Our cat is 9 months old, from day 1 it was clear he was the type of cat who didn't like to be held or even touched. As a kitten he would scrape and bite, my kids were terrified of him, I tried my hardest in giving him the attention he needed, I played with him when I could with toys etc but all he was interested in was trying to bite or scrab. Apart from his biting his other pass time was wrecking the house, curtains, blinds, wires, after he broke the vertical blinds my wife said enough is enough he has to go outside so at 6 months we started putting him outside.

We live in a rural area away from busy roads etc, we set him up in the kids play house, he has his bed, litter tray etc in it. We bring him in at night and he stays in the utility, you may think its cruel locking him up but he does attack my children, my youngest 3 he has pounced on her locking his claws around her and biting her, he does this to everyone, even kids who approach him outside he will attack, He struts around outside like he is the don, he has no fear, even the neighbours boxer dog does not scare him.

I was told he would grow out of this but he's not, and he is now I think fully grown, once he locks around your leg he is hard to shift.

Anyone any advice on how to tame this cat?

Firstly, has the cat been neutered as this can help with aggression. Not always though.
Secondly, does the cat spend much time around any of the family? As being isolated too much won't help (From your post it doesn't sound as it if does. Sorry if i'm wrong).

A vet check may be a good idea too, as this can also be a sign of health problems.

Sometimes if it is all too much, the kindest thing to do for yourselves and the animal, can be re-homing.

No he hasn't been neutered, We have always "tried" to play with him but as I say he is just interested in pouncing and biting. Each and every night when we let him in we try and interact with him but same problem. My Mrs and the kids have gone out for the afternoon so I thought perfect chance to bring him in, he was no sooner in when he climbed on the back of the sofa and clawed at my head, unlike a dog if you shout or say NO it will stop, not this cat, doesn't care less. I got a few of his cat toys out onto the mat and got down to play with him, over he comes jumps on my arm, wraps the legs around to get a good grip and starts biting, wasn't a bit interested in the toys, I got him away he does it to my leg. This went on for half an hour, I gave up opened the door and let him out, that's when I decided I better post this and ask for help.

My brother in law got 2 of his siblings from the same litter, them cats are totally different, his 5 year old son carried the cat around for so long one day the cat poo'd on him, you'll not even try and lift my cat or he will draw blood.

some of this behaviour is kitten behaviour, its normal, the pouncing and jumping etc

however, what you need to do is teach the cat that its actions are too agressive when playing

so if you find your hand in its mouth, make a high pitched squeal, and do this everytime

secondly, dont 'play' with animals using hands or feet, play with toys, sticks, string etc

thirdly, yes the cat must integrate with the family and be socialised

overall, you may still end up with quite a bitey, non cuddly cat but who can still be a family pet ok, cats are not like dogs, they dont all like being picked up or continued stroking even if they are purring, they can still be getting peed off and then bite to say go away.

This what cats do. They do pounce and bite. He sounds very intelligent to me and this make him feel a little bored. Bored animals will wreck the house.

Body language is important. Cats read body language and you ideally should read your cats body language. When he gets aggressive, get up and walk away. You can read the danger signs long before hand as the ears go up and the eyes grow larger and the devil's head forms.

My cat comes hopping up the hall with a hump on his back with the ears up, he is fond of this humping strut, he does it regularly

Well, you can try neutering and see if it makes any difference. It may not do anything at all, but surely it's worth a try.

Try out different things to distract him when he is trying to bite and dig his claws into you and don't do things that encourage him to do so. Like tiacat said, try a high pitched squeal or stamp your feet on the ground. Something that will hopefully put him off. There will be a way to do it, you just need to find what works with your cat.

Also, there is some sort of spray or plugin you can use. I can't think of the name of it, but it may be worth a try too. I'm sure someone else will know the name.

Feliway. Cat mint also changes cat behaviour.

the key is to replicate what would happen in the litter with the other kittens, so a squeal replicates the high pitched squeak that the other kittens would make when one of them gets hurt, but stamping your feet will frighten the cat and is not indicative of what he would experience naturally. a frightened cat is more likely to be agressive, always at the ready to bite or scratch

we got a rescue cat 3 years ago, she was 6 at the time and was described as 'head shy', didnt like her head being stroked and would look to bite. we thought that she had been tapped on the head a lot by whoever owned her before. she is also a biter for 'play' as well and a bit scratchy. I started squealing when she got rough,s traight away she will back off and look up but it has to be high pitched.

over time, where she trusts us I probably dont even have to do this once a month, she will still give a good bite if you end up stroking her in the wrong way, but we dont play with her with our hands

I agree with tiacats post. The issue you have no is by sending him to live outside you are distancing him further from you and your family. I suspect he's semi feral now.

Whilst play is good, it sounds like any type of engaged play is going to end up badly, so I'd say to stop it. If you have to play use want toys so your hands are well out of it. I'd go to the other extreme and ignore him completey. Bring him back into the home and don't engage, don't make eye contact and don't play, then he will start to relax knowing you are not going to poune on him, or make him engage, and slowly but surely he will instigate contact. If it's agressive, squeak and walk away. Don't move him, don't look at him, just move away. If it's positive then encourage it by giving him short but definite eye contact, let him rub about you, and then let him walk away, don't encourage him to do more than he wants to.

I'd also comment on your statement about your brothers kitten. No child should be carrying around a cat until it poos. It cruel and the cat is being treated like a toy, not a cat. If that's what you want from a cat, buy a stuffed one, real cats don't behave like that and as you've seen with yours they can turn quickly.

You misunderstood, but nevermind. I'll leave you to it.

Well as he's not neutered he'll probably be off your hands soon anyway, when he goes off to look for females who also, sadly, are not neutered.
Then he can be at risk of injury from fights other males who want to mate and who may be as bad or badder than him.

Book him into the vet and get him neutered. Whatever else you try, this has to be the first step not least because otherwise, he'll impregnate any unspayed females in the area and you'll be half responsible for litters of unwanted kittens when the refuges and rescues are already full-to-bursting with unwanted cats (and dogs and rabbits and... and...)

try him with catnip. some cats just aren`t cut out for domesticity.

But try catnip with care - I had a cat, a very laid back, placid, affectionate cat - who went hyper with even a few leaves of catnip. I had a nepeta plant that had to be kept in a cage in the greenhouse because Fred would abseil in through the rooflight to raid it. A couple of leaves of catnip and he was seriously and painfully playfully high...

op`s cat sounds like he`d love it :naughtysmilie:

I already tried catnip, He sniffed it, ate a bit and wasn't interested, and it was proper catnip, I have one of the odd cats who aren't effected by it.

I'd have had him neutered as soon as he was old enough.

Sadly some of the behaviours he is now displaying may be learnt behaviours that won't be undone, or be difficult to undo by getting him neutered.

Predict ...
Got my kids a puppy fot christmas but he wont play with his toys, he just bites and wrecks everything.
He now lives in the yard outdoors with the cat we got last year and still wont behave and play nicely with me and his toys when we treat him to come in .... help!!

My brothers kids got a puppy from the same litter and they can carry theirs around till they crap themselves, like their kitten.
When my cat and puppy can do the same without biting they can come in from the yard....

So you put an unneutered male outside, very responsible...you can not change a cats behaviour by ignoring it, Cats pounce and bite, its how they play if you cant deal with it then maybe you shouldnt have a cat.
i have a male cat who attacked everything that moved and didnt move for months, he was neutered at 5 months and now at just over a year hes calmed down a lot...it takes time and perseverance,
you can get calming drops from pet shops which you put in their food and a trip to the vets would be a good idea to make sure there isnt any health problems causing the agression...my cat had been starved, druged and left to fend on his own and he was only about 3 months old when i got him,so it was no wonder he didnt like people,
Neutering is definitely the first step in calming him down.

Unklesam, I feel sorry for you. I have looked up on Google and wonder if the following could help. Lots of tips. Good luck.

http://www.2ndchance.info/aggressivecat.htm

I sympathise, I am currently looking after a biter! It's an interesting experience, but not always a relaxing one.

Getting him neutered should definitely be first on your to-do list, partly to see if it will calm him down, partly so you aren't presented with a basket of kittens in a few months time. If that doesn't calm him down a bit, I think you should consider getting in touch with Cats Protection. They may be able to home him with a fosterer who has experience with this kind of behavioural problem. Cats have different personalities, he may not be a good fit with your family.

Get it neutered, regardless of whether its aggressive or not. This kind of ignorance and irresponsibility makes my blood boil - you're putting an un-neutered cat outside?!?! What is wrong with you? And ps, your brother allowing his kids to carry around a kitten until it shits itself is NOT a good thing. Neither of you should have pets. It's a sad and scary thought that you're in charge of children tbh.

My girls a biter too. And a kicker and a charger and a growler.
Rescue cat at 8 months, very underweight, beaten, left for long periods without food.
She still has lots of food and aggression issues. 3 yrs on she will still hide food and gets very distressed if she cant cover it and eat from under a carrier bag.
If you point a finger at her she will charge and launch from across the room but can also be loving and now be touched.
She is a family member and I love her warts and all.
The point I am making is that they are sentient beings and I feel the poster is damaging his cat because he doesnt know or doesnt care. His pat and negative retorts say it all.
The poor cat should have been relocated to a proper home before it was banished to semi feral living.
Shame on the flippant poster imo.