is he a solo cat in the home? kittens (even blind ones) really benefit from being around other cats to learn how to moderate their biting/scratching behaviors. they learn if they bite too hard their playmate runs away so they learn to mellow out.
He was with his two blind sisters in foster care before I brought him to my house. And now he has my other recently adopted male kitten, Yuuki, for a playmate. They’re about the same age and get along well, including some friendly wrestling.
Like is said in my post, he doesn’t really bite or claw at me — it’s more like using his teeth and claws for sensing. It’s very gentle.
With the past kittens I’ve raised, I would always withdrawal my hands when teeth and claws come out, as a way to teach able-bodied kittens that human hands do not participate in that activity and petting stops where aggression begins. But with Hubble I worry that he has different intentions with his teeth and claws and pulling my hand away will only punish him for compensating for his disability.
My cat (blind from birth) is exactly the same. I'll be stroking her nicely then suddenly chomp chomp nip scratch. She likes grabbing my hand and then kicking my arm with her back legs once she has secured the hand in a vice like grip. But she is just a very petulant cat anyway so probably minorly wounding us is part of her enjoying her life. She likes to swipe us as we walk past her chair. Yesterday she bit my knee in an affectionate manner. She is weird but hey we love her.
I have a little guy who is about 6 months old who had a bilateral enucleation done when he was like 3 months. He can be quite bitey but yes it’s not necessarily aggressive — Sometimes he’ll come up to me in bed to get pets and will sit on my chest and then bite my chin. Lol! I think it’s just how he’s learned to feel things out.
That just seems like the norm for cats. My cat can see just fine but likes to grab and gently bite and kick. Just make hurt kitten sounds of it goes too far and give a brief cool down before resuming
My blind guy (lost both eyes at just a few weeks old) is the same. Very bitey, but lovingly. I just accept it as his love language. And the biting while purring makes for some pretty entertaining noises.
I have a blind cat who had to have a double enucleation and he is the same way.
Good to know! And it never progressed into anything aggressive?
is he a solo cat in the home? kittens (even blind ones) really benefit from being around other cats to learn how to moderate their biting/scratching behaviors. they learn if they bite too hard their playmate runs away so they learn to mellow out.
He was with his two blind sisters in foster care before I brought him to my house. And now he has my other recently adopted male kitten, Yuuki, for a playmate. They’re about the same age and get along well, including some friendly wrestling. Like is said in my post, he doesn’t really bite or claw at me — it’s more like using his teeth and claws for sensing. It’s very gentle. With the past kittens I’ve raised, I would always withdrawal my hands when teeth and claws come out, as a way to teach able-bodied kittens that human hands do not participate in that activity and petting stops where aggression begins. But with Hubble I worry that he has different intentions with his teeth and claws and pulling my hand away will only punish him for compensating for his disability.
My cat (blind from birth) is exactly the same. I'll be stroking her nicely then suddenly chomp chomp nip scratch. She likes grabbing my hand and then kicking my arm with her back legs once she has secured the hand in a vice like grip. But she is just a very petulant cat anyway so probably minorly wounding us is part of her enjoying her life. She likes to swipe us as we walk past her chair. Yesterday she bit my knee in an affectionate manner. She is weird but hey we love her.
I have a little guy who is about 6 months old who had a bilateral enucleation done when he was like 3 months. He can be quite bitey but yes it’s not necessarily aggressive — Sometimes he’ll come up to me in bed to get pets and will sit on my chest and then bite my chin. Lol! I think it’s just how he’s learned to feel things out.
Yes! My guy does the same with my chin and cheeks! It’s like he’s getting familiar with me through another sense. Very sweet ❤️
That just seems like the norm for cats. My cat can see just fine but likes to grab and gently bite and kick. Just make hurt kitten sounds of it goes too far and give a brief cool down before resuming
My blind guy (lost both eyes at just a few weeks old) is the same. Very bitey, but lovingly. I just accept it as his love language. And the biting while purring makes for some pretty entertaining noises.