Wow—I assume (since it doesn’t bother you) that these are inhibited bites that do not hurt. While I can’t know for sure why he bites your head, I suspect it has become an attention-seeking behavior. When it works (you turn your head in response) he stops, as he’s received the desired attention. When you ignore the behavior, he escalates to your forehead. I’d suggest you find a way to channel this behavior into something a bit less potentially dangerous. Since he’s not been stopped and perhaps even inadvertently encouraged to continue, I’m concerned that at some point the “love bites” might become more serious. A cat bite to the head/face region is something to avoid!

Polly appears to be the “top cat” and Max defers to her. That’s not unusual in multiple cat households. One feline typically controls the interaction in a given territory—in this case, the food buffet.

Feed the two cats separately. Feed Polly first (because she IS the top cat and deserves this privilege!). Then as soon as she’s done, move her to another room while you feed Max. Alternately, simply feed the cats at the same time, but in separate rooms with the doors shut. Meal feeding works best in these situations.

Alternatively, when you must leave food out during the day and can’t supervise the kitties, you may be able to devise a feeding station that makes use of the different sizes of these felines. Purchase a translucent storage container with a lid, that’s large enough to contain Max and his bowl. Cut a Max-size hole in one side, that’s only large enough for his slim form to enter but keeps pudgy Polly out. You can leave Max’s food bowl inside this container for him to come and go, munching at leisure, while Polly can’t get inside.

Oh dear—if this shy cat never before had a positive experience with a dog, I’m not surprised by her behavior. A puppy, especially high-energy and BIG breeds like Labs, can be overwhelming for even a confident cat. You don’t specify how much “plenty of time” might be—but obviously it’s not been enough for your cat. I would expect a cat in this situation to eventually learn to tolerate (but probably not closely interact) with a friendly dog, but that conservatively might take months, not weeks, to accomplish.

Here’s what I’d suggest. Create some “dog-free zones” in the house where your cat knows the pup won’t disturb her. Use baby gates to confine the pup in a safe area, especially when you are not there to supervise. Provide lots of “second-story” areas in the form of cat trees or the backs of furniture so that your cat can always get out of nose-sniffing range. Remember that your cat was there first, and is older, and MUST be the animal in charge, or there’s a risk the dog may at some point injure the kitty accidentally. Teach the pup to look at you whenever the cat appears (say, “It’s a TREAT cat!” and give a tasty treat), so that the association for her presence is positive. This also helps him learn to look at you, rather than chase the cat, when she appears. And that takes the pressure off of the kitty.

It will take time and lots of patience. Ideally, teach the dog to ignore the cat. Once she feels that he’s not paying attention to her, she may start to come closer simply to investigate this creature. Give her lots of positive attention, especially away from the dog, to reassure her that she’s still the top cat in your heart. There are many more tips and suggestions in the book, PETiQuette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multipet Household.

Are these cats spayed and neutered? If not, have this done immediately. I suspect that your boy kitty made unwelcome advances to the mother. In a feral cat colony, the intact boy kittens at this age often are sent packing, and start to pal around with other bachelor boys, while the girls usually maintain close relationships.

You can re-introduce the cats, but it will be tough going if they are still intact. Keeping them separated actually is a very good idea, so that they don’t “practice” being angry with each other. The mother cat should be treated as the top-cat, so allow her free run of the house while keeping the boy confined. Basically, treat this as a first-time introduction so they can meet and get acquainted all over again with paw-pats under the door.

After several days, use a hand towel to rub the mother cat all over (especially her cheeks) to collect scent, and then rub that towel over the boy. This helps them smell more alike, so they’re more willing to recognize each other as family. Only then, open the door and allow the boy to come out, but supervise interactions. Let the cats meet (or ignore each other) at their own pace. Be ready to interrupt any hissing/altercation immediately, by tossing a towel over top of one cat and separating them. Do not allow them to fight. It may take time for them to become reacquainted and accept each other. Good luck!

I really don’t have enough information to provide specific advice. The cats likely feel very stressed and upset to be in a strange environment, and perhaps use urine (their own scent) to make themselves feel more secure. It might also be that they see or smell strange cats outside the house, and that’s prompting the behavior. Or possibly the stress has brought on a bout of cystitis that needs to be addressed by a veterinarian (always a good idea to have a vet check in these cases).

The new family should invest in a good odor-neutralizer product that thoroughly cleans the urine stains. Otherwise, the lingering scent inspires the cats to return to the scene of the crime and re-baptize the furniture. Also, I like the pheromone product Feliway as a stress-buster for cats in these circumstances. It comes as a plug-in, available from pet products stores or over the Internet. You might also try providing a couple of scented Tee shirts that you and your wife have worn but not washed, to put in the cats’ beds as a comforting reminder.

Cats identify people not only by sight and the sound of the voice, but also by scent. I suspect they also use context as a “reminder” just as people do—by that I mean, if I’m used to seeing somebody at school, but seen them at the grocery store, I might not immediately recognize them without another memory-jogger.

After three months away, even if this is your cat, you no longer smell familiar since you’ve not recently petted/touched each other. The context is different. Also, you have no way to know what your missing cat has experienced, and perhaps the kitty was chased or frightened during this time and now fears coming too close to people.

I’d start by knocking on doors in the neighborhood. Ask if anyone recognizes the cat as owned. If not, you may wish to invest in a “live trap” that often can be borrowed from a local animal welfare organization, and catch this kitty. Even if it’s NOT your cat, you could be giving a needy feline a home. Meanwhile, you can hope that some kind soul has done the same for your missing pet. Good luck!

For some reason, many cats want to be near their human’s head. I suspect there are several reasons. First, cats greet each other and enjoy social interactions on a face-to-face basis. Being near to a companion’s face signals trust. Second, cats are heat-seekers, and the human head gives off quite a bit of warmth. The rest of our body tends to be covered up with clothing. And third, our heads are the only truly “furry” part of the body (other than beards) and so may prove quite attractive.

My goodness, when you prefaced the question with “the exception…” I feared that fur was flying and claws extended! In fact, you are incredibly fortunate that your six cats get along so well, without overt confrontations or urine-marking. A bit of snubbing or walking away actually is quite a civilized way to handle uncomfortable situations. And actually, you may be mis-interpreting some of the behaviors.

If Hope is the senior cat (age-wise) it may be that rather than Peanut snubbing him and walking away, Peanut instead is offering deference and giving up the water dish or cat bed, or toy or whatever when Hope approaches. Without seeing the actual interaction, I can’t say for sure. But cats do have a subtle way of interacting that can be confusion to humans.

I wouldn’t try to force these two to be friends. If it happens, it happens. You’ll know if/when they accept grooming from each other, or share a bed, or just rest in the same vicinity. Not all cat relationships must be touchy-feely to be positive and warm friendships.

What do you do when he upsets the dishes? Come running? Chase him away? If he does this primarily in the evenings (when you’re home and he has an audience), I suspect it’s a way for him to focus attention on himself.

You have a couple of choices for the food dishes. Rather than leave the dish out 24/7, switch to meal-feeding, and pick up the dish once he’s stopped eating. Feed twice a day (morning and evening) should be sufficient for healthy adult cats. Alternately, change the dishes to something non-tip-able, perhaps a very heavy crockery bowl of some sort. For the water, I’m a fan of the fountains made for cats, which can’t be tipped over.

Meanwhile, set everything on an easily cleaned area and simply IGNORE the behavior. If he stops getting attention for tipping over the dishes, he’ll stop the behavior (hint: it’ll get worse before it gets better and will take time to extinguish). Also, since this probably is an attention-getting device, find some alternative and positive way to give him attention. Maybe set aside time while watching the evening news to play with a fishing pole style toy so he’s engaged, and gets worn out, too.

Not easily. I wouldn’t recommend it. Cats used to being inside, with interaction from people and the comforts of an indoor lifestyle don’t tend to transition well to being outside. The cat could easily become frightened, not know how to defend himself, run/be chased away and become lost. There are some enclosure systems now made for cats that provide a bit more security, but the emotional health of the cat could still be at risk.