A week ago I adopted a male kitten, Oliver, and am wondering how long it takes to see results from efforts at breaking bad play biting habits. He is 9 weeks-old today.
For Oliver's first two days with me, he occasionally attempted to bite my hands during petting (I never used my hands for play) so I employed the gentle push-back method which worked wonderfully. We were making strides. Unfortunately, it's when I took Oliver to the vet on Day 3 that the biting got worse...
The vet, along with her technician and I, had a play session with Oliver on the floor. It wasn't until the end of the session did I realize the tech was using her hands as toys to play with him!!
That very evening Oliver morphed into a true biting maniac.
It's been three days now since the biting escalated that I've resumed using the gentle push-back technique. I do not yet see results. While he does indeed stop biting, he'll pause for a moment with ears slightly pinned back (and that crazy dilated pupil look) before he starts again. He's also begun attacking my legs when I'm sleeping, and lunging at my ankles both out in the open and ambush-style.
I've perused other threads about biting but could not find a good time frame for how long it takes to break a kitten of this tendency. Not only that, but how do we know when to move on to other techniques? Could it be the push-back method is no longer working so it's time for something else? Please note that I do not support certain methods of training like spraying with water, nose flicking, yelling, or anything else potentially frightening for a cat, so thank you for not suggesting things like this to me
I appreciate the help; thank you kindly in advance,
Emm
P.S. I do realize now that Oliver should have stayed home with Momma for a bit longer! Also, I have regular play sessions with him, typically five to six times a day. I offer a varied play routine and rotate toys and activities frequently.
For Oliver's first two days with me, he occasionally attempted to bite my hands during petting (I never used my hands for play) so I employed the gentle push-back method which worked wonderfully. We were making strides. Unfortunately, it's when I took Oliver to the vet on Day 3 that the biting got worse...
The vet, along with her technician and I, had a play session with Oliver on the floor. It wasn't until the end of the session did I realize the tech was using her hands as toys to play with him!!
That very evening Oliver morphed into a true biting maniac. It's been three days now since the biting escalated that I've resumed using the gentle push-back technique. I do not yet see results. While he does indeed stop biting, he'll pause for a moment with ears slightly pinned back (and that crazy dilated pupil look) before he starts again. He's also begun attacking my legs when I'm sleeping, and lunging at my ankles both out in the open and ambush-style.
I've perused other threads about biting but could not find a good time frame for how long it takes to break a kitten of this tendency. Not only that, but how do we know when to move on to other techniques? Could it be the push-back method is no longer working so it's time for something else? Please note that I do not support certain methods of training like spraying with water, nose flicking, yelling, or anything else potentially frightening for a cat, so thank you for not suggesting things like this to me
I appreciate the help; thank you kindly in advance,
Emm
P.S. I do realize now that Oliver should have stayed home with Momma for a bit longer! Also, I have regular play sessions with him, typically five to six times a day. I offer a varied play routine and rotate toys and activities frequently.
