8 Month Old Kitten Bites Through The Skin

[Anitafajita]

We have an 8 month old Siamese kitten named S'mores. He's was neutered at 6 months of age. He was a birthday gift for my 8 year old daughter.

S'mores is aggressive with my daughter. Without cause or motivation, he'll run across the room and bite her. He bites so hard it draws blood and leaves puncture wounds. This happens often. My daughter has wounds and bruises from his bites.

S'mores has also bitten a visitor through the skin and caused them to bleed.

S'mores has never bitten me. I tend to be the one to feed him. I also don't go out of my way to spend time with him. I have a 1 year old who occupies most of my time. He did scratch my 1 year old and that concerns me.

Any tips on how to get this biting behavior to stop?

 

[ArtNJ]

First, lets try and figure out if this is play biting or aggressive biting. Does it happen during the "zoomies" when the kitten runs around manically bouncing off walls? Does the cat make excited "eh eh" noises before, or growl or hiss? Does he twitch his tail and couch down wiggling his butt before launching? Do noises set him off or seeing an animal through a window?

If its play biting, we can use a very loud "No!" coupled by ignoring the cat to eventually get the message in. Avoid playing with the cat with hands and always use a toy. Try and play more to get the cat's energy out.

My hope is that since this is a youngish kitten its play biting. The amount of damage doesn't necessarily preclude it being play. Also, the fact that your daughter is targeted and you aren't doesn't preclude it being play either. Cats are creatures of habit, and it wouldn't be weird for a cat to decide your daughter is a target of play biting while you are not. Especially if your daughter played with the cat roughly with hands when she was younger.

If it is some form of aggressive biting, things may be a bit trickier, but we can still try and help.

Tell us more about it.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. If your kitten is biting your 8 year old daughter hard enough to draw blood, that is not "love bites". Please keep an eye on any bites that break the skin, as cat bites can become infected. Here's a couple articles with more info:

Cat Bites - What Every Cat Owner Needs To Know
Ouch! More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Cat Bites

Has Smores always been this aggressive, or has it just started? If it's recent, a vet visit might be a good idea, to ensure he doesn't have anything medical going on.

I'll post links to a few more articles that might be helpful.
Cat Aggression Toward People
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - you've gotten some great advice, suggestions and thoughts!
I'm wondering if it's redirected stress - you have a new human baby and your baby meezer is struggling to deal with it all.

One of those articles mentions Feliway as a calming product. If that doesn't help, as some felines are unaffected by it, there are a lot of other products on the market.

In the short term, fill a can half full with coins. You, and your daughter, can shake that can hard a couple times to startle/re-wire his little feline brain out of the bad behavioral mode. Or, throw a ring of keys on the floor near to him when he starts.

And, HISS at him - just like his mama would do to train him out of bad behavior.