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Here's an odd one

mhardy12

Savannah Super Cat
So late last night/early this morning Taz decides he's going to attack my arms while I'm sleeping. He totally lost it and the wild came out. My arms are torn up and it's like he didn't recognize me. I'd had enough so I picked him up, put my mouth to his stomach and bit a little. Not enough to hurt him, but to make a point. I also growled while I was doing this. Put him down and he was like "What the heck?", jumped off the bed and didn't bother me the rest of the night. Almost like a momma cat saying "knock it off". Am I just crazy or is he really getting the point? Any thoughts?
 

mhardy12

Savannah Super Cat
He's 2 1/2. I've pretty much broken him from attaching me. It was cute when he was 4 lbs, not now at 20 lbs. Every so often he just loses it and goes postal. You can see a change in his face and eyes. It's a little freaky. Seems to be the wild coming out. He has gotten much better and it's infrequent now. Something just set him off last night and it was like that xfinity commercial with the black leopard hovering over the couple asleep. LOL.
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
Ah, yes..I understand...I hope someone else reading will see this and realize that this type of behavior is cute at first (or so we think) but we cannot allow it to continue. I did the same thing with some behaviors as well...
 

F1hybrids

Savannah Super Cat
Yah, it is very cute at first. But its not just SVs either domestics do it. It might be his mama cat did not scold him enough ;)

Also too any cat can get over stimulated that is that "look" your talking about. I call it going "battle blind". Stud cats can get that look at one another.
 

F1hybrids

Savannah Super Cat
I do think its probably more "battle blind" being over stimulated pushing his boundaries. It does sound like your having success in correcting his behavior, glad you brought it up.
 

mhardy12

Savannah Super Cat
I've used a variety of things to discourage him. Squirt of water to the face (body doesn't phase him). A loud high pitched "EEEE", going totally still and turning my back on him, a firm "No", etc. It seems that a combination of these works. I use the bite/growl as a last resort. Honestly that seems to work the best, because he immediately backs off and stops the behavior. I didn't have a very involved breeder, so I basically used trial and error with him. He's usually the best boy but sometimes he does lose it. Thanks for all the input, it's very helpful.
 

WitchyWoman

Admin
Staff member
I had a DSH who did that also and only at night in bed. I couldn't figure it out until one night he did it when I was having a nightmare -- the kind where you try to scream and strange warbling sounds come out of your throat. I woke up from the nightmare because he had attached himself to my arm with his fangs and was really trying to do some damage. I figured it must have upset him when I had the nightmares (they were frequent back in those days) and he dealt with it that particular way.
 

Charley

Savannah Super Cat
Jengo doesn't attack but he will bite on occasion when he gets really going - he might be on his back getting pet and suddenly he'll grab your hand and bite - so far I'm just telling him no ans walking away from him. I feel like squirt bottle is too after the fact and he won't understand why he got squirt in the face. Hopefully as he gets older he'll learn not to bite.

And I don't think he's biting out of malice, I think that he is biting for play - I know he could chomp harder if he wanted to.
 
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