Biting for the hunt

[Azrael]

Hi there,
I was just wondering about my cat, I do not know to much about Savannah's, we got our cat from friends of ours a couple years ago because it was playing to roughly with their current animals. Our cat is smaller but still has much of the wild in him. About a year after getting him he started hunting me, not being mean but just creeping up behind me and jumping on my back and nipping me, only lately though has he started drawing blood when he bites me. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for this? I guess we don't play with him as much because we live in such a small trailer right now, but the thing is he never tries to bite my boyfriend. That being said my boyfriend does torment him a little bit more, I torment him by cuddles but he hates them. Anyways im getting tired of having cuts all over my legs and back, and stomach etc.

 

[WitchyWoman]

Find time to play with him more. Don't know what you mean when you say your boyfriend torments him. The word has a negative connotation so if he isn't playing with or treating the cat appropriately/humanely, you need to fix it.

The cat may be frustrated because he wants more attention from you or less from the boyfriend. So play with him more, establish boundaries -- when he misbehaves firmly tell him "no" and remove yourself from the room for a few minutes. Also, do you have a cat tree or shelves to give him some vertical space? He might be frustrated because he doesn't have anywhere to go for privacy. You can also do a phone consult with Marilyn Krieger, a recommended behaviorist here, to get an analysis of what's going on with the cat and recommendations to modify the behavior. http://www.thecatcoach.com/

 

[Azrael]

Hi Witchy Woman, you're right I did word Torment wrong, we are animal lovers and would not have one to abuse. They just chase eachother around and stuff, so maybe he wants more of that from me
Thanks for the advice.

 

[Theik]

It sounds like you are not giving your cat enough opportunities to get his hunting done. Playing with a cat is largely there to get them to use their energy hunting their toy and what not, by not playing with your cat, you're not giving it a chance to get all that energy out.

As a result, it is now trying to get its energy out in other, more destructive ways. Odds are that if you start playing with him more, he'll stop trying to stalk you, as he will have other ways of getting rid of excess energy.

 

[Patti]

Unfortunately, sometimes once cats establish a habit it is hard to break. I definitely agree with playing with him more with a wand toy or throwing a ball (he may very well learn to play fetch), and removing yourself when he misbehaves. I'm not sure what your reaction is when he jumps on you, but it may be feeding his behavior. Try yelping (high pitched, like an injured kitten) and see if that doesn't give him pause...