Angry Cat

[Knight's Cat]

I adopted my male kitten from a shelter at the supposedly age of 2 months. Its been 24 days since he is living with us now.
The first week he was with us, his behavior made us feel that we got the perfect child. Always staying with us, purring constantly, as well as very playful.
Fast forwarding to Day 24 and now while he still is very playful, neither does he purrs nor does he stay with us anymore. Whenever I try to pet him he always tries to bite my finger which he never did the first week.
Talking about biting, I let him bite it out while ignoring him as a read online it stops kitten from from biting. But his bite which starts as play bite turns into bite with full intention of biting the finger off.
Another thing I have noticed is that he has started a new behavior. Whenever I am sitting on my chair, which is near the bed, He climbs on the bed and goes into a fighting posture with his back arched up and tail puffed (see image for reference). And when I try to go near him he will without changing his posture stick to bed and later bite me. If I try to go back when he sees my while he is in that position he pounces on me.
And this is the same cat that licks me in the night while I sleep till now.
He also switches his personality way to quick. He fights and bites us in another room but as soon as he come near the empty food bowl he begs for it in the cutest and most disciplined manner. And after having his fill he again goes into that posture whenever he sees us.
I am confused whether he loves us or not. Today he bit my mother so hard that it bled. My family was not comfortable getting him but after 2 days they loved him so much but after his behavioral change they are getting afraid of him and the consequences that might happen if he keeps this behaviour.
Please guide me as it is my first time having a cat and as well as my first post.

 

[Spookymoo]

Hi Knight's Cat and welcome to the forums! It sounds to me like your kitten is just being a kitten! They are natural predators and at this age they want to practice their attacking skills on any moving object which will mean biting. A good thing to do is to train your new family member that hands are not the way to go but toys are.

Invest in some feather toys to wear him out or plush toys he can chomp down on to his hearts content. If he does bite you then stop attention immediately and it can help to make a noise similar to a hiss, don't move your hand away quickly as this can make the kitten think it is a game. Reinforce good behaviour such as when playing with toys and make sure you stop attention when they bite you, this will let the kitty know the fun only happens when they are biting other objects.

When he is tired out he will be happy to have his human cuddles but he does want a play friend just as much at this age.

Now whilst this all sounds like normal kitten behaviour if you notice his aggression is getting worse it may be worth a trip to the vets just to make sure there are no problems that could be making him a little angry. Any changes in eating, drinking, sleeping, litter tray, and/or if kitty begins to look less than tip top can mean that they may be feeling less than perfect so it would be good to keep an eye on this too.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kitten. Sorry, though, that he's becoming a bit of a biter. Do watch any that break the skin, as cat bites can become infected. Ouch! More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Cat Bites – TheCatSite Articles

About his biting, I'm thinking because he was adopted out so young, he didn't have time to learn kitty manners from his mom and siblings, therefore, he doesn't realize he's hurting you when he bites. Here's an article from the Humane Society that might be helpful: Teach your kitten how to play nice

Congrats on being a new cat parent, btw. Here's a TCS article that should have some useful tips for you:
First-time Cat Owner’s Guide – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Willowy]

Kittens are very very playful, and of course, being cats, their play is practice for hunting or fighting, so it can get a little rough! But everything you describe is normal kitten behavior, not true aggression.

Is it possible at all to get another kitten as a friend for him? It's really easier to raise 2 kittens, because they can play with each other and save your hands. If not, you will have to be his playmate, but you also don't want to get shredded, so you'll need a lot of toys. Get a large stuffed animal, and every time he tries to wrestle with you, grab the toy and have him wrestle with that instead. And also get a fishing pole kind of toy, and play with him until he's tired out, several times a day. That will really help.

 

[Danneq]

Aw, he's just a lil' baby! He'll grow out of this as long as you teach him that hands aren't toys. He just needs you to show him where the boundaries are. I 100% agree that getting another kitten would make everyone's lives easier (think how you wanted to play with other kids your age when you were little--with cats it's just the same!) but if your family won't swing for that, than toys toys toys.

 

[Knight's Cat]

Thank you Everybody for such a quick and explanatory response.
I will try to divert his playing attention towards toys and hope that it all works out.
Regarding getting another kitty, My Family will not be much happy regarding that decision. But we will all try our best to give him as much playtime as he requires.
Just Wanted to confirm that the hunch back posture regarding, which I talked in the first post, is it normal? Like what does my kitty wants to convey to me? And is it normal, because after that no matter who comes in front of him he tries to bite them.
As about his health he is in a great condition, with no changes in diet, elimination of waste, Activity level as well as sleep level.

 

[nwengel]

I can only speak to the arched back behavior, which I learned on this forum is play behavior. The first time my kitten did it, I thought she was going to attack me! Now that I know she wants to play, I run backwards when she skitters towards me. Then I take a couple steps towards her and she backs up. Repeat ad nauseam. She LOVES this. And it is so adorable to see her hopping sideways all puffed up. Give it a try next time, good luck!

 

[vince]

A kicker toy sounds like a good idea. You can buy one or make one out of some old sweat socks. Put one inside the other and tie them in knots. Really good for burning off energy. You can let the cat attack it, throw it or tie a cord to it and drag it around for a pursuit toy (just don't leave one lying around with the cord attached--too dangerous for kitty).

The arched back-sideways walk (often called a "crab walk') is just a kitten's play version of an adult cat's threatening behavior. If his ears aren't plastered against his head and he's not making angry noises, it's just play. They usually just hop across your field of view to get your attention while posturing like this.

 

[Knight's Cat]

Thank you so much for you lightning fast replies.
I hope my journey with my kitty goes smoothly.

 

[CatladyJan]

I can only speak to the arched back behavior, which I learned on this forum is play behavior. The first time my kitten did it, I thought she was going to attack me! Now that I know she wants to play, I run backwards when she skitters towards me. Then I take a couple steps towards her and she backs up. Repeat ad nauseam. She LOVES this. And it is so adorable to see her hopping sideways all puffed up. Give it a try next time, good luck!

View attachment 394016

LOL, Yes, one of my cats does that and we do a dance together.

 

[danteshuman]

Hi you have a kitten!

Besides what everyone else said I would add 2 things.

1) you need a family meeting where everyone agrees to play with the kitten using toys not hands/people! If the kitten is hunting them, they should toss a small toy away from them for him to chase or use a wand toy. Getting your kitten to follow a wand toy climbing up & down furniture/cat trees is a great way to help tire him out.

2) clicker training: it is a great way to help build a bond with the kitten & to train him to do what you want. So you can look up how to clicker training cats on YouTube. It will explain how to & give you some ideas on what you can train him to do. This will also help your family members to bond with your kitten.

Cats are grazers or bubblers & kittens are always hungry. So make sure your kitten always has kitten food available until they are at least 6 months old. They need kitten dry food 24/7 or 6-8 mini meals of wet food a day when they are itty bitty kittens (under 4 months.) Then I would feed a 4 month old kitten wet 6 times a day & a 6 month old & up 1.5 oz of wet food 4 times a day. (Or you can feed them wet once or twice a day & let them eat dry food in between.) Until they turn 2 years old, you should continue feeding them kitten food, they are still growing (like teenagers.)

rotating interactive toys helps keep cats/kittens busy. You can buy or make them yourself. Eventually you should seek to have 14-30 interactive toys you rotate. Give your kitten one for a day then hide (or store it somewhere where the cat can’t get it) and keep it away from your cat for a couple of weeks. That way the toy will be “new” & exciting. If you leave out the same interactive toy 24/7, the cat gets bored with it.

Take tons of pictures and videos! They grow up so fast!

 

[Alice07]

Something else that hasn't been mentioned yet -teething.

Your kitten is around the age when their adult teeth are starting to come through and will bite and chew a lot as a result.
Fingers, unfortunately, are the perfect combination of solid but not hard that's perfect for chomping on during this time. ^^;

 

[danteshuman]

Silvervine sticks or jumbo straws you replace often are good for teething kittens. Just replace the straw daily or when it starts to look chewed on. The silvervine stick you let them pick a favorite & gnaw on their teething stick to their hearts content!

 

[Docs Mom]

Hi !
I tie the straws in a knot once. Makes it easier to pick up and play and chew.... The color straws that are heavier plastic last longer. They are very popular with my litter of 4, four month old wild childs.....
Good luck with the biting, I'm dealing with that for a couple of weeks now !