cat biting and scratching

[racky]

Hello all!  Hoping someone can give some advice:

I have a 4 month old kitty who for the most part has adjusted well to her new home (had her about 2 weeks now).  She has recently started to scratch and bite me, but not my husband.  I can't figure out if she is playing or not.  She will scratch at my body, as if she is trying to get underneath.  So if I'm laying in bed, she will scratch at my arm or side until I roll over or completely get up.  If I am sitting in a chair, she will get on the edge of the chair and scratch my butt until I move or stand up.  She will also bite my toes, knee, hands, or arm.  She has never broken the skin, which is why I'm not sure if she is playing or not.  She does not do this to my husband.

Any words of wisdom?  You all seem to know so much, so hoping someone can give some advice.  :-)

 

[lamiatron]

 
Hello all!  Hoping someone can give some advice:

I have a 4 month old kitty who for the most part has adjusted well to her new home (had her about 2 weeks now).  She has recently started to scratch and bite me, but not my husband.  I can't figure out if she is playing or not.  She will scratch at my body, as if she is trying to get underneath.  So if I'm laying in bed, she will scratch at my arm or side until I roll over or completely get up.  If I am sitting in a chair, she will get on the edge of the chair and scratch my butt until I move or stand up.  She will also bite my toes, knee, hands, or arm.  She has never broken the skin, which is why I'm not sure if she is playing or not.  She does not do this to my husband.

Any words of wisdom?  You all seem to know so much, so hoping someone can give some advice.  :-)

hi and welcome to TCS

i hope others will chime in soon and offer some advice to you.

here are some things i can suggest/have thought

-since you did not mention that she bites or scratches you while you are petting her, i don't think she could be aggression from over stimulation as she is randomly doing this to you

- since she is not breaking skin, this also leads me to assume this is out of play. she does it to you because she loves you and wants to play with you. however, you can't encourage this behavior by letting it continue. if she learns that this is acceptable, she will try to play with your body as she gets older as well, and scratches and bits from an older, bigger, and stronger kitty are not cute or fun.

- when you notice her doing this, try to distract her, by throwing a toy some where else so she follows it. DO NOT get up and play with her. she will assume that every time she wants you with play, she will have to scratch you. throw a toy or something away from your body, to distract her. she's only 4 mo. old, and probably is looking for an outlet for her energy.

- if that doesn't work. you have to simply ignore her. ignore her meaning, if she starts, just get up and walk away. she will understand and learn, that when she does this, you will not stay with her, and its not acceptable.

- whenever she starts to scratch and bite, what i did, and this worked for me, i picked my kitty up and placed him on the scratching post. the first couple of times he had no idea why i was doing this. one time he got frustrated and just started to scratch and bite his scratching post and thats when the light bulb went off on his head. he doesn't scratch ANYTHING in my house other than what he's supposed to he's a good boy.

anytime you notice your kitty using the scratching post as you showed her, reward her with a treat. associate using the scratching post with something good and positive like food or treats.

also, since you have a kitten, try to spend 30 mins to an hour daily (can be broken up) playing with her. using a wand with a string type of toy is best for this, or a laser pointer. you need her to run around and get exhausted! your girl needs proper stimulation, and an outlet for her energy.

hope this helps!

 

[mservant]

I agree with what Lamiatron has said about diverting scratching and biting motions to more appropriate play and to scratching posts, but my main question is on how much you play with this new arrival as it sounds as if she is wanting to play and inviting you to play with her or to give her other attention (food, clean litter...). 

At the moment she is not hurting or breaking skin but if what she is trying to communicate to you is not understood and she feels frutrated her attempts could become more forceful, also as she gets bigger.  If she has clean litter and a supply of food and water the chances are she is looking for more play, and kittens need a lot of it!   Three of four half hour sessions would not be unusual for a young cat a few months old once settled in and not anxious about new home surroundings.

 

[racky]

Thank you for your replies and advice!

She does sometimes bite or scratch while petting, but I stop once she does that.  The biting and scratching that I am wondering about happens when I'm just sitting or laying there.

As for how much play.....well, she has way more energy than I do!  I try for at least two 20 minute sessions a day, and vigorous enough that she is breathing hard and wants a break. Some days I manage 3 or 4 play sessions.  I will try for more play.  Maybe she just needs to get her energy out!

I have wondered if I am feeding her enough.  I have an appointment with the vet this weekend for an overall checkup, and planned on asking her about this. Right now she gets 1 small can of wet food a day, broken up over 4 meals.  Plus she always has dry food in her bowl whenever she wants it.

Litter box gets scooped about 3 times a day (usually always after she does her business).

I will try to add more play time, and also try the trick of diverting her attention when she starts to bite/scratch.

I'm totally new at this, and we are both learning as we go!  :-)

 

[mservant]

We are all learning as we go I fear, that's one of the things about sharing our life with cats. 

  It sounds like you are doing pretty well, what with the regular scooping and the keeping a general eye on her, and checking out what you are doing.  I hope all is well when she goes to the vet for her first check up, she looks in good form in her photos on the site. 

Definitely go with the more play and the diverting from bites and scratches - and what @Lamiatron said about ignoring and staying still if she does get you.

Your little girl looks stunning: her tail looks incredibly long and her paws look big so wonder if she is looking to do a lot of growing as well as a tonne of play!  Kittens rarely over eat so if she does look for more food as well as being up for a run about I would tend to give it to her, and wet food is more nutritious than dry if you can afford it and you are around so it isn't sitting in a bowl and going stale.

 

[racky]

Well, I have increased the play time, and it seems to be working, at least at night time.  I think I tire her out so much that she ends up sleeping at night, rather than biting and scratching at me.  I have also started to set her down or walk away if she starts up, rather than trying to get her to stop.  I think she is starting to get that that behavior won't be tolerated.  I get she is a cat and these things are going to happen.  I think we are moving in the right direction though.  Thanks for the advice all!

MServant - she certainly is doing a ton of growing.  She hardly looks like the same cat that we adopted 3 weeks ago.  I would never know she is still a kitten by just looking at her.  She hit a growth spurt!

 

[mservant]

   Kitten sleep!   Exhausting your kitty is a great kitty friendly way to improve everyone's night time Z time.  Great to hear you are having success here.  You are wise to her being a cat and that some play behaviours are likely to continue, and that her instincts will always be with her, but it is nice to hear that you are all finding ways of understanding each other and what the boundaries are.  Sounds like you have made great progress together, and nicely in time for that growth spurt by the time of it!  May the good times continue and you all enjoy finding out even more about each other and what you like.  

I look forward to hearing more about the young cat antics in your home, and also seeing how your fur friend is growing in to those big paws and long tail of hers. 

 

 

[orangetux]

Hi and welcome, your kitty is so cute. I remember those days so well. Tiki is now six years old but still has to be played with daily. He will let you know if not. He loves to play aggressively so I have done all the things you were told. You are doing a great job, lucky kitty!