[West Texas Chuck]

I have a dog. She’s old and fat and deaf.

Not sure she’d help me anyway. Me and my Rocket are the only males on the property, I’d like to think we should stick together, but I’m gonna need some of those big leather gauntlets hawk/eagle handlers wear.

[Outlaw Woman]

Flick him on the nose. When he gets that look or bares his teeth, flick him. It works.

[boatbums]

Our youngest cat, Beaux, had the same kind of habit. I do not think it is malice, but either love bites or not knowing the boundaries. Beaux was a little too young (10 weeks) when we got him so I don't think he got the full effect of socialization he needed to get from his mom and siblings. Kittens DO bite and play hard and, whenever one is too rough, the "injured" party lets out a yelp and stops play. If the mom is the party, she pops them on the nose and it gets their attention.

What we did with Beaux is every time he bit, we popped him on the nose and put him down on the floor (if on our lap). It seems to have worked as he seldom, if ever, bites anymore. Our other cat, an older female, hisses at him if he gets too rowdy and bops him in the face. He IS learning acceptable behavior.

Your kitty just needs to learn boundaries. If he is being sweet and cuddly, and you are petting him, notice if his tail starts to twitch. If it does, it means he is getting irritated and you need to stop the petting and get your hands out of his reach. If he comes after them even when you stopped the petting, pop him lightly on the nose, say "NO" and put him down on the floor. It may take a few times for him to learn, but he has to learn what we like and don't like - it is NOT intuitive. Good luck!

One more thing...keep his claws clipped. Get him used to you doing this every month or so. It will help to limit injuries if he does catch you off guard. He's not being mean, just playing and learning right from wrong so hitting him, unlike how dogs may be trained, does NOT work on cats. It causes resentment and fear of you, neither of which makes a happy cat nor loving relationship.

[SatinDoll]

I have eight cats and two dogs.

Kittens and young cats are always looking for someone to play with, usually roughly, and it would be another cat or cat-sized dog.

When we brought home our English Springer Spaniel puppy, she played with two similiar sized kittens we had rescued. Once the puppy grew to about 20 lbs., the cats avoided her but our adult Pointer, who was cat neutral, became the puppy’s playmate.

What I’m saying is this: get another cat or kitten. They will keep each other entertained and come to you for pets particularly if you provide yummy treats.