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[quote=Anonymous]Hi all - I was hoping you all might have some insight into my cat's behavioral issues. I have a male, neutered cat who I believe is around 3 years old. I adopted him from a shelter as a kitten - maybe 6-8 months old. He had been picked up a stray but that's all I know about his history. He is indoors only.

He has a frequent and severe biting problem. I believe that sometimes he thinks he is playing. He exhibits the classic cat stalking behavior - eyes wide open, staring. He will pounce at me and attack with his teeth. He also bites unprovoked, and often after he has initiated the attention - ie while cuddling. I've read tons online and spoken to the vet about play aggression, overstimulation, etc and how to curb this behavior, but thus far nothing has worked. I have tried walking away, putting him into another room, a spray bottle, and hissing at him. I have also tried Feliway, calming collars, calming water drops, you name it. He responds to nothing and tries even harder to latch on. My arms and hands are constantly scratched and bitten.

By all accounts, he is perfectly healthy. I naively believed he would grow out of it as he reached adulthood. Instead, the problem only seems to be getting worse. I believe that he is probably bored and has too much pent-up energy, although I play with him much as possible. He has tons of toys and everything else a cat could want or need. He is incredibly sweet, loving, and well-behaved when he isn't biting. It is a case of dual personalities - I can sense that he wants to be good but doesn't know how. His biting is really overshadowing my feelings about him and I'm at my wit's end.

I am terrified that one day I will become so frustrated and hurt that I will get physical with him. I am also realizing that he can never be around children or other pets in the future with his level of unpredictability. It seems likely that he was taken from his mother too young and was improperly socialized as a kitten, and I am fearful this is behavior that I won't be able to break.

Has anyone dealt with this and have any advice? Cat behaviorist, medication? I'd prefer not to get another cat, and that seems risky anyway. I plan to take him to the vet soon for another appointment focused solely on this issue. Thank you very much in advance.[/quote]

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