Is there anything we can do?

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Just let him take it at his own pace and lead you. Slowly and surely always the best way to go 

Some cats cant see the laser like my Misa.

[Sue_pawz]

The laser toy arrived yesterday and he is scared of that too!

Sometimes he looks so much like he wants to play, but we're at a loss how's the best way to go about it.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

That sounds the best way for him 

[Sue_pawz]

We've had some progress.

We are avoiding any prolonged cuddles that aren't started by him.  If he hasn't come to us, we'll leave it at a chin scratch or something quick.  When he comes to us then we have a proper cuddle, but even then we have to recognise signs that he's had enough - sometimes he just wants to sit on our laps without being cuddled (which is counter intuitive for us!).   So it's just getting to know his body language.

He is a lovely lad!

[JackSpratt]

If he's getting playful how do you react when he swipes for your hands? I find "playing dead" tends to make the cat less interested, so basically just stop moving your hands and gently place them next to you away from him. See if he calms down.

My Mum's cat swipes when she's "had enough cuddles."

[Tiggy's Mum]

What a lovely boy  A cardboard box with cardboard wrapping - bliss! 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I agree with Rosella about outdoor cats needing their claws however if you just trim the the needle sharpe points from the ends of the claws this not only saves you from being shredded it also means he is less likely to get his claws caught inthe carpet / furniture / clothes 

[Kay and Penny]

how about donning a pair of gardening gloves? I have a pair which are stiff and a bit hairy, and I suspect would not be very tasty if bitten into

[Sue_pawz]

Thanks everyone

The vet thinks he's no older than 3.  We've tried play with a fishing rod toy before but he seemed scared of it and ran away     We don't squeal or snatch hands away, which often means just taking the bites and a few scratches (we both have scarred hands).

We'll try the blowing thing, and have a look at some different toys.

Here's the rascal in question, enjoying his favourite place:

[Rosella moggy]

Yes indeedie blowing .............. saying "Ow!!!!" loudly and a short sharp blow can help with some cats ........... unless they are very confident little devils 

He needs to understand that your hands are not toys so no waggling fingers to get a reaction    I used to do that many years ago and had to live with the consequences.  Having had ooooooooooo lets see;  6 yes, blimey yes 6 youngsters over past 4 years, none of them associate fingers/hands as toys so we are scratch free ......... in the main 

[Tiggy's Mum]

You can try blowing in his face when he starts, this way he won't associate his 'attacks' with good things as squealing or pulling away just reinforces his attacks with positive associations as he sees it as you playing with him. Any ideas how old he might be?

[Rosella moggy]

A word of caution re claw trimming.  Just bear in mind cats who go outdoors need their claws for climbing and defending themselves 

Da Bird is the way I would go or any other fishing rod toy but esp da bird and do mousie attachment....

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

This link may help:

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,4798.0.html

and this is something that will definitely help ... Trim claws

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,33470.0.html

[Sue_pawz]

We recently took in the local stray.

He is a beautiful cat, very affectionate, and he is so happy to have somewhere warm and comfortable to live.

The problem is that when stroking him he becomes very playful and scratches and bites.  It isn't aggressive, he is definitely only playing, but it is a bit of a problem.  OH and I have hands covered in scratches as you can never tell when he's going to switch from cuddly mode to playful mode.

Any ideas?