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Cat Behavior: Bitting & Scratching Not Allowed
A cat that doesn’t bite or scratch? You’d be as likely to find a giraffe without a neck! Yes, I agree: but what I am telling you is that you can teach your cat not to bite or scratch when it is petted or fondled. See, it is normal for cats and kittens to bite and scratch when frightened or otherwise emotionally disturbed. Moreover, if you touch your cat in a way that it doesn’t like, it will bite or scratch you to make you stop. That is the substitute for the spoken word that your cat uses. Finally, many cats and kittens also scratch and bite when playing or ‘pretend hunting’.
However, it is possible to teach your cat not to feel threatened or irritated when you handle it. The trick is to teach it this when it is otherwise relaxed, by first touching it in ways it enjoys – scratching behind the ears and stroking the head, for instance – and very gradually lengthening the strokes. So you could try stroking down his sides and see if he rolls onto his side or completely rolls over, and stroke down his hind legs and tail. You could try using an occasional reward in the form for food, apart from plenty of praise.
The problem with cats is that they don’t take kindly to being disciplined. So whatever you try to teach your cat, you must be infinitely patient, because you will almost certainly be met with resistance initially. So once you have found the extremely sensitive spots of your cat, you must not touch them for extended periods in the beginning. Rather, touch them fleetingly and produce a reward to alleviate the irritation. As you will discover, your cat will soon allow you to scratch and touch its sensitive areas without biting.
Cats most often scratch when their paws are being groomed or examined, and yet this is an essential part of their grooming, so you have to touch their paws. A common technique is to gently take hold of your cat’s paw, scratch it behind the ear and give it a treat. Repeat this routine – with significant gaps in between and plenty of praise -- several times. That way, your cat will actually look forward to having its paw held rather than reach negatively to it. Once it is comfortable with having its paw held, try to spread its toes and examine the toes and nails.
Since most cats adore being scratched behind the ears, use this as a distraction when you wish to examine your cat’s mouth and ears. While you scratch your cat behind the ear, use your thumb to gently unfold an ear to peer inside. Similarly, when you are looking into its mouth, continue scratching behind the ear and gently flip up its upper lip with your thumb to expose the teeth. Remember, gentleness is crucial at all times, as is a reward for good behavior.