Kitten Rough Play - Biting

[danielle.92]

Backstory:
I rescued my kitten when he was 10 days old. I bottle fed him and he sees me as his mom. He suckles my finger to go to sleep and sleeps in my bed on my pillow! I live in an apartment.

He is now 7 months old, been vaccinated, micro-chipped and neutered. He is very hyperactive (but I am assuming that this is because he is a kitten). His energy level doesn't bother me, the only problem is he BITES.

Problem:

When he plays, he bites me and its very sore (doesn't draw blood though). He will come for a cuddle when I am watching TV and just bite me?? I don't know what to do!

I am not sure if it is because he hasn't been around other kittens and lost out on the socializing aspect, but getting another kitten is not an option as I already have 2 house rabbits! (The kitten gets on with the bunnies, but sometimes plays a bit too rough with them - if I solve his biting problem then he can have bunny friends!!)

 

[duckpond]

Kittens do bite while playing, they play rough sometimes! If you ever watch two kittens play it can look vicious, but its normally not, its just how they play. Since he doesn't have another cat around you may get the rough play. There are a lot of articles online about play aggression and how to stop it.

Another thing cats do is love bites.. lol. i have a big male that does this when he gets overstimulated by petting, or when he is just lonely and wants petting. He is getting better with this as he ages, and if he starts the biting we try to either quit petting, or redirect it to a toy. there is a lot of info online about love bites as well. Best of luck to you guys!

 

[danteshuman]

First get him neutered & wait 2 weeks ... right now he is super aggressive. Also you might want to keep 2 doors between him & the outside until he gets snipped. He is all teenage hyperness plus hormone driven right now. I would suggest a kickaroo, plenty of small toys to toss away from you to distract him, tons of play sessions every day, wand toys ... and training after his operation.
KONG Kickeroo Giraffe Pattern Cat Toy
KONG Active Feather Teaser Cat Toy, Color Varies
I have a different kind of these ... I call them feather missiles. Any type of ball with a feather toy will do. Buy 6 ... they get lost Anyhow keep them in your pockets and toss away if you have a charge/attack kitty. KONG Naturals Crinkle Ball with Feathers Cat Toy, Color Varies

Solving Cat Behavior Problems: The Key Ingredient
How Well Do You Speak Cat?
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

 

[danteshuman]

Every time my cats bit me, used claws I would wail OOOOOOooooOOOOOOOWwwwWWWWWWWWwwwwwWWW in a high pitch voice and then ignore them for 15-30 minutes. You can do No, Ow, Hiss at them or Ouch (or my ow wail) ... just be consistent and then ignore them. Eventually they learn attacking you ends playtime instead of starting it. Some cats can not be trusted with your hand holding they toy ... they get to excited (like my punk.) Your cat needs wand toys and toys that get tossed until a week or two after his operation.

Because you have a bottle baby you may have to do more. So if a month or two after he is neutered he is still giving you issues you can hiss at him, scruff and release or *LIGHTLY* tap the side of his face with one/two finger(s) to mimic his mom bopping him to teach him manners. Enjoy your guy. In my experience bottle babies are the best ... though they can be bottle brats

 

[Patomas]

My little would play very rough before she was spayed, now a lot of the aggressiveness is gone and the only thing she'd try to do is byte me. It's ok since she's only playing so it's a pretend byte. Other than that, give him timeouts when he's behaving badly and he'll probably understand. Also change your tone of voice, they get that.