affection.
Hope he gets better. That isn’t any fun and it must hurt.
Take care.
Our Rumpy Bump puts the bitey on Dad. Then again he puts the Bitey on all of us. Now Buddy Budd will give a nip and if Dad is not watching during the scritch session may get caught. Nothing severe just a fast nip while purring and happy.
Maybe just ignore him when he does this.
Purrs
Timmy
How about transferring his “love” to a stuffed toy? Johnny “loves” on Scouty all the time…it must be some vestigial hormone/dominance thing.
I remember this season on My Cat From hell they had a kitty who “loved” his stuff animal, but right now with my razzled memory I can’t recall exactly what Jackson did to help the kitty get over that. I Bet the show is on the internet. Abby was a nipper but it wasn’t a “love bite”. She just liked to show you who was boss.
Very interesting. Don’t know what to tell you, and wouldn’t want to steer you wrong. If you find out something that works, please post it in case any of the rest of us encounter this in the future. Purrs and hugs, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Guilietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
I give my mom love nips all the time. Maybe Newton just likes the taste of the head peep.
MOWZERS Newton! *scandalized look* (MOL)
Faraday bites, and mom instantly pulls away and yells “OW”! and then disengages from petting him. But he doesn’t uh… you know…
So we aren’t sure what to tell you about that. Perhaps some Rescue Remedy on his ear tip to calm him a bit?
My cat Attila was a biter. When he was being scratched and it felt SO good, he just had to hold my arm in his mouth. He’d close his eyes in ecstasy and bite a little harder. You could tell it was a good, loving thing. He did it more as he got older. I don’t recall him doing it when he was young. Maybe its Newton’s way of showing his love and not a dominance thing at all?
So sorry you have a biter! Ouch!
I have read about why cats bite to understand my own better. For some cats, this might be it: “…repetitive stroking causes sudden arousal in some cats, and that feeling can be unpleasant — like a shock from static electricity.” So even though they seek out petting and ask for closeness… after a few strokes, they may turn and bite as the sensation changes from wonderful to painful for them. Here is the website the quote is from: http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/questions/why-does-my-cat-bite-when-i-pet-her
I wanted you and others to know, too, how serious a cat bite can be!
“A cat bite can result in a serious bacterial infection of Pasteurella multocida,” Muller explains. “It can be treated very easily with penicillin, but left unchecked, especially in the elderly or those with compromised immune systems, it can potentially grow underneath your skin, spread throughout your lymph system, and, in some rare cases, lead to death.” Source for quote: http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/photos/10-fascinating-facts-about-cats/cat-bites-are-dangerous Just something to know so we can stay safe!
Hope this might help you and keep sweet Newton out of trouble and you out of pain!
Lily, WA, USA