my cats RECENT behavior

Question
My cat Blue who was adopted approximately 5 years ago is estimated to be about 16 or 17 years old now.  He is a loving boy who isn't a lap cat but spends a lot of his time cuddled up right up next to me with his little furry face on my forearm.  He has recently begun licking me in an affectionate way then puts his teeth on me with a nibble,  Tho he isn't biting in anger, I am now getting sores which not only hurt but are becoming infected.  Right now I have 4 sores that are slow to heal leaving red marks.  I've tried to be extra aware catching him AS HE FINISHED HIS LITTLE LICKS...with a shout *NO* even tried hissing but am not always fast enough to stop the nibble/bite.  I love him dearly but can no longer tolerate this behavior.  Please, PRETTY PLEASE help me to stop this behavior.
Thanks very much.........Vicki

Answer
Dear Vicki,

I think your cat, Blue, is a Maine coon! I as well have a Maine coon, Tobey, and he behaves that way too, uncommonly though.

One way you can make him stop, is that I think he is in stress or pain with his teeth. It may hurt him, so it may help him to relax when he bites a bit. I'm unsure if this is the answer, but I suggest you look at his mouth if he doesn't mind.

Another way, is to buy him a new toy that he could bite, like a toy squeaking mouse, or just a mouse! My cat grabs his mice, and he chews them all the time, and he finds it funny! Introduce your cat to his new toy, and maybe leave it by your arm. Look at him, and if he is about to bite, put the mouse in front of his mouth. He may be satisfied with the toy, and stop biting.

When he goes to bite at you, gently take his chin, and lift it up a tad bit, and start to pet under his chin, which "makes a cat your best friend" as the expression goes. This might calm him down, and cause him to stop biting you, but I highly recommend a new toy. Maybe even give him a strong stress toy, which my cat, Tobey, gets a kick out of!

I hope this helped you, but if you ever need any further advice, then please contact me by e-mail again! We can have another conversation, and find better solutions! Maybe e-mail me a picture of Blue, he might be a Maine coon! Thanks so much for choosing me as an expert! Bye now!

-Jenna