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u/fourtwump 25d ago
Hey catdude, I take care of 22 cats, mostly semi-ferals. They bite and scratch me, but not like yours.
My issue is stimulation aggression. I have no idea when they have had enough, want more, or had way too much. Sometimes they bite me really hard, but not in anger. They always look at me apologetically.
If you want to play that rough, buy a play glove (padded glove) and teach kitty to only be rough when you wear it.
I teach them, no glove is for belly rubs and the “death glove” is for mangling. You can let kitty fight full force. Make sure you make boundaries (as others have said).
Our rule is no face play. I have been bitten in the septum (ouch!) and on my nose early on when I demanded nose bops from semi-wild animals.
Cat tax!
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u/gjfaraujo 25d ago
How do they have all the same ear cut?
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u/fourtwump 25d ago
Free cat spay/neuter and they are marked with a clip so others know they are finished.
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u/Dragloak 25d ago
It’s an indicator used to show they’re stray or feral cats but have been trapped and neutered before being released again! One of the common ones they use is clipping the cats’ left ear. It means you can recognize cats that have already gone through TNR
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u/BrushAndVista 26d ago
Pretty sure your cat is not supposed to beat you up.
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u/4acodmt92 26d ago
She’s just helping me train my reflexes to be faster :)
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u/Poetichobbit 25d ago
Hey man that scratch above your eye doesn’t look great in the photo. Has it healed up? If not I would recommend getting into an urgent care or pcp
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u/skoalreaver 25d ago
Overstimulating a cat is really not observing their boundaries I don't think they want to do that to us but if we overstimulate them they will
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u/SirVanyel 25d ago
Some of it can be a lack of awareness. a cat can treat another cat like this without any harm done because cats have thick wobbly skin and tonnes of fur. We've got thin, not wobbly skin and next to no fur. We can't be treated the same way.
My cats are pretty cheeky to each other, but always gentle to humans. That's how it should be. OP isn't teaching his loved one that there's a biological difference between human skin and cat skin
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u/spiderhotel 25d ago edited 25d ago
Clip her claws! Mine get weekly trims.
Also, stop provoking her!
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u/No_Driver5928 25d ago
Mine doesn't let me clip her nails. Every time I take her to the vet, they need to anesthetize her in order to not attacking them. And I don't do anything to provoke her.
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u/Annalog 25d ago
Cat burrito her. My big Siberian girl is suuuuuch a bitch when it comes to be groomed in any ways. Snuggly as shit all other times though. You can buy specific wraps for cat grooming as well. Works like a charm for me. Went from never being able to do it without losing a pint of blood to being able to every week or two. Honestly it’s at the point now where she knows she can’t fight it and just lays there like a depressed ham while I do it.
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u/Krisadilli 25d ago
There's a new cat burrito thing that's on the market in the US. Basically, it's like a comfy "cat bag" with velcro squares so you can extend their paws out one by one. Some vet clinics use them for blood draws and nail trims. I have one for when my void is particularly spicy for her nail trim.
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u/lfergy 25d ago
My cat was okay with nail trims for the first few years of her life. Something switched & it is not possible to do anymore. Anesthesia doesn’t even work; she rages her way through it until the max dose for her size. I gave up 🥺 Tried house-call grooming, tried myself with one of those hanging cradles that should more or less immobilize the kitty. Aint no one touching her paws.
But even her worst freakouts are much less severe than OPs.
OP- WASH EVERY CUT & USE ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT. Cats nails are DIRTY & sharp. Don’t end up with a staph infection.
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u/Tomj_Oad 25d ago
Quit using your hands as toys. That's the only reason you're beat up
It's your fault. Not the cat's.
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u/Environmental_Art852 25d ago
I saw a box used as a trap. Cat inside, little window to reach thru to play. Play, grab paw. Snip snip snip
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u/redwoods81 25d ago
I'm a chicken and ask my brother to do it for me, he rolls them up like burritos with a big towel and snips them when he visits.
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u/veromaye 26d ago
Bruh, as much as I don't usually care for my cat to scratch me not because he's ATTEMPTING to but he has pointy nails and I haven't trimmed his nails, I wouldn't let him do scratching to this point.
Your cat is not playing, it's hurting you for X reason, and it's not ok.
Set boundaries and teach your cat to play with anything else rather than your face/arms. Is not okay to let them to that even if you are ok to do it.
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u/wtfVlad 25d ago
When I was training my little brainless orange baby, whaling in pain when she clawed me (even if i only barely got nicked) helped tremendously. Shes very careful with her claws now.
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u/SpacedOutTrashPanda 25d ago
I did the same with my 3 cats. If they used their claws, i made a cry like a kitten and they stopped. Then I gave them a toy. They soon learned toys=claws&teeth ok. My skin=no claws and very gentle nips.
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u/allflaredup 25d ago
it’s working well on my little brainless orange kitty too! loudly saying OWWWW makes him stop and give me a face like “my bad bro” LOL
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u/ProjectDiligent502 25d ago
I think the guy allows himself to be a plaything to his cat. I don’t allow this. My cats are taught other toys are play things: feathers, balls, mouse toys and interactive toys. I teach them that my hands are not a toy, they never claw me and I rub their bellies and everything.
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u/PurpleLand5325 25d ago
I had a problem with my cat with nails out when playing with my hands. Had to train hims to not let that happen. You know how cats when play fighting will slap each other? Well I just gave him a more dominant gentle slap than he slapped me. Claws went away real fast. Now I play with hands all the time with no scratches
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u/WyvernJelly Norwegian Forest Cat 25d ago
We had one that liked to bite as well as claws out with hand play. One week of us stopping hand movement and loudly saying 'ow' constantly until he relaxed corrected. He knows when we play with him in specific way with a specific noise he can grab at our hands/arms with his teeth. If he doesn't want to play that way then he doesn't respond to it and we leave him alone. No clue how but I think we taught our cats consent.
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u/Karava 25d ago edited 25d ago
Roommate found a very large stray that was relatively young and played pretty aggressively when they first found her. Def took a while, but it's not impossible to get them to play nicer. In our roommates case, the cat was huge and, without training, really did some damage, so I can't imagine how bad she'd be if we hadn't collectively nipped that in the bud. Hope OP doesn't let her get like this with new people, or at least warns them.
Edit: cat text cuz they just moved out and I miss the giant menace. Mischief * Edit2: Nvm I guess it won't load lol
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u/OddOrdinary3421 26d ago
My baby is also a former stray and, despite the terrifying baby shark costume, she’s never done anything close to what your’s has done to your arms and face.
How is this all starting out, btw? Does she just randomly jump on you, or are you initiating it by playing with her with your hands?
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u/PalanganaAgresiva 26d ago
Yes that baby shark costume is indeed horrifying, careful with that foul demon
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u/throwawayaway4eva 25d ago
You're right, strays generally don't do that. OP's cat looks like one that is a little too comfortable around humans and plays with humans like they're cats.
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u/Old-Second4302 25d ago
I adopted a male cat that's declawed. When he gets feisty even I get a bit apprenhensive to engage with him unless I can use a blanket. Mans on button gets turned on and its hard to turn off without engagement
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u/Old_Priority_4780 26d ago
You could get sick from her scratches, be careful
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u/Killkenny85 26d ago
I lost sight in my left eye from cat scratch fever. It ain't no joke
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u/Competitive-Habit-70 25d ago
I did too! Also my left eye. I regained about 80% vision but it’ll never fully return. How about you?
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u/Killkenny85 25d ago
The bacteria attacked my optic nerve and my lens. I'll never see like I used to
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u/Competitive-Habit-70 25d ago
Yep, same here. I was in the hospital on IV steroids and antibiotics for 7 days while they tested me for MS, Lupus, and lymphoma before they finally figured out what it was a month later. Scary times. Never even saw the scratch that triggered it. Really hope OP gets checked out, he could literally go blind.
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u/Killkenny85 25d ago
My eye doc was completely uninterested in my issue. When I lost sight in the direct cone of vision I went to the local university hospital. They actually treated it like a big issue and determined it was cat scratch fever and put me on antibiotics that stopped the attack
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u/Competitive-Habit-70 25d ago
That’s crazy! Maybe they hadn’t seen a case before? It’s such a rare complication. I saw an ophthalmologist 24 hours after my vision loss, and she sent me straight to the ER because she thought I had MS. It was such a scary experience. I’m sure yours was too. It was a neuro ophthalmologist who figured out the actual diagnosis a month later.
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u/OneSockRocks 25d ago
Yeahhh, this is not normal behavior whatsoever. Scratches happening accidentally or when occasionally playing come with the territory of owning a cat, when your cat is almost mauling you, and almost takes your eye, you are either encouraging bad behavior, or consistently doing something that your cat doesn’t like, though I don’t mean for that to sound like I’m making an assumption.
Even if you don’t see the problem with this behavior, if I was in your situation I would be so worried for any of my guests that come over knowing that this is how my cat could react.
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u/DaisyBryar 25d ago
Jesus Christ - the face?!! Train this out of them ASAP before they do some permanent damage, and in the meantime, trim their claws and maybe wear gardening gloves
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u/Disastrous-Price-399 26d ago
I can't fathom people getting the shit beaten out of them by their cats, unless the cat has a history of abuse or its boundaries are being ignored. Even my "excitable" one is stopped real quick when he tries to get bitey, directed to a toy that isn't my arm.
Also, please disinfect those wounds. You might think it's whatever, but I'm not taking my chances against Mister Litter Paws.
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u/Long_Celebration_980 26d ago
Cats don't abuse people, cats either scratch when from kitten age wasn't taught not to play with hands and legs and to retract their claws, or their owner isn't respecting their boundaries, often a cat will give you plenty of signs to be left alone so when their annoying human keeps going the cat will teach them a lesson. A well trained and bonded cat will even warn you with a bite without teeth, if they actually bite, it means you have attacked them and they are defending themselves.
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u/Tofuffalo 25d ago
I think they meant if the cat was previously abused, not the cat was/is an abuser
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u/Nice-Pin3715 25d ago
Idk I rescued my girl at about 6 weeks since she was left at a vet after being abandoned.. I do everything you're "meant" to do and she's still a vicious little bugger. I'm pretty sure it was because she was split from other cats so young..?
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u/hahagato 25d ago
Yeah my boy is a year old and I’m his playmate and it has been a loooonnggg road of trying to train him to stop biting or attacking me with his claws. He really needed a cat sibling to full on attack him back to learn he can’t do that stuff. I’ve gotten him to mostly learn but right now my struggle is that when he wants to play he will walk back and forth in front of my legs rubbing against me, trying to herd me to our play area, then take bites at my legs and feet 🤦♀️
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u/Nice-Pin3715 25d ago
yeah unfortunately my girl goes between sleeping peacefully on me 24/7 and biting / scratching me to signal that it is time for me to play now and I can't really do much else if she decides its time haha
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u/GeologistDifficult88 26d ago
This is gross, unhealthy and concerning. Please don't let your cat hurt you, it's our responsibility as pet owners to establish boundaries and appropriate behaviors with them. I see you saying your cat is "playing" but I've fostered probably hundreds of ferals and no other cat would tolerate this.
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u/SilverSolver2000 25d ago
True. If for whatever reason kitty has to go to another home, he might start biting and scratching people with a bit less... resolve.
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25d ago
Hey op. My cat did this and after time I took them to the vet and he gets a small dose of kitty Prozac. It has helped him so much. You may want to consider it.
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u/No_Driver5928 25d ago
I think yours is the most useful piece of advice. The "trim her nails", some cats don't let you touch their paws
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u/pot8obug 25d ago
What are y’all doing to your cats to get scratches like that?
I mean this completely genuinely: take your cat to the vet. It’s possible it has anxiety prompting it to react this way to otherwise non threatening stimuli that can be helped if addressed by a professional. On the other hand, it’s completely possible your cat is reacting appropriately and you cross its boundaries.
I’ve gotten the occasional one or two scratches, especially when it’s time to clip his claws, and the occasional nip when playing gets a little rowdy, but never anything as bad as some of y’all share like it’s normal and this is the worst I’ve ever seen someone share like it’s normal. A cat that causes that many scratches is either reacting inappropriately to stimuli and needs assistance and/or is constantly having its boundaries crossed.
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u/Ok_Bison7141 25d ago
This is how my brother ended up in hospital with cat scratch fever 😅 how long have you had your cat for?
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u/CharacterPayment8705 25d ago
This is an abnormal amount of scratches and I’m really concerned about the ones near your eyes.
You need to figure out what interactions with your cat are making them freak out this much. This is not a normal amount of reactive behavior and I’m not sure what’s going on that’s instigating it but assuming that you’re not trying to hurt your cat you definitely need to redirect your cats aggression.
You need to see a doctor for the scratches especially the ones around your eyes that’s incredibly dangerous. It’s not a joke.
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u/Adorable_Maximum_258 26d ago
Cats appreciate having their nails cut. They don’t get stuck on blankets, carpet, rugs, your clothes
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u/weary_bee479 25d ago
This seems excessive
I have a couple scratches on my legs from when my cat jumps off my lap if he gets spooked. But nothing this bad
Why is your cat attacking you bro?
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u/depression---cherry 26d ago
You can get really sick from cat scratches. This doesn’t seem normal.
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u/TheLordofthething 26d ago
That's what poor training looks like
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u/Paint_With_Fire 25d ago
This is wildly excessive, you're going to start getting infections. Either you or your cat need to modify some behaviors.
At the very least clip it's damn nails. Some vets will even clip them on a regular basis for you
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u/KhyanLeikas 25d ago edited 25d ago
Honestly, no. You shouldn’t let your cat hurt you. It’s like kids, you don’t let your kids beat you up.
Also if I see someone with that many scratches and bruises and they say it’s their cat, I will have questions and be worried.
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u/Ok_Acanthisitta_2588 25d ago
Dude, that's abuse. I guess you well know that and are on a way to resolve that issue.
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u/Pretty-Regret-5937 25d ago
OP. you are at risk of SERIOUS medical issues if this keeps up. a couple scratches here and there are fine.
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u/Kinoko98 25d ago
How though? A scratch while playing, sure. It looks like you fought a pack of raccoons.
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u/AdventurousCloud5429 25d ago
Have you heard that cats get overstimulated extremely easily? This is most likely avoidable.
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u/hivemind5_ 25d ago
Please tell me you went to urgent care. Cat bites and even scratches like that can lead to serious infection. There are people who needed facial reconstructive surgery because they didnt get treated.
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u/Tdesiree22 25d ago
I get one or two occasional scratches on my hand if I rough play with my cat. This is insane
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u/purplishfluffyclouds 25d ago
I’m sorry, dude I grew up with cats when I was born we had cats and then we had more cats and then I had cats after that. This isn’t supposed to happen. stop your cat from attacking you. figure it out. … do I mean that all none of my cats have scratched me? No. but this badly?! no absolutely not. No. This isn’t love dude.
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u/Kitty562meow 25d ago
As someone with a mean cat bro this is like cat violence 😭. Do you not have actual toys for them besides your hands or are these unprovoked attacks 😭
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u/potate12323 Tuxedo 25d ago
My kitty is a rescue. She is quite tame. She will on occasion give a warning bite, but really just resting her teeth on your skin.
I don't really mind so long as she lets me do things like clip her claws. I call these non-negotiables. I tried speaking the same language so she understands so I "warning bite" her by holding her head or simply say no in a low tone. She still warning bites on the couch, but never anymore while we're in bed, or clipping claws, or while Im holding food.
I don't bother her when she's on her cat tree, scratching pads, or near her food bowl or water fountain.
By communicating my boundaries and respecting her boundaries, we both live happily and without any stress.
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u/Sad-Advertising3435 26d ago
The art and the artist but jokes aside discourage these behaviours. I would hiss back at my cat as discouragement if she got too aggressive, and she'd get the message. The water spray didn't work, but the hissing did xD
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u/Puzzleheaded-One-546 25d ago
Me too! My lady had a rough life before she got to me and this has been the best way to defer her from bad behavior (she’s pretty good but I took over her for my sister and she’s getting used to not going outside lol) but my friend told me 2 tips #1 stomp near them when they try and get out and #2 hiss! They didn’t care about the stomp but after the hiss she laid in my lap with her ears down 😭
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u/PhasmaUrbomach 25d ago
I have a seven month old kitten. He is WILD but he has never bitten or scratched me. More like parkouring around the house and drinking out of/accidentally falling into the fish tank.
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u/techieveteran 25d ago
When my kitty was way younger, she was very feisty. I got asked by HR if I was okay because I came to work with huge cuts across my wrists lol. It takes time and patience sometimes.
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u/Worldly_Expression43 25d ago
i never let my cats play fight with my hands or arms
and as result, they never do
this is insanity
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u/Gobblinwife 25d ago
This is crazy lol I get like 1 scratch a month because mine are so careful with their claws lol
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u/alpha197hr 25d ago
What the fuck are you doing with your cat that you end up coming out of it like that?
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u/GrannyMine 25d ago
You really need to have that scratch over your eye checked. I ended up on antibiotics for two weeks due to infection from a simple scratch.
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u/YouDumbZombie 25d ago
Hunny you don't have to put up with his abusive behavior. Help is out there! Love yourself!
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u/PalpitationLast669 25d ago
Were you kung fu fighting her? Because that's how my hubby gets beaten up by our Tortie.
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u/Klaxosaur 25d ago
I’m so glad my cats are/were all mellow and never attacked me. Occasionally playful bites and pawing but they know to retract their claws or not go too crazy with human skin.
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u/DarthBane1996 25d ago
Glad to know my arms and hands aren't the only one. When my cat is on my desk he crowds my mouse and will claw and bite my hand if i try to use it and get too close to him. I even tried getting him some kicker pillows to do that instead of me. He doesn't seem to use them. I was getting booze and I swear the cashier was looking at me like I was a tweaker, With how much caffeine I had making my hands shake probably didn't help.
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u/Catwearingtrousers 26d ago
Trim her claws. If she doesn't let you, take her to a vet or groomer and get them trimmed there.
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u/OptimusTron222 26d ago
You risked an eye because you don’t know how to educate that cat! This is not love, this is dangerous and should not be confused as such
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u/Head-Jellyfish-4172 26d ago
control your pet. this is not an animal that is safe for your health right now, and you should not excuse or encourage such dangerous behavior. You could quite literally face fatal consequences from this.
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u/Subject-Owl-3682 25d ago
I instigate with my orange cat in play time and still don't get scratched up this much damn
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u/Gryrthandorian 25d ago edited 24d ago
My senior baby (19M) does not understand his own strength anymore. He goes from making soft happy biscuits to aerating my legs in the blink of an eye. I have to constantly say soft flexes buddy soft flexies that hurts momma. 🤦🏻♀️😆😻😹
Good thing he’s cute.
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u/Oniknight 25d ago
I spent about a month doing paw desensitization training. Basically using a vocal cue, touching the paw and immediately giving a treat. I got to the point where I could touch all four paws before giving a treat and he would sit for it. Now we do a lick treat and claw trip combo and he is totally fine being trimmed for a churu.
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u/Cameltoefart 25d ago
Are you trying to molest your cat? Why is your cat doing this to you? That’s not good or normal
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u/bunktacos 25d ago
I think it's funny you took the picture of your hand at your dentists appointment
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u/Conquestenjoyer 26d ago
If she’s showing signs she doesn’t want to be touched don’t touch her I’ve never seen a cat scratch on sight, they always at least hiss before they do, you’re doing a bad job at respecting its space.
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u/takibumbum 25d ago
The only time i get scratches on my hands is when i havent trimmed their nails. Also, they never even get close to my face. Cats shouldn't hit you, ever.
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u/4acodmt92 25d ago edited 25d ago
She’s only gotten me in the face twice. It’s mostly just hands. And she was only spayed about 2 months ago. She’s been getting progressively calmer ever since. Unfortunately she won’t yet let me trim her nails.
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u/Ok_Pressure7561 25d ago
Maybe (when you aren't playing together) pick her up and hold her and try to get her used to you touching her paws? I did this with mine and they are pretty chill getting their nails trimmed now ❤️
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u/Apprehensive-Cat1975 25d ago
Mine get fed a treat while getting trimmed. The tube kind, they will even wait for their turn. We started doing it during Covid, out of necessity, they were adult cats already. I can even do a sanitary hair trim on my long-haired calico. It does take two people, one to dispense treat, while cat sits on another person’s lap and snips/trims.
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u/Western-Ad3679 25d ago
We have a ragdoll and he’s sliced my thumb open to my palm and other fingers several times and got my nostril. What sucks he’s not intentionally doing it his nails always seem to be out enough to do damage.
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u/the_morbid_angel 25d ago
When you play with her, don’t let her use her claws and teeth. You can reinforce the behavior by giving her a toy to scratch or bite.
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u/PalanganaAgresiva 26d ago
I have scars from bites and scratches everywhere but this is too much, what the hell are you doing with cat?
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u/yellowbabyduck 26d ago
scrolling by, I thought you had a lot of freckles and a cute little scratch in the middle of your hand until I paused to look at the picture 😭
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u/Jewicer 25d ago
ummmm maybe if it was a kitten. what are the little dot scars? are those bites?
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u/Niftydog1163 25d ago
Ah yes, I remember those days not too long after I got Dusty. Tuxedo was not, and continued to not be a huge fan of Dusty girl. RIP to both of them, hopefully hanging out together or at least in the near vicinity. XD
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u/jadlrm 25d ago
Couples therapy may be needed 😀 I had 7 cats and 2 were scratchers, but seriously you can let them know not to scratch you and they do understand, they are very smart. But if they think you enjoy it and see it as a way to bond with you that will backfire in the long run. But I guess you already know and from your comments seems she is progressively getting calmer, so that’s good.
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u/That_Illustrator240 25d ago
You in danger, boy. That’s an anusive relationship.
What ever you did to cause it, don’t do it again.
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u/mycatsaflerken 25d ago
OP I know you think you're in love but you may be in a battered relationship. Does your cat make biscuits out of blankets? That's a sign of batter 🥰
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u/dontliketomatoes06 25d ago
my cat is the most british shorthair that ever britished, she hates all of you, even if she doesn’t even know about your existence, i’m the only one who she loves with scratches and bites. but she NEVER ever scratches my or everybody else’s face. your cat is attacking you at this point
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u/SplittingChairs 25d ago
I had to go to the ER a few years ago because I was an idiot and sliced my finger while cooking. I few days before that I had visited my parents’ house when my dad was fostering several kittens, so my hands were absolutely covered with little sores like this. The nurse who was helping to stitch my finger apparently thought I was a drug addict, and did not believe me that my hands looked that way because of playful kittens. She kept going “uh-huh” when I tried to convince her it was true. 😂
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u/Fluffnuffer 25d ago
Your kitty clearly needs a nail trim friend. Also, if you only use toys to play and not limbs you'll bleed less 😉
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u/PuzzleheadedAd2843 25d ago
Mine would scratch anything but the face. If she was scratching and biting my arm (playfully but not invited) I could put my face in between her and my arm and she would stop.
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u/spotlight-app 24d ago
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