Could anyone tell me why my cat bites me ? She also scratches. Sometimes it's minor but last night she took a good bite out of my arm! I cannot give her up even though some have suggested that. She was given to me by someone who got her from a shelter when she was about one year they tell me. The previous owner said Bunny ( cat) used to chew on fiberglass ? Think they kept her in the basement. Most of the time she follows me everywhere, even walks all over my keyboard, etc. Very affectionate mostly. I am very upset as I love her very much! We have had her for over four years and would like to have her much longer.

She wants your attention; but you're in control here. Next time she does bite:
Grab her gently and look at her square in the eye, firmly tell her to stop biting you.
She will get it with a few times practicing this technique.
That's how I break my cats from biting on me.

Are you holding her when she scratches and bites? I have a cat that follows me everywhere, sleeps in my sewing drawers right beside me or even in the chair behind me when I'm sewing but don't pick her up and hold her more than a minute! Some cats just don't like to be held. My boys are the exact opposite--can't be held/petted enough!

Is this a new behavior?
Chewed fiberglass? How strange, this might be a sign of what is called Pica, and can possibly be caused by some lack in the body. As a small child one of my daughters used to carefully remove some of my plants from their pots and eat the roots!!! Her German doctor said it was Pica and to give her a vast array of foods to see if one of them calmed and changed her diet. (it did, and she gained a lot of weight too.)

I buy my two rescue cats sprouted greens from the grocery store, I think it's mainly for someone who wants to juice it but my cats graze on it like cattle in the fields.

As for the scratching and biting, treat her like a kid and tell her sharply "NO" and use a spray bottle to reinforce that order. Cats and dogs hate spray bottles with just plain water in them.

My beloved Scooter was never a biter until we had been on vacation for a week (with people he knows coming 2 times a day to check on him) and as we were driving home, we got a phone call that my other half's father had died. We were just about an hour from his home and was going to do a surprise visit to him. We wound up having to be gone another 3 days and then were only home for 1 day and had to leave again for the funeral and we returned 4 days later. After that, my Scooter started biting. It was usually when we were busy doing other things and not paying attention to him. He still does it to this day and that was 2 years ago. He doesn't like to be ignored!!!

Have you tried Feliway pheromones? I would put diffusers through the house and also spray around where you usually sit. These pheromones make most cats feel more calm and more happy. Here is a link to one of the diffusers on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Zone-F...dp/B003E6WSHK/

I might get a nip from one of my cats when they want my attention or have had ENOUGH attention. They nip to play, and my late cat Lucy would nip my head if I was getting too rowdy, like I was one of her kittens!

That said, my friend has a cat that bites and scratches for more sinister reasons, and I've never figured out how to stop her. My friend doesn't care, and I just ignore her when I go there. She stalks me, but doesn't bother me if I ignore her or hiss when she gets too close. If she were my cat I'd certainly be looking for a better solution, too.

Have you spoken with your vet?

Do as cctx suggested...they are 'rulers' of the house, you have to make her know you ARE the alpha. Do it gently, but firmly, if you scare her it might make it worse. I have one that hates being picked up, but can pet her, purrs and purrs, and she's my sewing buddy..lol She only bit me once, pretty good, and not again, we had 'the talk'!!! They're just territorial creatures, some relinquish better...lolo Just love her. Good luck.

Kitty Lover,
Jean

For my Sylvia, (She's the one looking terrified in my photo) it's just play. To make a long story short, I encouraged it when she was a baby because she had no playmates and now I can't get her to stop. I'll usually just stop paying her attention and she'll go pick on Ms. Penny Lane (her dear mother) instead.

Loraine, my cat does the same. She's like your cat, very affectionate and sweet most of the time. But I never know when she attacks me. I got her from a shelter 5 1/2 years ago and from her behavior we (the vet and I) think she's abused by her previous owner. I've tried everything, including meds but it doesn't help. Right now she's on meds again but she still attacks me. Only solution is putting her down but I don't want to do that because she doesn't deserve that. But I have to admit, sometimes I'm so fed up with her behavior!