Rough play or hunting?

Question
Hi,
I have a 2 1/2 year old neutered, home Siamese cat. He likes a lot to be cuddled and to play. He purrs very easily and is usually good. With me and my youngest daughter he rarely behaves badly. With my wife and my oldest daughter however sometimes he will scratch or bite (he does not bite strongly) even when they are cuddling him and sometimes without any apparent reason. Yesterday he was in my big daughter's room and as she bent to grab something from the floor, he scratched her near the eye. She was very angry and my wife is upset saying that this could have been very dangerous. Now there is a talk of declawing him or sending him to the SPCA. We really do not want any of those solutions. We have tried behavior modification by yelling at him when he does that and even holding him by the back of his neck when telling him "no biting". Any other suggestions? I read about nail caps. Are these good?
Thanks,

Marcelo


Answer
Marcelo,

The first rule is never to play rough with him with your hands. It will get more painful as the cat gets older and a harder habit to break.

Use a fishing pole type toy, a pet laser light (that shines a little 'red bug' on the floor and walls that cats love to try to catch) that you can get at PetSmart or somewhere similar, a rope to pull, or a stuffed mouse to throw for examples or interactive play.

If the cat is on your lap or next to you and he bites then say loudly "don't bite!" and dump him on the floor and ignore him for a bit. Then pick him up again and pet him. If he bites again then dump him again and say "don't bite!". He will start associating biting with not getting petted...and dumped on the floor and will eventually quit doing it.

If He scratches your legs, gently boot him away and say "NO! Don't Scratch!" in the same manner as the biting. That will also get him  to associate scratching with booting and make him realize you don't like it. But everytime you scold him wait a few minutes, then love on him. But only when he is behaving again. That is so he won't be scared of you, just scared to scratch or bite. Sometimes to they do it for attention besides play. Training and unbreaking bad habits take time and patience.

Please DO NOT declaw the cat! Keep his claws trimmed instead. Here is a photo link on how to do it:
http://www.cat-world.com.au/catclaws.htm

Getting another cat about your cats same age and temperment might help the situation. Cats need another cat companion to play kitty games with, roughhouse with, cuddle with, and a comfort when they are alone. Here is a good article to read on having 2 cats:

http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/cats/should-I-get-two-cats.aspx

Tabbi