Kitten aggressive when playing

[Sarahbear05]

Hello! I have a cat, a five month old little boy named Lynx. He's typically a very sweet cat. He loves to cuddle, always wants to be pet, follows us around our house, and he even sleeps with us every night weather we like it or not.

However he's also always been very high energy. He jumps on all our furnature, demands to explore every inch of the whole world- including outside of the house as he tries to get outside whenever we open our front door- and he's torn apart every toy we've ever gotten him within the day of buying it for him.

Our biggest issue with him is that he'll attack us. He's not trying to be agressive. He purrs while he does it half the time and he'll cuddle up with us right after so I doubt we're provoking him, and I witnessed him behaving the same way with his siblings back when we first adopted him at the shelter. He's clearly just playing, but it gets out of hand. He'll bite and scratch us and cling to our hands or feet. It's absolutely viscous to be honest and half the time he leaves marks. We try to push him away (gently, I don't want to hurt the poor thing), we spray him with a spray bottle, etc. He tears apart other toys within a day of getting them, it's ridiculous. We don't know how to get him to stop attacking us when he wants to play or what toys we could give him that he won't tear to shreds.

(Picture of the aftermath to one of his play attacks attached)

 

[abyeb]

Hi there! Congratulations on your new kitten! Playtime aggression like you’re describing is common in kittens. Basically, they just get overexcited and wound up during playtime. The key thing is, to be patient when training him. Negative reinforcement does not work well for cats. So I would not recommend any punishments beyond a stern “no”, or better yet, a hissing sound when he attacks you. Physical punishment (like using a spray bottle) might lead to him being scared of you. Instead, when he tries to attack you, you need to try redirecting his attention. Give him a toy that he can attack (such as a kickeroo). And then, when he attacks that instead of you, reward the behavior with a treat and praise.

Also, check out these helpful articles:

How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats – Cat Articles

5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat [Or otherwise punish them] – Cat Articles

 

[ArtNJ]

I use a just loud enough to be slightly startling "no!" which seems to work well. Might take a week or two of consistence. No training is instant with cats.

 

[Hellenww]

He tears apart other toys within a day of getting them, it's ridiculous. We don't know how to get him to stop attacking us when he wants to play or what toys we could give him that he won't tear to shreds.

My Monkey was the same way. I found cat friendly tough things in the dog, baby, and toddler sections. We had a lot of fun with a remote control truck meant for a toddler. I'd put a toy or treat in the back and have her chase it around the house plus no small parts to choke on.

 

[maggie101]

Spraying him, he thinks it's a game. Pushing him, even gently, he will come back at you. Hiss at him,say no and/or walk away. Clicker train him to sit. Get him micro chipped since he is so curious. Pull out a wand toy for him to play with.
And, thank you for taking him home!