Help, cat owners...?
Demonoid_Limewire
Member Posts: 424
Well, remember the two sibling cats, that once i mentioned that i take care of? I have a problem with one of them, it becomes too attached to me (even though it begun its life in the wild and up until a few months old, when i found it) and behaves at me as if i am a cat myself!
It always jumps on my lap whenever i sit down on a chair, grabs my arm with its paws, and... starts grooming me! It starts licking me, and its gross, because even worse, its tongue is like glass paper! When i try to withdraw my arm, it pulls out its claws and drag it back closer... Then keeps grooming even more meticulously... After my arm, it grooms my belly and torso even (i do not dare try to withdraw there, i hate scratches and misunderstandings). It even out of the blue bit lightly my nip.....
I freaked out big time. I know animals do this stuff to clean themselves, but i am not an animal myself obviously! I like the idea of the poor thing telling me that "i am its family too" with its own way, but that way is simply intolerable and even gross. I like cuddling, petting and stroking its fur, but it licking me, hell no, goes too far. How can i discourage it from doing this "ritual" every time i go out and sit to relax? Without frightening or harming it (poor little thing), of course?
It always jumps on my lap whenever i sit down on a chair, grabs my arm with its paws, and... starts grooming me! It starts licking me, and its gross, because even worse, its tongue is like glass paper! When i try to withdraw my arm, it pulls out its claws and drag it back closer... Then keeps grooming even more meticulously... After my arm, it grooms my belly and torso even (i do not dare try to withdraw there, i hate scratches and misunderstandings). It even out of the blue bit lightly my nip.....
I freaked out big time. I know animals do this stuff to clean themselves, but i am not an animal myself obviously! I like the idea of the poor thing telling me that "i am its family too" with its own way, but that way is simply intolerable and even gross. I like cuddling, petting and stroking its fur, but it licking me, hell no, goes too far. How can i discourage it from doing this "ritual" every time i go out and sit to relax? Without frightening or harming it (poor little thing), of course?
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Comments
But seriously, there's not much you can do at the moment... how old is it?
Cats are pretty much the #2 topic on the internet though (after porn) so there must be a few training and behaviour websites out there that might be useful.
The idea to hiss and emit a low growl is good. As soon as the cat starts to lick, slowly and gently remove your arms and hands. Put your hands behind your head, behind your back, up in the air, anywhere at all where the cat can't reach. Say "no" and "ssssssssst". If the cat continues to behave aggressively, put it down on the floor, and if it keeps jumping back onto you, isolate it in another room for a short time if necessary.
Meanwhile, make sure you are providing an environment that does not make your cat become neurotic. It must have a high place it can jump to and perch on when it feels nervous or agitated. A cat that is forced to stay on the floor all the time is going to go crazy. A nice sunny windowsill is ideal. Cats need to look out the window and they need sunshine.
The cat needs a bed (or two or three) and several areas it can "own". I keep a cat bed over my kitchen cabinets, and one of my two cats "owns" that area. He stays up there half the time and surveys "his territory" for hours on end, and is very content doing it.
There is a cat bed on top of an old printer stand in front of my living room window, and the other cat "owns" that area, as well as a sunny area in front of my patio doors.
I have a backroom with a couch in front of the window that catches the evening sun. The two cats have that couch divided into areas - one "owns" one side, and the other "owns" the other side. They each sit on top of the couch every evening, each on their own side of the couch, to enjoy the evening sun.
Play is very important. You need a dangle toy (or two or three) that you can use to redirect your cat's aggressive instincts onto an appropriate object. Spend at least several minutes a day playing with the dangle toy, and encourage your cat to be as violent with it as possible. The more you make it act like real prey, the more your cat will get into the game. Let your cat stalk it, have it "see" the cat and try to run away and hide, make it act like a bird or a mouse.
With regular play, your cat should be able to use its hunting energy up on the toy(s). It will then be tired and much more inclined to relax and sleep in your lap and accept stroking as you want, without trying to "hunt" and "kill" your hands.
Some hour ago, though, it was rolling on the floor, with open arms, and when i ducked to look it in the eyes as i always do, it licked my nose and lips this time... Absolutely have to try the hissing thing, although i admit i feel badly about it going to be startled...
About the area, i never, ever, restricted it. It roams around in the neighborhood, exactly as it pleases, both it and the sibling. Many times, though, one stays in my yard, and the other goes out, much like patrols or stationary patrols in the army! They find many areas to sleep into, both high and low (they go low mostly when it is raining or when they are scared by something). I never forced them to stay in one place, they do whatever they want to, and i leave it at that, since they cause neither commotion, nor damage (as i read, this is rare thing for kitties).
Then, ten years later, got a different cat, this time it was a girl. She still had her claws. She liked to claw up the couch, and meow at my door when I tried to sleep. So, to solve one problem, we got her lots of toys that she could claw on. However, she still liked to claw on the couch. Then, later on, she started finding hiding places, and hunting down mice and flies. Finally, when it was time to move I gave my cat to my cousins, and saw her about three years later at Christmas. Last year, though, I found out that my cat had to be put down because she went...crazy.
Otherwise, as for your problem, I would go with what everyone else has said so far.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clicker_training
Never tried that myself but a coworker says it works pretty well with dogs, she's a dog trainer as a hobby. Maybe it's a good idea to try that with the young cat(s). The idea behind is that while human language is difficult to understand for the animal, a clicking tone is easy to learn and recognize when it's used for praising the desired behavior.