Thread: Bites always, is this normal?

I agree that a couple of months is way too little time to expect normal cat behavior. We took in a stray MC mix and it was a good year before he would not revert to near feral behavior on occasion (he scratched/swatted). We have a retiree female, and she was very leery of us for most of the first year; would run if we tried to touch her, etc. In both cases I can report that these cats became treasured family members with standard affectionate and intelligent MC behavior.

You will just have to be patient. If the cat doesn't like to be touched most places on his body then don't do it. Many cats do not like it if you touch their bodies. Heads/necks seem to be the best place. Getting to where the cat feels safe enough to be held will take the longest probably. Our retiree wouldn't let us hold her for many months--and she hadn't been abused in any way by people. Also, not all MCs are big cuddlers. They will want to be around you all the time, but not necessarily on your lap or being held. I have found this particularly true of males, though others have different experiences. On the other hand, biting should be discouraged by yelling ouch and/or just walking away and ignoring him briefly. I know how frustrating it can be; I would be doing something nice for the ex-stray and all of a sudden he would swat me--very hard not to get angry. Getting mad isn't terribly useful, though, as it will probably just delay progress. This cat has probably had bad experiences with people, so even more time and patience will be required. You did something great for him by rescuing and giving him a good home; don't give up on him after only a couple of months.