Help! Aggressive Kitten

slslbama9

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I have an unaltered male kitten. He is around 3 months old and has some aggression at times. At least I think it’s aggression... I’m on here to find help and answers. He can be a sweet cat at times and then he can quickly turn and start biting, clawing, and attacking me, unprovoked. I play with him as often as I can but he likes to bite my arms more than he likes to play with the toys. It is to the point where I am in pain from all of these scratches and bites.
 

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slslbama9

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I have an unaltered male kitten. He is around 3 months old and has some aggression at times. At least I think it’s aggression... I’m on here to find help and answers. He can be a sweet cat at times and then he can quickly turn and start biting, clawing, and attacking me, unprovoked. I play with him as often as I can but he likes to bite my arms more than he likes to play with the toys. It is to the point where I am in pain from all of these scratches and bites.
Oops... I posted too soon. Anyways:
I have tried everything to curb this. Playing with him often, directing him to toys when he bites, squirt bottle (I know it’s terrible), yelling at him, acting angry. Nothing works. He doesn’t respond to anything. I do believe that he is so aggressive because he believes he is the dominant one. I need to fix this so that he stops attacking me because it’s getting miserable and my family is not very happy about him attacking them at all times. I was wondering if I could put him in his car carrier for a couple of minutes when he chooses to bite. I don’t know if that is bad to do or if it will help at all. Does anyone have any experience of ideas on this?
 

ArtNJ

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Kittens play with each other by doing this stuff. They have fur so it doesn't hurt each other. So its natural that they try this stuff on their human, not a sign of aggression. They just have to be trained not too.

I am not sure putting him in the carrier has sufficient immediacy for his small mind to link it up properly. Same with the squirt gun, because you have to go get it. (And some cats don't really dislike it.) So I think its best to use the loud noise + disengage method, and that is what most of us recommend here. I use a loud "No!" -- some here recommend a loud "hiss" on the theory that they may recognize that as "bad". I personally doubt that, people hissing don't sound like cats hissing, but as long as the "hiss" is loud enough its the same method -- any loud noise will do as long as your consistent.

Make sure you never play with the cat with your hands -- always use a toy.
 

di and bob

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If kittens are separated from their mama and siblings before ten-twelve weeks of age, they don't learn how to limit their aggression or play nice, this is the age they learn manners. He is not doing it to be mean or aggressive, he was never taught different. Physical punishment does not work with cats. They are not of a pack mentality and worry about pleasing an alpha leader. The first thing to do is to yell ouch or no loudly and then ignore the kitten and take his fun away by leaving,they live to play. Kittens play very hard. But they have to learn limits too, just like any toddler. Do this every time, one time you let him get rough, he thinks it is acceptable behavior and you have to start over. Get a 'kickeroo', a couple of them at Amazon or a pet store, make sure it is for cats,and throw it towards him when he looks like he is going to attack, they get rid of a lot of aggression. Keep one in a baggie with some catnip to 'refresh' it. The next time he attacks you, grab him by the loose skin on the back of the neck, hold him still to the floor and tell him NO, hissing helps too, (just make sure there is no one around! :) ) Pick his front feet off the ground if he struggles. Do this EVERY time he attacks and release him after he quiets.This is what mama cats do with an unruly youngster and he will instinctively 'get it'. Siblings bite back hard, scratch, and scream, if you have been around many kittens the roughness and the manner teaching is amazingly loud and startling! Your little one will need to be neutered soon too. This is very effective in getting rid of aggression and stops a LOT of unwanted nasty behaviors such as spraying urine and wandering for miles in search of a female. all the luck and keep us posted!
 

rubysmama

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Hello and welcome to TCS. :wave2: Sorry about your hand. Do keep an eye on the scratches/bites and have them checked out by a doctor if they look at all infected.

About your kitten's rough play, here's an article from the Humane Society that might be helpful:
Teach your kitten how to play nice

Plus one from TCS:
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

Good luck. Keep us posted. And do post a picture of the little guy, if you can. :camera:
 

Stinky15

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I have an unaltered male kitten. He is around 3 months old and has some aggression at times. At least I think it’s aggression... I’m on here to find help and answers. He can be a sweet cat at times and then he can quickly turn and start biting, clawing, and attacking me, unprovoked. I play with him as often as I can but he likes to bite my arms more than he likes to play with the toys. It is to the point where I am in pain from all of these scratches and bites.
He may be getting overstimulated, maybe this helps:

Why Do Cats Attack?
 
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ArtNJ

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Another thing to realize is that you can't pet many 12 week old kittens unless they are sleepy. At best they will skitter away and at worst they will think its hand play.
 

tarasgirl06

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Helloo S slslbama9 and baby boy, and welcome to TCS! Other posters have some good suggestions, the most important of which are NEVER to physically punish a cat, and NEVER to use hands in play, but always use an interactive toy such as a "da Bird", "Cat Dancer", or other wand-and-lure type toy. Cat behaviorist extraordinaire Jackson Galaxy, the "Cat Daddy", who has a wonderful show, "MY CAT FROM HELL" on Animal Planet TV channel, plus lots of videos on YouTube and several books, is an excellent source to learn from regarding play and kittens. You might want to look him up. Kittens are rambunctious by nature, as they learn from playing with their siblings and mom about hunting techniques. As they grow, they will in time settle down somewhat. And many veterinarians as well as caring cat experts favor "Fix By Five" (neutering by five months) while others say that kittens weighing over 2 pounds can be neutered. Whichever, or in between, your kitten will need his neutering appointment fairly soon, after which his hormones will settle and lessen, and that will probably make him less "aggressive" as well. Good luck, and keep us informed, won't you? We love pix here at TCS, too.
 
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