New Cat Owner With A Problem!

[Audriee]

Hi everyone! My name is Audrie and I recently adopted a male kitten from a local shelter. He’s my first kitty and I love him so much. His name is Cayde (named after my favorite game character) and he’s about 3 months old, 7 weeks when adopted. He hasnt been neutered yet because he’s been underweight, but he’s swiftly approaching the appropriate 3 pounds and he can get the procedure soon!

I’m not sure how he ended up at the shelter or if he was separated from his mom too early, but I’m having a really big issue with raising him and maybe someone can help me.

He is a biter and a scratcher. He draws blood and leaves a dozen scratches on me daily, and always insists on biting me. He wraps his limbs around my arm, digs his claws into my skin, and goes to town with the biting. And it HURTS!
I feel like I’ve done everything I could do; I don’t use my hands as toys, always keep a toy handy in case he goes after me. I’ve blown air in his face; he doesn’t even FLINCH! I’ve made hissing sounds, tried to sound like a wounded cat with sad meows. I’ve tried to cry, and use a slight flick to the nose. My last resort was spraying him with water. He definitely reacts to the water bottle (although he tries to go in the shower with me and doesn’t seem to mind water) but he still insists on trying to get a quick bite before I can reach for the spray bottle.
I feel like I can’t even pet him anymore.
And just today he scratched my eye and i had to make a quick doctor visit.

As of right now, my command is “No bite!” While pointing at him.

He also insists on attacking my head. I have very long hair, keeping it in a bun as much as possible, but he claws at my head/face any chance he gets.

I’m not sure what’s normal kitten behavior just yet. I know he’s a baby but I’ve had him for a little over a month there’s have been no improvements.

What are my other options to stop him from being so violent? Will his attitude change much when he’s neutered?

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Cayde is a cutie pie.
Sorry he's struggling with how to "play nice".

Currently the recommendation is to keep kittens with their mom siblings till at least 12 weeks so have have time to learn cat manners. So it's possible being adopted out so young, he missed those lessons. So that job is now yours. Here's an article that has some tips: Teach Your Kitten How to Play Nice : The Humane Society of the United States

And here's a few TCS articles that might have some ideas for you:
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats
Cat Aggression Toward People

Cats And Discipline Don't Mix
5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat

 

[Kflowers]

When he bites you hiss at him. This is what his mother would have done. After a year of biting and scratching, it occurred to me, oh, yeah, hiss at her. Sweet Gum (a year of biting and scratching gets that sort of nickname) went for my foot for the 500th time. I hissed at her. She threw herself away from my foot and grabbed her own. From then on she played with her foot not mine. Still does.

Others say shake a can with pennies in it, but you can't really walk around carrying a can all the time.

You might want to practice hissing a couple of times. You may spit a bit at first. It should still work.

 

[war&wisdom]

When he bites you hiss at him. This is what his mother would have done. After a year of biting and scratching, it occurred to me, oh, yeah, hiss at her. Sweet Gum (a year of biting and scratching gets that sort of nickname) went for my foot for the 500th time. I hissed at her. She threw herself away from my foot and grabbed her own. From then on she played with her foot not mine. Still does.

Others say shake a can with pennies in it, but you can't really walk around carrying a can all the time.

You might want to practice hissing a couple of times. You may spit a bit at first. It should still work.

The OP said that she has tried hissing and that it doesn't seem to have any effect, but -- I think that it would be a good idea to pick one method (possibly hissing) and then stick with it for an extended period of time so that he learns what it means. (I also agree that he may not have had the opportunity to learn kitty manners from his mother/siblings.)

 

[Emizawesome]

I would try clapping loudly when he does it and shout no. Tap his head if that doesnt work. Then ignore him afterwards. Be sure to be playing with him with toys that extend or are long to tire him out and keep focus away from your hands.
Baby toys are good to use for him to bite on. So when he bites you, clap, say no, and give him the toy and ignore him.
The hair is just him being frisky and bored so he sees your hair as a toy. Amp up play time for sure though and get him different types of toys to find one that keeps his interest.

 

[sabian]

Try scruffing him and hiss at him at the same time. You can find video's on you tube on how to scruff cats. You simply grab the skin on the back of their neck and pull on it. It has a paralyzing effect on them. It's nothing different than their mother would do when raising them. I think some view scruffing in a bad light but, it works and it doesn't hurt them if done properly.

Welcome to TCS by the way! He is a cute little kitty!

 

[BlueJay]

Good luck! He is so cute!

Try playing with him more, hopefully it will help at least a little. I know they have endless energy and it never seems to be enough to keep my little 7 month old kitten from attacking from time to time.

Does he seek you put to attack, or is it spurred by something you do? I read somewhere that someone kept balls in their pocket and would throw them ahead when they walked around the house so the kitten would attack those instead of their ankles. My kitten occasionally bites when being picked up, but not if she can smell the treat I'm holding. Try giving a treat when you pet him, maybe he'll see hands are for that instead?

Let us know if something works out! Hopefully soon!

 

[sargon]

Neutering may help, and, certainly is worth trying. There are a few different types of aggression in cats. The big 3 are, from most to least common: play aggression, redirected aggression, and status aggression

If he has the expression he has in your second picture when eh attacks you, it's almost certainly play aggression, which usually goes away as the cat gets older, especially if you keep working with them. ( a second cat also usually will help with it.)

 

[Kflowers]

Sorry, I forgot you had tried hissing. I know it's maddening when people tell you to do what you've already tried and told you'd tried.

Whatever works will be the last thing you try. I, currently, think of hissing because it's the thing I tried after a year of being bitten. That it works with Sweet Gum doesn't mean it will work with your boy, who is adorable.

One thing I did notice and I don't know if it is true of your boy or not. Sweet Gum attacked my feet when I wore socks, but never when I was barefoot. I've heard of others who attack with or without socks. I tried to make her a sock toy - stuffed a sock with bunting for her to wrestle. She ignored it totally, completely and to this day.

 

[Margret]

I think some view scruffing in a bad light but, it works and it doesn't hurt them if done properly.

Scruffing is safe with kittens, not with full grown cats. You can still grab a full grown cat by the scruff, but don't try to pick it up that way.

I typically say "Ow!" as loudly as possible, followed by a hiss. And I hold the hand absolutely still until the biting stops. My Jasmine tends to bite when I'm petting her; it apparently isn't aggression but rather her idea of how to groom someone with no fur.

Both neutering and age may help (and both are necessary anyway), but you definitely want to break him of this behavior while he's still a kitten.

E Emizawesome has given you some very good advice, and the articles that rubysmama linked you to are good.

And welcome to TCS! We're very glad to have you as a member of the best and largest community of cat lovers on the internet.


Margret