Tiger or Sabre-Toothed Tiger as I’ve been calling him, is a rather unpredictable cat. When we first saw him we were told that a family had seen him and been very interested in him. Until he’d bitten them. The shelter said they thought it was just a friendly cat nip – that’s when a cat likes you and just puts his teeth on you. It’s not a mean gesture and doesn’t draw blood.
So when he tried to bite me on Saturday I thought he was just a little excited. Later when he scratched me I put it down to the stress of the move, being in a strange house etc. Then last night Tiger and I were sat on the sofa and he was cuddling up to me, rubbing his head on my arm when he bit my arm and drew blood. I have no idea why he did this. I wasn’t crowding him and it came out of the blue.
This evening he tried to bite me again and also bit Andy, although this time he didn’t break the skin. So I’m wondering what to do. It’s really difficult because he’s a beautiful looking cat. He is enormous though and I think he’s either a Maine Coon cat or MC mix, he even makes the chirping noise that’s associated with them. He can be very affectionate and likes human company but we humans do not like the biting!Good job our tetanus jabs (shots) are up to date.
We’ve introduced our three cats to his scent and vice versa through scent swapping but they haven’t spent more than a few moments with him. They’re all very nervous of him. We’re just going to have to wait and see if everyone settles down. It takes time for cats to settle in to a new home. He’s also a lot older than we were previously told – five years not eighteen months old – so if the biting is one of his ways it’s not going to disappear.
In Knitting News I came home to find a parcel from my Better Pal!
Mexican Hot Chocolate, a Bad Cat calendar (rather appropriate at the mo!)and three delicious hand dyed skeins of Atacama Alpaca! And who was my wonderful Better Pal? It was Tracy aka Rock Chick! Thanks Tracy for being a fab and very generous BP!
I’m surviving on very little sleep at the moment due to my horrible cough which will just not go away. My voice is a bit better but still husky so KnitCast is postponed until Wednesday.
Here is a bit of cat psychology for you…..when he bites you, you need to scream out really loudly and get up and run out of the room, so does andy. He has to have a clear signal that he has hurt you, and don’t give him any attention even negative for a while after he has done it, no more than screaming and dissapearing. J xx
Oh, dear. Sounds like Tiger is a candidate for next year’s calendar. If you end up consulting your vet, you may want to check out http://www.vet.cornell.edu/abc/cat_questionnaire.html from the Cornell Animal Behavior Clinic. It’s the feline behavioral questionnaire they ask clients to fill out prior to the clinic visit.
My grandmother had a Maine Coon and it bit her all the time. It got to the point that she was afraid of it. The worst was when she sneezed, he would attack her. Even if she was at the far end of the house from him, he would chase her and bite her if he heard her sneeze.
My sister had a Main Coon mix for years, and though she wasn’t particularly cuddly, she was not a biter/scratcher either.
On the other hand she now has a very pretty long haired generic cat who spent the first three years of her life with my sister both biting and scratching her. She (my sister) looked like a refugee from a briar patch. The cat would be rubbing and begging to be petted, and after a few rubs would turn around and scratch the bejabbers out of you…for no particular reason. The vet thought that she was “overstimuated”. That some cats only tolerate so much petting etc. and then become intolerant…
(Sheesh, I thought, she could just walk away…) The good news is that she is now six now and seems to “tolerate” affection much better.
However, this kitty is truly strange. Which is why I’ve always called her Dementia……
My condolences on the loss of Clyde. What sad news to come home to.
As for Tiger, well I hope for the best. You and Andy are fine people for giving him every chance.