Quote Originally Posted by scantwell
I have a 2-yr old gray striped short-haired cat, beautiful color and unusual markings, he has black spots on his belly that normally (I've been told ) would be on his fur, rather than on his skin. He's been neutered since he was six months old because he's very aggressive. I took him at 5 weeks because he was the only kitten that survived in his litter, as the rest were killed by dogs. My kitten was picked up by a little dog who, while trying to protect him was almost killed as well. At any rate, I have been very gentle and would not ever hit him for biting me but as he has gotten much bigger now, I have bites all over my arms, legs, neck, shoulders and so on. He bites when I talk on the phone, when I don't give him a treat when he wants it, when I vacuum, etc.

My physician (I have diabetes and congestive heart failure) reported it to the animal shelter and if I don't figure something out pretty soon they're going to put him to sleep. I love him and I know there has to be a way to teach him not to do this. Please help...


I don't know about in your particular situation, however at our hospital seems about once a month we get similar complaints (usually from elderly people with circulation problems or diabetes). Upon questioning most of them it comes out that someone in the house has been 'wrestling' with the cat on a regular basis using their hands. This only teaches the cat that biting/scratching a human hand is ok and is fun.

In your case I don't know exactly what might be causing it (a check up with the vet to rule out medical problems should be in first order).


However assuming it's behavioral there are a few things you can try.

1) If ANYONE in the house is 'wrestling' with the cat (whether it's with a bare hand, foot or a gloved hand) put a stop to it NOW.

2) Keep a small squirt bottle of water near you at all times. If the cat even attempts to bite/scratch, give it a good squirt in the rear, or a mist in the face. Most cats hate this and it will teach them that when they bite/scratch something unpleasant happens. If it continues biting/scratching keep squirting.

3) If squirting doesn't work, try a loud noise, from say a horn/whistle. Cats dislike high pitched loud noises.

Hopefully these suggestions help, but please do at least call your vet to see if they have any further suggestions since they know your cat better.

I don't know who told you spots have to be on the fur only. My Cami has a black spotted belly too (she's a tabby), and I was assisting the surgery the day she was spayed, and her spots are on the skin, as well as about 100 or more tabbies I've prepped for surgery in the past. But that's beside the point. LOL

Good luck