Milo and The Case of The Leaping Lizard

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Milo, one of my favorite cats I've worked with so far. Milo was bursting with energy and loved jumping high into the air to catch the wand toy—he was a total joy!

Milo’s guardian, M, reached out to me because Milo had started biting her, especially when she tried to leave for work. She wisely took him to the vet first to rule out any health issues. After finding no medical concerns, the vet recommended she work with a cat behavior specialist.

Going in, I prepared myself for the possibility of getting bitten, as I never know exactly what to expect. I packed my bag with Neosporin and bandaids. But it quickly became clear that Milo wasn’t trying to hurt anyone—he just wanted to play!

Milo is a young, energetic orange cat, and his behavior made perfect sense to me. M had never had a cat before, and while she adored Milo's sweet nature and the way he followed her around, his biting had become a real issue. He would nip at her ankles whenever she tried to leave for work, or even when she first got up in the morning or came home at night.

To better understand, M staged a typical “leaving for work” routine by putting on her shoes and coat and heading toward the door. Sure enough, Milo went for her ankles. It was obvious to me that his biting was a call for attention, not aggression—he was trying to get M to stay and play.

Since M lives alone and works full-time, Milo, still very much a young and active cat, was getting bored. I grabbed a wand toy, and he instantly engaged, leaping and playing until he was visibly tired. My assessment: Milo needs more playtime and mental stimulation.

M’s apartment is too high up for a bird feeder, videos were the next best thing. I recommended adding cat TV with bird and squirrel videos for visual enrichment during the day, along with automatic toys that activate while M is at work.

M’s “homework” is to actively wear him out with play sessions focused on high-energy activities, like making him leap into the air to really drain his energy before and after work. This will help reduce his frustration and the likelihood of biting.

We also worked on redirecting his behavior by giving him attention before the nipping starts which will teach him that he doesn’t need to use his teeth to get attention.

You can’t help but love those orange cats!