# How do I get my cat to stop attacking me? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853 "2008-12-05T14:43:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/1 "2008-12-05T14:43:36Z")
[My cat](http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2104/danteuw0.jpg) (pic from a few months ago because the newer ones are all on my phone) is driving me nuts! He’s about eight months old, and I thought this kind of behavior would die out once he became an adult, but apparently not. I use a loosely-rolled-up newspaper to keep him off my desk and other places I don’t want him to be, and it works… for about thirty seconds until he does it again. And again. And again. Every time I get him with the newspaper, he gets himself about 10 feet away from me and waits until I’m not looking, then runs up, jumps, and claws me, then runs away again! Every time! If I drop something on the floor and try to pick it up, odds are about 50/50 that my hand or arm will get scratched on the way down. Even when I’m petting him, he sometimes tries to gnaw on my hand or my nose. Sometimes he’s pretty chill and will sit on my lap for hours, but whenever he’s got any kind of energy (which is quite often), he kinda goes crazy. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/2 "2008-12-05T14:48:41Z")
why are you petting him with your nose? ---
**Author:** ![Finally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/67e7ee/32.png) [@Finally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finally)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/3 "2008-12-05T14:50:05Z")
Squirt gun? ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/4 "2008-12-05T14:51:49Z")
Use a spray bottle for aversion therapy. It doesn’t hurt them but they hate it. I’ve gotten all of my cats to avoid anything that they might get sprayed for when I’m around, but of course when I’m not they do whatever they want to. ETA: cross posted with Finally. ---
**Author:** ![slitterst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@slitterst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slitterst)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/5 "2008-12-05T14:52:05Z")
Stop being so darn tasty? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/6 "2008-12-05T14:52:08Z")
> [@TwistofFate](#): > > why are you petting him with your nose? hahah It happens when I’m laying in bed. He jumps up and lays down on my chest to be petted, and sometimes he gets a little too close to my face. From time to time, I will also wake up to my nose being bitten, but usually I sleep on my side, so it’s not as much of an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/7 "2008-12-05T14:52:48Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > I use a loosely-rolled-up newspaper to keep him off my desk and other places I don’t want him to be, and it works… For one thing, stop doing this. Cats do NOT generally respond well to negative reinforcement to correct bad behavior. Instead, reward the desired good behavior with treats or ear scritches. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/8 "2008-12-05T14:53:23Z")
I had thought the newspaper would serve the same purpose as a squirt gun/bottle, but perhaps it’s a stronger deterrent. I’ll have to pick one up today. e: or not? ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/9 "2008-12-05T14:54:26Z")
Another cat for him to torture? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/10 "2008-12-05T15:00:02Z")
I barely have enough room for this one. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/11 "2008-12-05T15:08:50Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > Another cat for him to torture? This is probably your best bet. Also understand that at 8 months he is still a kitten…a big kitten, but certianly not an adult cat yet. He is going to be an energetic ball of teeth and claws for a while longer. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/12 "2008-12-05T15:10:32Z")
He’s been spraying for two months, though (yeah, yeah, I haven’t gotten around to getting him spayed yet). Doesn’t that mean he’s an adult? e: and 8 months is just a guess. I got him in June, so I figured he must have been two months old then, since he was so tiny. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/13 "2008-12-05T15:15:56Z")
A high pitched cry will indicate to the cat that you are hurt, so assuming that it is playing rather than trying to hurt you . . . ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/14 "2008-12-05T15:17:28Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > He’s been spraying for two months, though (yeah, yeah, I haven’t gotten around to getting him spayed yet). Doesn’t that mean he’s an adult? > > e: and 8 months is just a guess. I got him in June, so I figured he must have been two months old then, since he was so tiny. Getting him fixed will also help calm him down a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/15 "2008-12-05T15:19:26Z")
Another cat is the best idea, but if you can’t do that, wear him out playing. Get a bird on a string/stick and play until he is panting, but still begging. Then keep playing just to torture him. 🙂 Also, is he fixed? If not, do that ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/16 "2008-12-05T15:22:05Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > A high pitched cry will indicate to the cat that you are hurt, so assuming that it is playing rather than trying to hurt you . . . This does not concern him. I’ve tried doing that even when the scratches don’t hurt so much - I do it involuntarily when they do - but he just doesn’t seem to care. He’s got these wide, crazy eyes and he fearlessly attacks my roommate’s Rottweiler. Hmm… Can cats be sociopaths? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/17 "2008-12-05T15:33:31Z")
He probably just needs another cat to play with, really. The way my cats wrestle with one another would have me howling in pain, but they enjoy it and they don’t do it to me. (Dewey used to pounce on my feet, only in the dining room, when he was an only cat. Once we got Eddles, no more pouncing.) ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/18 "2008-12-05T15:35:27Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > He’s got these wide, crazy eyes and he fearlessly attacks my roommate’s Rottweiler. Hmm… Can cats be sociopaths? Sounds like he’s in the zone – many cats will become hyperactive for several minutes at a time – running wildly about, attacking their toys, and generally behaving as if they are possessed by demons. Remember the depiction of the Bugs Bunny Show’s Tasmanian Devil character spinning about a hyper-speed, destroying everything in its path? That is what a cat is like when it is in the zone. Try a sharper, louder retort if he is too rough. Try to turn his aggression to you into play with objects – for example, when he is in the zone, play fetch with him until he tires out. If that and the water squirting does not eventually dissuade hm, then wear body armour and retreat to the neighbours basement. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/19 "2008-12-05T15:51:14Z")
Get a boyfriend that’s into rough play with cats to tire him out and take the beatings. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853/20 "2008-12-05T16:16:17Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Get a boyfriend that’s into rough play with cats to tire him out and take the beatings. (I’m a straight guy.) Guess my cries aren’t all that high-pitched, then. **Muffin** , that sounds like a pretty good description. He tears around this place faster than I think I’ve ever seen any cat move and it seems entirely random. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-cat-to-stop-attacking-me/475853.md?page=2)