Bad Cat Won't Grow Up! 10 month monster

I got my kitten as a baby - way too young - at 4 weeks old. He has mostly lived with me, but is shared between my boyfriend and I and has stayed with him on occasions (even a month at a time while I travel). My kitten formed a strong attachment with both of us, but particularly with me. He had anxiety as a young kitten, and would suckle any bare skin he could find. He has mostly grown out of that, but on occasion, he still does a chew/suckle if you pet him too long and he gets excited. He's a crazy cat, and I accept that about him. He runs around like crazy, climbs everything he can, scratches things for attention, understands when I tell him no, knocks over a drink every now and then just for fun, and steals things of interest. The problem is that he bites me, and while they're often love bites when I pet him-- which I can deal with, he also AMBUSHES ME (and only me)! HE will wait till my back is turned and he'll run at me, lunge and push all his body weight (10lbs) into my leg and often sink his teeth in me drawing blood. When you look at him after he does it, his ears are down, his tail is wagging and he is looking for a fight. Other attacks he'll hurt me and then run away to hide--COMPLETELY UNPROVOKED!!

Bad cat hates other animals, we've introduced him as a young kitten to my sister's cat. The only animal he can stand is my boyfriends old brown lab who lets bad kitty do whatever he pleases to her (he has chewed the hair off the tip of her wagging tail till blood) and the dog NEVER RETALIATES! When bad cat is staying at my boyfriend's house he's far less loving but also much better behaved. In my house he's very loving (follows me everywhere, plays more, purrs a lot) but is super violent. He use to bite me in the face as a young kitten and he's even given me a scar on my lip. He is his worst with me even tho he is most attached me me. My deal was that he had a year to grow out of hurting me, and he's running out of time. Please give me advice!

Answer by Kate
Hi
first of all he is not being a bad cat at all, cats don't have those sort of human traits. Everything a cat does is for a reason, so in this case the reason is that he has learned that or at least thinks that biting etc is a game and is ok. Now this may be because the behavior has gone on for so long unchecked that it is now a habit. he is not being bad he honestly thinks this is a game.

It could also be that he is under stimulated. i don't know if you let him outside or not, if not then his inside world is not keeping him occupied and happy. Please see this page for more on this here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/indoor-cats.html

As for his biting habit you need to start introducing some discipline and this will take some time and will have to be done by both you and your boyfriend all the time to have any chance of breaking the habit. the discipline involves positive and negative responses from you and is the language that cats understand. this page describes the process

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-discipline.html

It may also be an idea to try one of those calming felaway sprays in the home, this may help to calm your cat down, especially if she is a little highly strung.

Don't give up on her, she just needs some boundaries to be set, they can learn but you have to be strong and persistent with the training.

best wishes Kate

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