Hi Researchers & commenters and Happy New Year to all...

The strangest thing has happened over the past several months. My cat
( will be 3 yrs old in April )has started to *nip* me whenever I walk
by him...
By *nip* I just mean he "bites" me just enough to draw blood either on
my ankles or my hand/arms, depending on where he is...eg floor or
counter,etc.
There have been NO changes in our lives or his diet blah blah blah.
He just seems to take great delight in this and appears to think we
are *playing*...running away after he nips me and then jumping into my
arms for a hug. It only happens whenever I walk past him.
Well, although I scold him after saying *ouch* and *crying*... trying
to stop this kind of behavior is beyond me now. He seems to delight in
this type of *play*.
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 01 Jan 2004 17:47 PST

Hi, Steph! As a person who is owned by eleven cats (at present), the
first thing that occurs to me is that this could be a
territorial-aggression thing. Is he neutered?

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Clarification of Question by steph53-ga on 01 Jan 2004 18:06 PST

Hi Pinkfreud...

Yes he is neutered and has all his shots up to date. He is a healthy
kitty whom I love with all my heart and soul.An indoor cat who has
never been outside. We have not moved since Nov 2001 so the
territorial thing should not be an issue. I tend to think he is
*playing* and mabe needs more of my attention?

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Clarification of Question by steph53-ga on 01 Jan 2004 19:00 PST

I would never resort to having my cat's teeth blunted....
I just wonder why he is suddenly so *raunchy*...he has tons of toys
and all the playtimes he wants when I get home from work...
When I now think of it...the only change that has occurred in the past months...
I have FINALLY allowed him to sleep with me at night in my bed because
he has stopped "playing" around all night...
I used to just shut bedroom door after booting him out...
Mabe he now thinks I'm part of his *territory* ???????
Since he has now *slept with me* ????????

I think he's playing too. I've had two cats who do this - both female,
and two who don't - one male, one female.  The ones who do/did (one
died some years back) get a very specific look in their eyes.  I can't
really explain, but their faces definitely look quite different. We
simply shrug it off as "lurky, fighty-bity mode".  In my experience,
the amount of attention makes no difference when "the mode" kicks in. 
I just see it as one of the prices paid for living with cats. If you
really don't like it, a quick burst of water pistol is an effective
deterrent to stop cats doing all manner of naughtiness.

Hi steph,

Some really good information on the following website:
http://www.vetinfo.com/cataggres.html

You might want to read the entire page - however, this might help.

Cat Attacks (Ankle Biting) 

"Ankle biting and sudden attacks are most often associated with
predatory aggression. Cats have a strong natural desire to hunt.
Inside the house, there isn't much to satisfy this desire. Mice,
grasshoppers and other attractive prey are scarce indoors, so they
have to make do with what they have --- ankles and other moving body
parts of their human companions.

In some cases it is possible to provide a more appropriate toy to
satisfy the predatory urge. Toys that work are furry balls on a
string, wand, or attached to a small fishing rod for efficient
"casting" and interesting motion as it is reeled in. .A radio
controlled car may work to exercise cats who are not afraid of them.
Some people just tie a toy on a string to their belt to provide a
better target then their ankles. This also provides a lot of exercise
which is a good release of the pent up energy in many kittens.

Most cats will outgrow this..."

Best regards,
tlspiegel

My mother has a beloved cat that bites hard enough to draw blood.
Finally my mom resorted to having the cat's canine teeth blunted by
the veterinarian. It's a last resort, but it does keep the injuries at
a minimum.

Perhaps I should add, that all my cats have always had 24-hour access
to outdoors via a cat flap - to me this is a basic principle when
dealing with a territorial hunting animal - and no, they don't tend to
go for birds etc, because the food bowl is so much easier!  However,
having free access to outside has made no difference to frequency of
attacks on humans, since it does not follow any sort of seasonal
weather-related pattern.

A tale of an aggressive cat:
http://www.gluechunk.com/esme/esme-1.html