Before You Get Bitten

Follow these four steps to avoid cat bites before they happen.

By Karen L. Overall, MA, VMD, Ph.D.

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1. Avoid situations in which your cat is likely to respond to petting with biting.

2. Play only with toys; never play with your hands or feet. Never offer human body parts to cats as part of play. If your cat becomes overly aroused when playing with a toy, stop the play before anyone is injured.

3. Never pull your hand or other body parts away when your cat bites. Your cat may think you are playing and try harder to catch a moving body part.

4. Recognize the behaviors your cat exhibits before the behavior starts. Then, use these early warning signs either to redirect your cat to a safe game or remove yourself from your cats view until it returns to normal.

Remember that cats brains are wired differently than those of other animals. Cats can stay reactive and aroused for 24 to 48 hours. Move a very aroused cat into an unoccupied room using heavy cardboard or blankets. Sequestering the cat with water and litter during such periods can protect both your body and your warm feelings toward your cat. The earlier the intervention, the better.

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Before You Get Bitten

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Michalle    Portland, OR 3/19/2012 2:01:23 PM These are very good tips to follow. It is very important to "read" your cat's body language. janet    bethlehem, PA 3/5/2009 4:33:42 AM good article thanks Sherry    Salem, VA 2/2/2008 8:48:45 AM My cat is 8 years old All of a sudden he has change in his behavior. He has gotten mean and attack you .He gets very aggressive when he does this.He is a outside and inside cat. when he does this i put he outside, it their anything else I can do. Thank You Bette    Fort Lauderdale, FL 9/1/2007 8:57:16 AM Out Catty Wampus is 3. She is increasingly more aggressive. She was orphaned I believe too young. She has always been a nuzzler but now she may attack without provocation and has twice caused emergengcy room visits. My children don't want to get rid of her and neither do we. She is spayed and we have another senior cat that here first. She is an indoor outdoor cat and does hunt. We took her in when she was 6 weeks but she was orphaned at 4 weeks. She may bite when she is quietly sitting next to us, being carried or when we are simply walking by. None of this is consistent. What can we do? My husband will swat her when she bites but usually the rest of us are so busy screaming in pain we do nothing.