Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: How to wean a cat from aggressive behavior
• Method 2 of 2: Learn About Feline Attacks
• Tips
• Warnings

As much as you love your cat, it probably attacks you from time to time. The problem can be both medical and behavioral, the point is that you get bites and scratches, which in themselves are quite painful. In addition, through them, the transmission of certain diseases is possible. If you do not stop this type of behavior, then it can begin to pose a real danger to you. Understanding why your pet is attacking and what you can do to stop the behavior can help you improve your relationship and communication with your cat.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: How to wean a cat from aggressive behavior

1. 1 Schedule daily play sessions with your cat. These sessions should be about 10 minutes long and should be done when the pet is in a playful mood. Try to organize at least two gaming sessions a day. Increasing the duration of games with the cat will correct one of the possible causes of his attacks and additionally provide you with the opportunity to teach him not to attack or bite you.
   • This fishing rod toy, which you can make yourself or purchase at the pet store, will allow you to maintain a distance between the cat and your legs and arms. Such toys allow you to stimulate the pet's innate instinct for a predator to hunt its prey.
   • Stuffed animal toys are useful if the cat likes to fight; they are especially suitable for kittens. Choose a stuffed toy about the size of your pet. If he gets too rough while playing with you, rub the stuffed toy against the cat's belly to redirect his play energy away from you to the toy.
   • You can also toss one of the cat's favorite toys aside while playing. This will serve two purposes: you protect your hands and feet from the pet, and you will also stimulate its innate instinct to chase and lash out at it.
2. 2 Provide a stimulating environment for your cat. Keeping your cat busy in its environment is likely to make it less likely to attack you. You can increase your pet's stimulation by providing your cat with a variety of toys and updating them regularly. You don't have to constantly buy new toys. You can simply use different combinations of them so that the cat does not have to always play with the same objects.
   • Provide your cat with new items to explore on a regular basis, such as empty cardboard boxes.
   • Provide the cat with a puzzle toy. A treat is placed inside such a toy. The cat will have to work hard to get a treat from the toy, which will keep it busy for a while and provide mental stimulation.
   • Place the old toy in a new item, such as an empty cardboard box or paper bag.This is useful when you notice that your cat is tired of some of her old toys.
   • Place playgrounds or scratching posts where your cat can climb and play.
   • If your cat is comfortable outdoors, you can purchase or build an outdoor enclosure for her to play safely outside. Visit your nearest pet store for information on the types of outdoor enclosures you can purchase.
3. 3 Give your cat a break if he is playing too rough. Get up and leave the room, ignoring the cat if he plays too rough. You can even go to another room and close the door behind you, blocking the pet from accessing you. Since cats try not to take actions with negative consequences, depriving your pet of the opportunity to have fun with you will teach him not to play rough with you anymore.
   • It is important to get up on your own and leave the cat, and not pick it up and carry it to another room. Your cat may interpret your touch as reward, and you should not reward him for playing rough.
4. 4 Prevent attacks on your ankles. At the most unexpected moment, the cat can jump out of its shelter and bite you on the ankle. For your cat, the ankle is an easy moving target, especially if the pet has no other toys or items to play with. When your pet bites your leg, do not try to run away or pull away. This behavior is inherent in prey, and your cat's predatory instincts will only make him bite you harder.
   • Instead, gently try to push the cat out. Since the prey usually does not move towards the predator, this action will confuse the pet. As soon as the cat realizes that you are not acting like prey, it will immediately release you.
   • After being released, stand still for a while and do not pay any attention to the cat. The pet will stop biting when you stop providing it with the pleasure of catching you by the ankles.
5. 5 Install scare devices in your cat's usual hideouts. If you've identified areas that your pet likes to attack you from, make them unpleasant for him in some ways available to you. There are special scare devices on the market that you can use, such as upside-down mousetraps or motion-triggered compressed air sprays. These devices will scare the cat away without harming it. In the end, he will stop approaching his favorite places due to the fears he has experienced and the sounds created by the devices.
   • A cocked mousetrap upside down will jump into the air when the cat steps on it.
6. 6 Don't punish the cat. It is very important to remember that cats do not learn from punishment (for example, screaming, hitting, clicking on the nose). The punishment will make your pet fearful and hostile towards you. Punishments can confuse the cat. Since the punishment usually follows after the wrong actions, the cat does not really understand what it is being punished for.
   • Some cats even see punishment as a challenge rather than a deterrent.
7. 7 Encourage good behavior. Cats will repeat behaviors that are beneficial for them. If you provide your pet with a lot of positive rewards for doing the right thing (for example, for playing cautiously, for curling up next to you in a ball instead of attacking your hands), then he will continue to do them. Remember that positive reward should be given at the time of doing a good action, so that the cat has an associative link between good behavior and receiving reward.

Method 2 of 2: Learn About Feline Attacks

1. 1 Understand why the cat attacks you. In the wild, cats are carnivores. When a cat tracks you and attacks and / or bites, it considers you as its prey.You probably do not consider yourself a prey, since you are the owner of the animal and is significantly larger in size. However, if a cat attacks your ankles, then it is demonstrating precisely the innate instinct of a predator.
   • The cat may be attacking you due to a lack of toys or other stimuli to keep him busy. He may be bored and you seem like an easy target for entertainment.
   • Not having enough interactive play time can also trigger pet attacks.
   • Kittens weaned too early from their mother and their fellows do not know the permissible limits of bites, so they are more inclined to attack and bite the owner. What appears to be fun behavior for a kitten sometimes turns into a major behavioral problem when it grows into an adult.
   • Health problems such as hyperthyroidism and central nervous system dysfunction can also lead to attacks. Your veterinarian can help you identify the underlying disease behavior. The first step is to find out whether or not you have a health problem before you start correcting your behavioral problems.
2. 2 Pay attention to your cat's body language. When playing with a pet, it can be difficult to distinguish between normal play behavior and attacker (too rough play). However, your cat will give you body language cues so you can understand if he is in a playful or hostile mood. For example, in a cloudless playful mood, the pet will keep its mouth ajar, and it will jump a little sideways with its back bent upwards. At the same time, it probably will not make a lot of noise.
   • When the pet prepares to attack, it begins to hiss and growl during the game. He may also try to grab your hand to bite down on it. At the same time, cats often press their ears to their heads, begin to wag their tails nervously, and their pupils dilate.
   • If you are not playing with the cat, but notice that he is sneaking up on you, then you can be fairly confident that he is preparing to attack you.
3. 3 Keep a diary of the cat's attacks. This will help you better understand when your pet's attacks are most common. For example, you may notice the cat's tendency to grab and bite your ankles in the morning after waking up, or make sure that aggression appears every time you interact with your pet. If you can identify the trend most likely to be attacked, it will be easier for you to plan activities to redirect the cat's attention away from the attack to playing with toys.

Tips

• All cats have an innate predatory instinct. However, with proper education and training, the pet will be able to understand that an attack on the owner has negative consequences.
• When playing with your cat, do not use your hands instead of toys and do not encourage him to bite your hands. Biting is not a playful behavior and should not be encouraged, especially because it is painful and can transmit certain diseases.
• Kittens are more susceptible than adult cats, so it is much easier to wean a pet from attacks at a young age. If you have an adult cat, then you will need a little more time to wean him from attacks.
• Young children often do not understand the difference between playful and aggressive pet behavior. If you have small children, explain to them the difference between the two behaviors so that they do not unknowingly provoke the cat to attack.
• If your cat continues to try to attack you after your attempts to eradicate this behavior, seek the help of your veterinarian or behaviorist.

Warnings

• Bite and scratch-borne diseases such as cat scratch fever are often difficult for people. If you feel unwell after receiving a scratch or bite from a cat, seek immediate medical attention.