Question:
I have a one-year-old cat that I love very much but she bites me all the time, and other people. She will be lying next to you and then decide to just bite, and this really hurts. She is also very timid of noises and new people. I have had her since she was seven weeks old.
Tanya
Answer:
This sort of aggressive behaviour in cats is actually very common, but in order to do anything about it, we need to work out why she is doing it and make a specific diagnosis of the type of aggression she has. This could be overzealous play behaviour if it occurs when playing roughly with hands. If she stalks you and pounces at people this could be predatory aggression. If it happens when you try to move her or control her in any way, status-related or impulse aggression could be the cause. Because you mention her fear of loud noises and strangers I feel anxiety or fear aggression is what we’re dealing with here.
It would be worth having her assessed by a behaviourist or vet to confirm this and check there are no medical causes. Medication may be required at first and there are plenty of behavioural modification techniques you can employ to teach her to relax and not resort to aggression so quickly!
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