Ferocious Feline: Biting and Scratching

From Deborah Lutz:

My cat, Esme, is around two years old. I adopted her at 5 months from Bide-a-Wee Shelter here in NYC. She is a Snowshoe Siamese, so I am told, and has a wide range of 'personality attributes'. She is smart, feisty, vocal, affectionate, and energetic!!! and I enjoy her immensely...for the most part. Unfortunately she does bite and nip at me, particularly at my face. She has awakened me often this way. What concerns me most is that she goes for my face without warning even when I am holding her and she appears to be comfortable in my arms. She also takes swipes at me, aiming towards my face if she is angry. She has broken the skin with her teeth and claws but thus far superficially.

Is if this is normal behavior [0] for a Siamese mix, can she be trained out of it? (Or can I be trained!)

Dear Deborah:

Young and feisty cats can use teeth and claws on people, which other cats wouldn't object to but which furless people object to very much. I would put her down immediately if she did this and if she woke me in this way I would get up and shut her out of the bedroom (even if she yowled) for at least ten minutes or so, to make my displeasure clear. Meanwhile I would get a clicker [0] kit and find out how to teach her targeting and some other games which will use up her energy and give her something else to think about, and some healthier ways of interacting with you.

There are very specific instructions, step by step, for using the clicker to teach cooperation with nail clipping, in the cat book, and I'd recommend you put that to use as well. She'll probably be a wonderful cat when you and she have more clicker experiences together.

Karen Pryor