To stop a kitten biting you need to keep them entertained, happy and remove all their nippy incentives. Punishment won’t help and will only potentially damage your growing bond, so it’s important to know what to do when your cat comes at you all teeth and jaws! Today I’ll share simple rules, tips and tricks to stop this upsetting behavior and help your cute baby kitty to stay calm and relaxed, as well as target their new hunting skills in a better direction!
Contents
- Why do kittens bite?
- How to stop them
- True aggression in kittens
- Where are you being bitten? From faces to fingers!
- Do’s and Don’ts of bite training
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A Common Real Life Problem
”I’m having problems with my kitty. He is about four months old and EVIL! He scratches and bites me, sometimes by accident, but at other times I know it’s deliberate! He’s just so mean, a real DEVIL.
“I’ve tried telling him off. I’ve picked him up by the scruff of the neck like a mother cat would do, looked him in the eyes and said ‘No!’ I would never hit him but if he doesn’t mellow out my next step will be to spray him with water.”
Anonymous online query
(paid link)I recently came across this post while conducting research on kitten behavior. Despite how cute and innocent kittens appear, I realized that this was obviously a very real and upsetting problem for her. And let’s face it, we can’t get away from the fact that beneath the impossibly adorable exterior of our kittens there lies a future hunting and killing machine!
Unfortunately, this kind of disciplinary approach to a kitten biting hard isn’t uncommon. Although, I genuinely believe that the person posting the comment thought she was doing the right thing. What it highlights is a lack of understanding of cat behavior and its motivations. So, in this article, I’ll address some of the questions posed by many owners on different forums. Such as these:
“Why is my four-month-old kitten biting me?”
“How to get a kitten to stop biting”
“Do kittens grow out of biting?”
We’ll also look at how a kitten’s background and development influences biting behavior. As well as whether cat bites are dangerous.
Why Do Kittens Bite?
To answer this question, it’s important to understand some things about the development and background of our kittens. Our domestic kitties evolved from desert-dwelling wild cats. Those cats were anatomically designed to hunt and kill prey with maximum efficiency!
Included in their armory are razor-sharp teeth. Teeth that are used for performing the death bite, shearing flesh from bone and for defending themselves. It’s not surprising, therefore, that biting is one of the more commonly reported problems by cat owners! So, when do these weapons first appear? Kittens teeth start to erupt shortly before two weeks of age. At around three and a half to four months old, their baby teeth start to be replaced by permanent adult teeth.
This happens relatively quickly so that by about six to seven months of age all 30 adult teeth are in place. Cats have four types of teeth, which are differentiated by their shape and position in the jaw. Each type plays an important role.
Four Types of Teeth
Incisors are the small teeth at the front of the mouth, and they are used to grasp and hold prey in the mouth. Canines are the long teeth positioned one on each side at the top and the bottom of the front of the mouth. They contain nerves that allow the cat to pinpoint the gap between the vertebrae of its prey so that it is killed quickly and painlessly.
Pre-molars are behind the upper and lower canines. Cats have six pre-molars at the top and four at the bottom. They are used for chewing. Molars are located behind the pre-molars and are also used for chewing. There are two molars in the upper jaw and two in the lower, one on each side. Both pre-molars and molars have sharp cutting edges. Unlike humans, when cats chew it’s more of a cutting action rather than grinding.
This explains why even the tiniest of teeth can produce a lot of pain! But what role does a kitten’s emotional development play in biting behavior?
How to Stop a Kitten Biting – Consider Personality
The personality of all cats is a combination of genetics and environmental learning. Traits such as friendliness, boldness and timidity may be inherited. But events that happen in the first weeks of life can have a huge impact on how a kitten develops behaviorally. For example, the presence of littermates helps them to develop social skills. One of the ways they do this is through play.
Social play starts at around four weeks of age and continues until twelve to fourteen weeks. This is an important activity as not only does it help them develop their predatory skills, it also enables them to start figuring out what they should do if they’re threatened by another predator. An important aspect to social play is learning about bite inhibition.
If they bite their sibling a little too hard or too frequently, what happens? They get bitten back and they learn a vital lesson about acceptable boundaries.
How people interact with kittens, especially during weeks two to seven of their lives (known as the Socialisation Period) has a significant impact on the behavior we can expect from those cats throughout the rest of their lives. Appropriate handling when a kitten is in a positive emotional state is key. By appropriate, we mean touching all parts of the kitten’s body, holding her, talking to her and playing with objects.
By the way, object play doesn’t include any part of our own bodies! The best practice for kitten socialization also includes positive experiences with different types of people as well as other animals.
Can Kittens Be Aggressive?
Before we discuss how a kitten’s experiences during its first few weeks might influence its behavior later on, it might be useful to find out what aggression is and whether there is such a thing as an aggressive kitten.
The term aggressive is often used to describe cats who react in a hostile way towards us and/or other species. But, this label is an injustice to our feline friends. Aggression in cats is an entirely normal emotional reaction to fear, anxiety and frustration. It’s also appropriate behavior related to play, predatory behavior and maintenance of territory.
Additionally, aggression may be behavior learned as a kitten to control situations or deter unwanted attention. Your cat is not being spiteful! I’ve already mentioned that for kittens, playing roughly with each other comes naturally because they are honing their predatory and defense skills.
Unfortunately, when people play with kittens, we have a habit of reinforcing the more aggressive stuff. When we allow them to grab and hold our hands in their paws and rake furiously with their hind legs, we reinforce behavior that we’ll want to stop later.
If we allow it, the kitten will continue until exhausted and learn nothing about acceptable behavior. And, we will have unwittingly created a future feline thug who thinks it’s fun to ambush their owner using adult claws and teeth to target our hands and feet.
The behavior might even be redirected onto people who visit the house. These cats are then labeled ‘aggressive’ and taken to behaviorists or even rehomed.
Is Kitten Biting a Phase?
The short answer is yes, it can be a phase. As well as kittens’ play-biting, another reason they bite is due to teething. This occurs when a kitten’s baby teeth begin to erupt at around two weeks of age and then again when those teeth are replaced by adult teeth at around three and a half months.
As with human babies, teething can be painful and cause kittens to bite and chew to ease the pain and discomfort. By around seven months, all adult teeth are in place and the biting phase, caused by teething, ends. Let’s take a quick look at some common ways kittens bite before we move on to how to stop a kitten biting.
Kitten Face Biting
“Help! My kitten keeps biting me on my face!”
This is worrying, but it’s not an uncommon problem. Quite often, it happens when you’re lying down in a non-threatening position. Just as you’re nice and relaxed, your kitten jumps on you, licks your face and then takes a nip!
This could simply be his way of getting your attention. When you respond, the kitten learns that face biting is a successful strategy. It may also happen if your face is too close to your kitten when you play with him.
For our own safety, as well as that of any visitors, children or babies, it’s a habit that can’t be allowed to continue. If necessary, keep your kitten out of the bedroom when you’re lying down. Be sure you’ve provided him with a comfortable bed elsewhere along with plenty of toys. So, making the situation less likely to occur and distracting them are the best ways to start. We’ll look at other options in more detail shortly.
Kitten Finger Biting
When you have a biting kitten and your fingers are the target, it’s probably because he’s used to having them made available to him as toys during play sessions.
As already discussed, it’s vital to get your kitten into good habits from the start. That means only allowing him to play with cat toys or suitable objects around the house, not your hands or feet. It’s also important not to allow kitty to suck on your fingers to alleviate symptoms of teething.
Biting Everything
Your kitten may be naturally confident or from a reactive breed. But, it could also be due to inappropriate socialization, teething or just bad habits. Any combination of the above could result in a kitten that bites everything and won’t stop.
Wall corners, plastic cables, cardboard boxes, plastic bags and electronic devices are all examples of things owners have complained about their kittens biting. In such cases, it’s wise to have a vet check out your kitten first. If he’s given a clean bill of health, it’s time to take a good look at his environment.
Does he have enough stimulation? Are you leaving him alone for long periods of time? Taking appropriate steps to safeguard against boredom and ensure he has appropriate toys or other objects to chew should help. You can also deter him from biting inappropriate objects by coating them with bitter apple. The smell and taste may be enough to put him off.
When Do Kittens Stop Biting?
Biting behavior should gradually reduce over time and disappear by around one year of age. However, if bad habits have developed, the behavior may continue into adulthood. This is why the methods for how to stop a kitten biting are important.
Are Cat Bites Dangerous?
Incidents of penetrating wounds caused by your cat biting you are comparatively rare. Luckily for us, superficial wounds that don’t puncture the skin are the more common outcome of cat bites. That doesn’t mean we can be complacent. Wash, but don’t scrub, minor bites with soap and running water. If any redness, pain or swelling develops, see a doctor.
If a cat bite penetrates the skin causing bleeding, wash the wound and cover it with a sterile dressing. See a doctor to determine if additional treatment is necessary.
Cats carry bacteria in their mouth, such as Pasteurella multocida, that can cause infection if not treated. This is particularly relevant for children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. Another good reason to get your kitten into good habits.
How to Train a Kitten Not to Bite
We can’t change the fundamental character of our kittens, but we can modify their behavior in two ways. First, by making changes to how we interact with them. Second, by providing increased environmental enrichment. Naturally, it’s critical that we start this as early as possible, but for some of us this can be tricky.
Most of a kitten’s learning and development takes place during the first eight weeks of life, which is usually before we get them. So, unless we’re breeding our own kittens, what happens in this important phase is the hands of someone else.
Nonetheless, whatever habits they may have already formed, good or bad, we have a responsibility do our best by them. So, here are some do’s and don’ts on how to stop a kitten biting:
Don’t…
- Punish your kitten. Shouting, gesticulating, tapping their nose, spraying water on them, etc. will only make them anxious around you. In addition, they’re unlikely to connect your response with their biting. And, it doesn’t teach them anything about what constitutes acceptable behavior.
- Dance around in pain, shake your bitten body part and generally make a big hullabaloo. All this movement is likely to make you an even more alluring plaything.
- Wait until the pain of the bite has subsided before taking positive action. By that time, the moment is lost and your kitten has moved on to other fun things.
- Don’t allow your body parts to be part of a game with your kitten, ever.
Do…
- Learn how to read your kitten’s body language leading up to a bite, and get to know the situations in which he is most likely to ambush you. Use your observations to preempt potential strikes.
- Provide plenty of playtime for your kitten each day when he’s at his most active.
- Use interactive toys that replicate natural feline behavior such as balls, laser pointers, knotted shoelaces or fishing rod toys with feathers on the end that he can chase and leap up to. These will all help work off excess energy and strengthen the bond between you.
- Reserve your hands for positive associations with gentle stroking, holding and feeding.
- Create a set of rules for interacting with your kitten, and ensure everyone that comes into contact him follows them. This includes family members and visitors.
- Give your kitten something to chew on if he is teething. Various toys specifically designed for this are available.
Best Kitten Toys
Provide plenty of things for your kitten to do when you’re not able to spend time with him. These can include:
• Balls
• Feathers
• Catnip
• Larger toys that he can ‘kick and rake’
• Cardboard boxes or paper bags (handles removed) with something inside
• Cat Tunnels
• Scratching posts and climbing frames
And allowing him to hunt for his food by feeding kibble in puzzle feeders.
Redirect your kitten’s energy onto something appropriate if you see him about to strike. A ball, toy or scrunched up piece of paper will positively interrupt the behavior and save your skin from attack.
Other Methods
Ignore the behavior. If a bite happens silently walk away without making eye contact or showing any emotion. Stopping an instinctive “Ow!” may require wearing sturdy boot-slippers and/or gloves!
Your cat will soon learn that biting leads to a loss of your attention. Alternatively, carry him at arm’s-length and place him outside the room. After a ten minute time-out, allow him to return.
Be consistent in your approach and only reward good behavior. Have patience. Your kitten will outgrow this phase.
A recommendation that might work for some kittens is to get another one of approximately the same age so they can play with each other. However, there are no guarantees that they will continue to get along once they have matured.
How to Stop a Kitten Biting
When kittens bite they are not being aggressive but performing behavior that helps them develop important survival skills. Sadly, some owners, like the one who posted the following, believe it’s a deliberate and malicious act:
”I make sure to hurt her as much as she did me. That seems like something she’ll certainly understand as retaliation for her aggression toward me.”
Anonymous forum poster
I can confirm that this is absolutely incorrect. Your kitten is not a little terror, she’s just being a kitten. Experiences during the first few months of a kitten’s life are key in shaping its long-term behavior. This is why it’s so important for us to not only learn what normal kitten behavior is but to also understand how to respond to it appropriately.
Kittens need appropriate outlets for their normal predatory behaviors. Punishment doesn’t work, but withdrawing your attention helps teach your kitten how to interact with you.
Have you struggled with your kitten biting? Tell us about it in the comments.
References
- Aspinall, V. & Cappello, M., Introduction to Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, 2015.
- Bradshaw, J., “Cat Communication: Sight, Sound and Touch.”
- Halls, V., “Bad Cats: A Difficult Kittenhood?” 2014.
- Halls, V., “Fighting Tooth and Claw: Aggression Prophylaxis in Companion Cats.”
- Hennet, P., “Cavities and calculus…Undertaking thorough dental examinations in cats,” Journal of Veterinary Dentistry.
- Turner, D. C. & Bateson, P., The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour, 2000.
Is it still considered play bitting if your kittens bites you when you pick them up, or pet them? Not every time but almost half the time? And should it be treated the same way?
Hi, my name is Diane..i have a 10wk. Old Kitten. I’ve tried aaaall suggestions you made and nothing is working..She goes into attack mode, ears back, change of eyes. I desperately need some help…
Hi, I do not claim to be a cat or kitten expert but I have raised of 30 kittens.(I do cat rescue) lol!!
I know exactly what your saying!! I have a cat that I raised from the time he was a minutes old because his mom was killed by a car. He was my baby and still is he follows me everywhere. One day we were in my basement together he was being very good and I said come on bit bit mommy will give you some treats I went to walk up the stairs I turned to look at him his ears were back and he had the craziest look in eyes I’ve never seen that before in any cat I’ve ever raised!!
He attacked me badly I got him off and he did it again!! I was hurt very badly he ripped my legs open if I didn’t have a broom within arms length I didn’t know what would have happened!!
I picked up the broom and that was enough to scare him and he stopped there were no loud noises nothing to startle him. I love him with all my heart but I became terrified of him so I had to rehome him to my friend that does cat therapy. I see him all the time at least twice a week. She is working with him everyday.
Now I’m telling you this not to scare you but to let you know it’s not your fault. My cat showed no sign of this as a kitten. Your lucky you are catching it early.
If you are stimulating him enough with quality playtime I would suggest you find someone professional to help you so you can nip it in the bud.
There are cat behaviorists just make sure you get references. Like I said you are smart to address this early. I will never forget that look in eyes they got really big and looked crazy if that makes sense!!
I wish you the best of luck. Be patient I’m sure this situation can be corrected!!
Diane,. I have been a cat mom for almost 47 years and I currently have four cats ages 1 to 13 years. I had a cats only veterinarian when I lived in Wisconsin. This woman really knows cats. She recommended that I bite kitten back if saying no quietly & firmly didn’t work or using a spray bottle of water did not deter biting. I was sceptical, but followed vet’s instructions to very, very lightly nip tip if one ear on kitten. There would be a shriek and kitten would take off. Whichever kitten this was at time would come back anywhere from 5-15 minutes later for cuddling which she or he received in bunched. This may sound harsh, but it has worked for me with five kittens in 47 years who would bite hard as opposed to nipping in play.
What causes a kitten to meow so much?
I’m struggling with an 8-month-old who still bites to play. He was a stray and who knows what he was exposed to in the first months of his life during his normal socialization phase, but we found him outdoors as a 3-month-old, starving and skeletal, full of worms and recovering from a broken tail (and possibly more, no way to tell without full x-rays done yet). I think it’s a safe assumption that he was a bit too busy trying to survive to learn proper cat boundaries. Since we brought him in and nursed him to health, he has blossomed from 3.5 lbs into 8.5 lbs of energetic muscle, and he’s very affectionate and has bonded strongly with me. Unfortunately he does still bite in play, and sometimes to try to control me. We don’t play with him with our hands, we always redirect to a toy. If he gets too bitey we ignore him for a while. He still goes through “fits” where he’ll bite a lot in a short period of time and get himself kicked out of my personal space for a while. He will occasionally respond to being told “no” about getting places he’s not allowed, etc. with attempting to bite, but those are usually a feint and he just wants to see me dodge it. I am really hoping that he will mature out of this as we can’t ignore it any more than we already are, and we already try to play him to exhaustion at least twice a day.
I recommend that you just keep doing what you are doing. You are on the right track, just hang in there. I’m assuming he is neutered ? If not do it now. It will have a positive effect without doubt. He actually sounds like a good, intelligent cat who learned to survive as best he could, and his persistence was part of that. So use yours and be patient till it works ! It will be OK ?
I rescued a 14 week old female kitten and at first very sweet. She stays in my bedroom at night because of the dog in the house. While I’m sleeping, the kitten comes bites my cheeks or lips hard enough to draw blood. This is normal behavior?
My kitten is 6 months old. She breaks the skin and makes me bleed every day. She was spayed yesterday, and has all her shots, so I’m hoping that she settles down a little.
Hi, I have a 6 month old boy kitten, he’s been neutered about a month ago, but his behaviour didn’t change at all. He is affectionate half the time and the other half he will bite or attack to get attention, or if he doesn’t want to be told what to do. He also likes to pee and poop in our sinks sometimes but also happily uses his litter tray very well, so I’m unsure why he started using the sinks, except again, maybe for attention? We don’t let him in the bathroom now unless supervised.
When he bites for attention, he’ll attack and sometimes latch on to my arm and will bite and bite harder if I ignore him. I’ve tried hissing which worked when he was younger, but that or screaming (as some guides recommend) no longer works. When he latches on, how do you remove him without flinging them off? Another example is, if he’s somewhere he shouldn’t be, and you try to remove him, he’s clever enough to jump to attack your hand closing him out of a room etc.
I’ve tried spray bottles, ignoring it, yelling, adding citrus scents to items I don’t want him to touch, and giving him time out’s. But none have worked – maybe I’ve not been consistent enough? I’ve found he is trainable with treats, teaching him to come and sit down when I have a treat – and am currently leash training him. His positive side is wonderful, but I can’t seem to stop the biting and attention seeking.
Any advice will be so helpful, I am at a loss for how to stop the biting. Thanks!
My man is the exact same way! He got him at 12 weeks from the shelter and he will attack for attention when he wants or needs something. At night, he will bite our arms and make them bleed! We have tried it all. He can be so sweet and loving, it’s put me in a quandary.
Hi! Thank you for all these great recommendations and important insights. My husband and I rescued a 4 weeks old kitten who is 9 weeks old now. He is the sweetest, loves to cuddle, affectionate and loves being around people. With my husband, he loves to bite his feet (especially when he has colorful socks) and we are trying to get him to stop this behavior. He doesn’t really bite him anywhere else, occasionally the hand if he doesn’t to be held anymore. However, with me, he is different. He goes to me mainly for cuddles. He knows my feet and hands are off limits so he doesn’t really bite me in those places but for the past 2 weeks, he has instead started biting me in my face almost every morning. My nose, my chin, even my cheek. The only pattern I have managed to somewhat find here is that his food bowl is empty in the morning and that I am always the one who gets up first in the morning and give him food. When this happens, I either hold him down for a few seconds with both my hands and say “no” or just ignore him but he just tries to bite again, and I end up having a dry scab formed on my skin where he bit. Why does he do this? Can it be because I have spent more time with him since he was rescued, and was the first one he met and who took care of him, so he thinks it’s okay to bite me this way, like he would perhaps bite his cat mama or something?
My kitten is 6 months old and extremely lovey. However, more so lately after some nice attention, he will then turn very aggressive and bite my feet, knees or legs, and I don’t notice anything leading up to this. If I say no, and remove him from my leg, he comes back even harder, so I started putting him in another room for 10 mins – kitty time out.
We have lots of play time and tons of toys and a cat post and I just don’t know what else to do to keep him entertained or to stop the biting..
Who in the world posted that she “makes sure to hurt her as much as she did me”?! That person needs to have their kitten removed from them. There is absolutely no way to gauge a kitten’s pain threshold based on a human one and I am SURE she is abusing this cat.
Give what you get I say. What is she supposed to do let the damn animal claw her???
I am in agreement Denny. When I read it I felt sad and sickened. Yes, the kitten should be rehomed to someone who understands kitten/cat behaviour better. No one should ever hurt an animal. I just can’t believe that someone would harm a little kitten who is growing and learning. Shame on them.
Hi Doris, good spot! We have adjusted the article to fix this mistake, thanks for pointing it out!
My 5 month old kitten bites my fingers when she curls up on my lap for a cuddle. I begin to pat her, she purrs, and then bites my fingers while purring. I say NO and put her straight down and she then jumps up again and it’s repeated over and over. She has been doing this since we got her 2 months ago and still hasn’t learnt that biting results in no cuddles. What should I do to stop this?
We rescued a cute little female at 9 wks old. We have an older male cat, neutered, he’s 5yrs old. This little kitten attacks him, so many times, that the older cat has started to make her cry out with little squeaks of pain. But she makes him cry out in pain also. Is their relationship going to be ok? She is now 12 wks old and she will not leave him alone. He never initiates the play, so I’m not sure he likes playing with the kitten. He seems to be a bit stressed by her, and just seems to try and stay out of her way. Any advice on this situation.
Thanks, Lou K.
Hi, we adopted a kitten from the Humane Society about 6 weeks ago. He was very sweet at first then he started biting everything and everyone, me especially …. he comes up to me (looking innocent) bites me then runs away. He bites my hands, arms, feet, legs, stomach & face … he also bites my husband. He loves having snuggles and doesn’t bite me then but when he’s ready to play, look out !! I’ve tried ignoring him and I’ve also given him a “time out” by leaving the rooms he’s allowed to go in (the rest of the house isn’t kitten proofed yet) but he continues to bite. Can you please help us ?
We took our sweet babes home at eight weeks of age, and tomorrow he will be fourteen weeks. Felix is a biter. He only bites me and not my husband. I try not to respond to his nibbles, but sometimes it is impossible not to react.
The first four weeks were the worst, and the past week it seems to be less frequent. I am learning his body language and avoiding having my hands around him in play mode. We provide him with toys and play with him as much as we can.
We have a room that we have kitty proofed; it is a home office that he stays in at night and when we are away throughout the day. We also have a ten-year-old cat Wiscus; because of this, we kept them apart for the first three weeks as we gradually introduced them. They do quite well together, but I know there are times that Wiscus has had enough. For now, keeping Felix in his room at night gives our senior cat a break and keeps him out of harm’s way.
I chalk his biting up to just being a baby, playing the only way he knows how with his mama. I have never hit him, or neither have I been aggressive to him. I am optimistic that this will pass as he matures; as for now, I will teach him what is acceptable behaviour and reward him.
We must treat our baby kittens/cats with respect and patients. I want Felix to have the best start in life that I can give him!
Be patient, be kind and fill their days with play and love!!
My furbaby ,who I absolutely love, bit me and drew blood for no reason . I think it was to get my attention as ,I was preparing chicken for our tea. I told him he was a naughty boy , then I realised why he did it as he was wanting the chicken. I cooked a few pieces for him but I’m concerned that my granddaughter said he sometimes attacks her unexpected. He has more toys than any shop could own , so it’s not as if he’s bored. He also likes my attention and is rather boisterous. I have been told that once he has been done he should calm down . He has his op next week but I am still wary if he does bite or attack .any advice would be appreciated .
My phoenix is about 8 months old, had been neutered about 2 weeks ago. No change in his disposition. He still wants to play by biting my feet and hands. Tonight he just attacked, ears back, funny slanted eyes, i mean he jumped twiceat my thighs
I finally squirted hot water at him, he stopped.
My 7 month old male rag doll started attacking and biting me after he got neutered. It’s getting painful, I have tried walking away from him and he attaches himself to my leg whilst still biting. I am now trying putting him in another room for 10 minutes, he cries in the other room then comes out the sweetest kitten but it does not last!! Any ideas?? As it only started at 6 months, nothing has changed within the house.
We are fostering a 10 month old rescued Tabby who bite a lot. She has the most extreme high energy and we can never really tire her out. She gets into everything and refuses to listen to the word no of course. She has 5 cat trees, lots of toys, lots of windows but will still have the most extreme moments and will bite and scratch when you try to pet her at the wrong time or even pick her up to get her in her room. I have a senior 15 yr old and while the into was very slow this new girl has attacked her twice and the 15 yr old now hates to be around her. This was a foster with the option to adopt but it is NOT the right match. She has many Begal both physical and emotional. I even got nipped while laying down. Fortunately she doesn’t ever break skin but the bite are still uncomfortable. She goes for out of control to loving and purring at times too. But around my 15 yr old the low howling and slow stalking approach comes out and she always look like she’s ready to attack. I hate to give her back but I will in a week for the good of my senior cat. I hope they can find a match for her. Because of this she doesn’t show that well, especially when other cats are nearby. She is 8 lbs of terror and loving at the same time and I’ve tried all your suggestions with her except of course for lots of time.
Hi, I wish you good luck. Our kitten will be spayed as soon as our vet can do it. she has had her shots and going on 8 months old. She attacks me every evening, when I watch T.V. in the other room. I have so many bites around my arms and some on my body. Mostly she grabs my right arm and then it begins!!!!!I sure hope it stops once she is spayed. Let me know if someone comes up away to stop this please, she only bites me not my husband.
My kitten will be 7 weeks old tomorrow & im already a mess. I have scratches EVERYWHERE. From my legs, to my hands, to my arms, my chest and as of this evening, my upper lip… although that was from bites. I understand he’s just being a kitten but tonight he bit my lip so hard it bled & thats how I found this article. I read somewhere else that if you use a water bottle with some vinegar to spray them with that it should work as an aversive or deterrent but i dont think its nice to spray them. I blow air (from my mouth-not an air can) in his face when he bites my hands & it sends him off for all of 2 seconds. We have our 1st vet check up at the end of the month but in the meantime I am going nuts. I read a comment above about someone who bites their cats ear & I did read that idea somewhere else because its how cats learn about biting boundries but I cant bring myself to bite my poor baby. I just keep reminding myself he’s just being his little animal self & doing what instinctively feels right to him. I just have to figure out how to get him to stop biting ME… so I went online and bought him some (more!) toys to stimulate him more & a rubber toy/toothbrush so he will hopefully turn to chewing that instead of me.
You need to speak cat if you want your kitten to understand. When a kitten bites you , respond immediately with a hiss, that is how another cat would respond to unwanted biting. The big think is to be consistent, and to hiss as infrequently as possible so you do not overuse it.