Is my cat just mean?

[missivyrae]

Hello everyone,
I have posted on here before about my kitten’s behavior but I really am desperate to find a solution. My kitten is 7 months old and she was found on the side of the road at approximately 5 weeks old. There were no signs of a mom so I took her in. I know that because of this she was not with other litter mates or taught how to behave. Fast forward to now I am really struggling with discipline. She is the only cat in my house. I have never done anything to hurt her or yell at her in any way. I can be sitting on the bed after she has been fed, played with, etc. and she will come up to me and bite my arms. She will first start to bite and I say “No” but then she will go to try and use her back legs. (This really hurts) I try to pick her up and she squirms trying really hard to hang on to me. I then place her gently in the bathroom and shut the door for about 10 minutes. Nothing has gotten better. I bought new interactive toys because I’ve read that she could be bored. I don’t know if that’s it because she doesn’t do this to anyone else in my house. She is my cat and was raised by me. I am just beginning to get really concerned because she started scratching my face. I am afraid to leave her with a pet sitter because I feel that she could hurt someone. I don’t know if this is normal or if I should take her to the vet to see if she is in pain/has a heath concern. She is spayed and this behavior has stayed the same from before. Thank you for your advice in advance.

 

[susanm9006]

While to you it seems she is intentionally scratching or biting, I think she is actually just trying to play. Growing up without playmates she doesn’t know she is being too rough and hurting you. First thing to make sure she is getting enough active playtime with You. Use a wand or a laser to get her running and jumping for at least fifteen minutes a couple times a day.

When you are sitting or in bed beware of her body language and set her down before she can bite or scratch you. Keep a pillow near by to place between you and if she does leap at you use the pillow to block her and give her a big loud hiss. If she attacks again the set her outside your room and shut the door. You will likely need to repeat this many times before she realizes she can’t get away with biting.

If you keep one hand on the scruff of her neck and the other supporting her feet you should be able to move her without being bitten or her getting free.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I totally agree with susanm9006 . We see this behavior over and over with kittens who do not get to spend enough time with mom and littermates to learn how to "cat." First, understand that ALL play in cats of any age is practice for hunting. So it gets loud, and rowdy. Had your baby been able to stay with her cat family for 12-14 weeks or more, her mama and her littermates would have taught her what is "too much." I've always been in favor of the hiss. Cats are born knowing what a hiss means. I suspect you even gain street cred for knowing a bit of the language. And you MUST MUST MUST be consistent! Discipline the same action the same way every single time. LOL, this goes for the young of any mammalian species, actually!

 

[Kflowers]

Practice hissing away from your cat so you're good and clear with it. At first you may actually spit. That's okay, but it might startle you and spoil your hiss. A hiss is short and sharp, not long and drawn out. Think of it as saying No, that speed and inflection. A hiss starts behind your front teeth with a big push of air forward. Shape your mouth in an open lipped grin/ grimace, not a smile.

 

[Kieka]

Agreed with everything said above. I'd just add that the 10 minutes time out is a smidgen long. They don't connect punishment and action that well. When she does scratch or bite everytime at the very first touch of tooth or claw you have to hiss or cry out then remove yourself or her enough to stop the action and look away. Be overly dramatic for a while but the bottom line is sharp loud sound and ignore. Count to 30 then act like nothing happened. If she's doing it in bed, Cover yourself with blankets as needed. Basically act like you are thin tissue paper and be dramatic in your response. She will catch on that if tooth or claw hit skin you react and ignore her even if it is only seconds. Which is more effective then a time out.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Practice hissing away from your cat so you're good and clear with it. At first you may actually spit. That's okay, but it might startle you and spoil your hiss. A hiss is short and sharp, not long and drawn out. Think of it as saying No, that speed and inflection. A hiss starts behind your front teeth with a big push of air forward. Shape your mouth in an open lipped grin/ grimace, not a smile.

Since we're fine-tuning hisses, a LOOOOONG loud hiss will chase a raccoon away from a trash can, especially when combined with a stomping approach. Do not ask me how I know that, LOL!