Should I Talk To My Friend About Her Cats Aggressive Behaviour?

[Adumbbaguette]

I've been staying at my friend's apartment for about a week while she's in Scotland, to look after her cat. The cat in question is about a year and a half old and his behaviour is confusing. He's very clingy, he'll follow me if I go in another room, jump on the counter when I'm making food, lie as close to me as possible when I'm in bed etc... Now that's fine except when he gets close he'll just bite me. Bite my feet when I walk, my legs, my arms, and once even my face when I was falling asleep. If I shut him out of the room I can get peace but he'll meow for about 5 minutes for me to let him in. He doesn't seem to understand that he shouldn't be hurting me. And I mean he REALLY hurts me. He draws blood nearly every time and I not just to me, but to friends who visit also.
Is this normal? Will it just go away or is he badly educated? More importantly should I tell my friend what I think about this?

[Samuraisan]

Aren't cat bites dangerous ? Sounds an undesirable animal. I would certainly tell your friend.

[Baldric]

///and i doubt it'll happen again///

///especially if you shouted again the next time///

Er, how does that work then?

[douglas9401]

Come on now Baldric, you've heard the expression 'scaredy cat', this is pure science, free instruction from an animal behaviourist.

[Barmaid]

When the cat bites allow your hand to completely relax. With the other hand "fire" a loaded water pistol at the little s*** bag.

[aelmpvw]

i suppose you should be grateful it isn't a pitbull terrier ...

[Prudie]

Anyone who thinks shouting at a cat works doesn't have a cat :-)
You can tell your friend if you like but I expect the cat thinks you are an intruder. I had similar once when feeding a neighbour's Siamese. I found carrying something that smelt of the family (a teatowel in my case) stopped her from attacking me.

[Prudie]

I said works spath not scares, of course it scares them temporarily but they won't learn from it and stop what they're doing next time. Personally I don't think this cat wants to play, it's a far deeper issue.

[Kathyan]

You can't educate cats. There's a saying that dogs have owners and cats have staff. You can tell your friend but there's not much that she can do about it, other than not ask you to look after her cat again.

[Barmaid]

Ha! Shouting scares them? Not mine it doesn't. He just gives me a look of utter contempt which says "yeah, you and whose army, b****?"

[kvalidir]

Our cats are absolute ***, love them but they do whatever they like because they are cats, including sleeping on food, biting you with affection ( which is what this sounds like), bringing in dead gifts, pooing behind the TV and ignoring the litter tray, shredding the furniture and generally ticking two fingers up at anyone who doesn't like it. You could shoot at them never mind about shout at them and ours wouldn't care.

[Prudie]

Well my tortie sits on the front window sill and growls like a dog when someone strange comes through the front gate and then runs to the front door growling...

[snowshoe1]

IT SOUND LIKE THE CAT IS MISSING HIS MASTER.JUST TRY AND BE PATIENT, AND HOPEFULLY THE CAT WILL SETTLE DOWN.YOU MAY WHAT TO ASK YOUR FRIEND WHEN SHE GET BACK, IF HER CAT HAS EVER BITTEN HER.

[ummmm]

Cats DON'T have masters.