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Oh, those nibbles... AAAAHHHHH!
- Thread starter Sunny
- Start date
Brandy DW
Missing Neka, Loving Sabriel, Nakaia, & Trance
Sometimes it just takes time. I think I'm finally got Sabriel to quit nipping at my hands, now she'll nuzzle against them or lick them. With my toes though or feet, I'm only around her with socks on because when she was a kitten she would nibble on my toes and I curbed that behavior some with socks. But with socks she'll bite on the sock but usually not on my actual skin now. I still say "No" in which she'll stop and then maybe start again and then I'll move my feet. With my skin now, like with my leg (in shorts) she'll sniff and lick me. So maybe if i wasn't wearing socks she wouldn't nip me. At the moment I'm too chicken to try, my feet are really dry on the bottom with eczema (my hands and feet get eczema) so I really don't want her nips to make that worse potentially.
I agree, I have a couple of cats that will nip when over-stimulated. I find that 'yelping' in pain teaches them much quicker that this sort of behavior is 'bad' rather than using a scolding voice. After all, this is how they learn from each other as kittens when they play and wrestle - when one gets too rough for the other it will yelp in protest and the aggressor knows to back down.
Sunny
Loyal Servant
Ugh, one trigger is over stimulation but then again she's always excited and full of energy. 
The very first thing Sun morning, she woke up next to me when I did. She stood up, I reached over to stroke her head, shoulders, and down her back. She then brushed her face against my arm and turned her head to attempt a gentle nip. That's her first reaction after standing up!
The moment she turned her head and I felt what was about to happen I moved my arm and gave her a stern "NO BITING" which sent Anubis scampering off the bed who was laying on the other side of me. Her immediate response to the verbal scolding was to let out a, low, short, sleepy gargle MROWWW out with eyes half open.
What the hell?
If I withdraw attention, she goes after it. Even if I simply ignore her for 10-20min she is going to come back for fetch, let me know it's food time, or for some other reason. She's entirely capable of displaying affection normally, from getting into my lap to headbutt my chest, prairie dog to grab my hands to nuzzle, or jumping up someplace high to headbutt me. If I ran a tally of how many headbutts per day are exchanged including meal time and brush time, I would easily put the number at 50x a day.
I don't think withdrawing is enough to do the trick and raising my voice is honestly stressing my adults out. I don't want to go so far as time out or resort to the OWWWW routine, but those are the least tested methods.
I would only time out my boys for fighting, and that's only a requirement once or twice a year for 20-30min. She'd spend half her time locked up until it sunk in with as much attention as she gives and receives.
The very first thing Sun morning, she woke up next to me when I did. She stood up, I reached over to stroke her head, shoulders, and down her back. She then brushed her face against my arm and turned her head to attempt a gentle nip. That's her first reaction after standing up!
The moment she turned her head and I felt what was about to happen I moved my arm and gave her a stern "NO BITING" which sent Anubis scampering off the bed who was laying on the other side of me. Her immediate response to the verbal scolding was to let out a, low, short, sleepy gargle MROWWW out with eyes half open.
What the hell?
If I withdraw attention, she goes after it. Even if I simply ignore her for 10-20min she is going to come back for fetch, let me know it's food time, or for some other reason. She's entirely capable of displaying affection normally, from getting into my lap to headbutt my chest, prairie dog to grab my hands to nuzzle, or jumping up someplace high to headbutt me. If I ran a tally of how many headbutts per day are exchanged including meal time and brush time, I would easily put the number at 50x a day.
I don't think withdrawing is enough to do the trick and raising my voice is honestly stressing my adults out. I don't want to go so far as time out or resort to the OWWWW routine, but those are the least tested methods.
I would only time out my boys for fighting, and that's only a requirement once or twice a year for 20-30min. She'd spend half her time locked up until it sunk in with as much attention as she gives and receives.