I have a 10 month old cat and although he's very affectionate, he plys really rough. I've had some pretty deep scratches and a few puncture bites from this. Sometimes it's hard to make him let go. He'll also pounce at me from behind and latch onto my calves. Other than that, he's a great cat and he purrs and loves to sit on my lap while we watch television. I'm tired of bleeding.....is there any way to modify this behavior or should I just get transfusions?

LOL...don't get a transfusion just yet! You have to let him know what behavior is OK and what is not. When he starts to play rough, snarl or hiss or make some kind of "not happy kitty" noise and walk away and grumble while walking away. You have to let him know that hwat he is doing won't be tolerated. Hissing or snarling is what Mama would do to show her displeasure.

You may also want to try this. A mother cat carries their kittens by the nape of the neck and if you grab a cat there, you essentially immobilise them. She will also place her paw on the on their heads and hold them down.
Maybe you could try putting one finger on the head between the ears and see if that has any effect. You may want to hiss or growl first (just like mom) and then try the finger trick. If he really latches on, you can immobilise him by holding the nape and freeing yourself. Then you walk away and not play anymore. Eventually (hopefully) he will learn that rough play is a no no.

Hi, annie,
I started doing what you suggested and he responded pretty well to the snarling hissing bit. He was quite surprised (you should have seen him...I had to not laugh) and I walked away. He's getting much better and I no longer am anemic!
That head trick works...when he latched on to me I did a neck grab and could get the claws loose without tearing my arm off. Still a handy thing to know, too! Thank you for taking the time to type the information to help me out.