biting

by roxane
(gretna, la usa)

i live in new orleans Loisiana, and had to leave for the hurricane for 3 weeks. when i came back i had a cat showing up everyday outside, so i adopted him. took him to the vet and he has feline aids so i brought him in and because of this spoil him a lot i also have a female cat that i have been having. that used to rule the house but since he came he has taken over. he is very loveable and acts more like a dog than a cat but lately he has been biting me bad everyday were he draws blood. and i fuss him and he hides like he knows he did wrong. but still does it everyday. i do give him alot of treats through out the day but now he thinks that everytime i go in the kitchen he should get a treat. i cant give him treats everytime i go in the kitchen it would be too much. could this be the reason hes biting me? please help i love my cat and i dont want to have to get rid of him but now im scared of him. also he weighs 20 pounds thanks.

Answer by kate
cruel to be kind. yes this is the answer for your cat. All your kindness and giving him treats has allowed this behavior. the only answer now is tough love. It will be tough for both of you but if you want to change this begging behavior for treats and also by the sounds of it keeping his weight down you must only feed him his meals at regular times with only the occational treats once a week perhaps. he will be a nuisance as he will not understand why you no loinger give in to him but over time he will learn that by begging for food does not get him waht he wants.
Regarding the biting, please see my page about aggressive cat behavior here on this site, it will tell you what to do to stop him biting you.

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