New kitty biting my arms.

T

Tigerman25

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
4
Purraise
5
Hello 3 days ago I adopted a 3 month old orange kitten. He is the best kitty ever, he loves to sleep and play. There is one problem, when he is in playmode he will nibble at my arms. How do I get him to stop nibbling at my arms, so he won't hate me. I don't want him to keep doing this as a full grown cat either.
 

Attachments

Furballsmom

Furballsmom

Cat Devotee
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Messages
39,347
Purraise
54,050
Location
Colorado US
Hi!
Try providing a soft toy, or even a teething cloth since he's at just about the age for that to start (rinsed well if you use scented dryer sheets) which is a dampened washcloth that's partially frozen - the cold can help the discomfort. If he is persistent you may have to try a strong hiss, which is what his feline siblings and mother would do to discourage unacceptable behavior.

He's a cutie!!
 
Caspers Human

Caspers Human

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
2,727
Purraise
4,763
Location
Pennsylvania
Decide on what level of contact play you want to have with your kitten. (No contact. - Some contact. - Full contact.)

When he exceeds your limit, stop playing with him.
Tell him, "No." Say "Ouch!" You can say something like, "No scratch!" or "No bite!" Some people say you should hiss at the cat.

Whatever you decide, say it in a declarative manner but don't yell. You're not trying to punish him. You're just trying to teach him the rules.

Tell the kitten "No" and stop playing with him for a short time. Maybe half a minute.
Just sit there and don't do anything. This is kind of like a "time out" when a kid misbehaves.

When the kitten gets three "strikes," playtime is over. Done.
Put the toys down and walk away. Go some place else. Another room. Do something different.

The idea is that, when the kitten goes beyond the level of contact play that you have decided on, he doesn't get to have fun anymore. He will learn that, if he wants to have fun playing, he has to obey the rules.

Just be consistent. If there are different people in the house, they should all have the same rules.
If you have decided that your kitten should not be allowed to play with hands, everybody should have the same rule. Otherwise, how is he supposed to know what the rules are if they keep changing?

If you are consistent and clearly communicate your rules with your kitten, he should learn pretty quickly. :)
 
O

OneMorePerson

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Dec 2, 2019
Messages
9
Purraise
6
I play rough with my cat, so I tend to allow a certain degree of biting. That said, when he gets too rough (I don't want scratches / real bites) hissing and even scruffing him works really well. He gets the message. In this case its play nice, in your case, and I would agree that in most cases the message should be, no biting.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6
T

Tigerman25

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
4
Purraise
5
Preciate all the help guys, I started hissing at him everytime he starts nibbling and he gets scared and runs away. He does not hide, like I said he is in "playmode" and goes to climb his cat tree or something. He still play bites though, hopefully he will stop eventually, I think he knows he is not supposed to do it.
 
W

Willow's Mom

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Aug 28, 2019
Messages
601
Purraise
17
Location
inside of your imagination and/or smartphone app
Willow has started giving me "love bites" on the legs, which other cats have done before so I know it can be a hard habit to break. I'm trying positive reinforcement just to see what happens: rewarding her when she bites gently enough that it doesn't hurt.

She seems to get the point but it's too early to tell for sure yet.
 
maggie101

maggie101

3 cats
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
7,943
Purraise
9,998
Location
Houston,TX
What are you doing and where are you when she bites your arms? If I am sitting on the floor and patting my cat or raising my hand above her, she will bite. She decides when she does or doesn't want to be touched. If I am sitting on my couch and she is above me and I start to pat her she will bite
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
T

Tigerman25

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
4
Purraise
5
Ok so update on this kitten quit biting after I did a fake cat hissing noise everytime it bit me. However it will still bite if he doesnt want to be pet, which I do not care about that, I will just stop petting him.
 
Antonio65

Antonio65

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 27, 2017
Messages
6,099
Purraise
9,807
Location
Orbassano - Italy
Tigerman25 said:
Ok so update on this kitten quit biting after I did a fake cat hissing noise everytime it bit me. However it will still bite if he doesnt want to be pet, which I do not care about that, I will just stop petting him.
Click to expand...
Welcome to TCS and welcome to the world of biting kittens!
Mine does just the same, well, she bites when she's playing around me, or even when I try to cuddle her. I have no intention at all to stop cuddling her, I would like her to learn and understand that cuddles are good for both of us.

Saying "NO" in a firm tone of voice, hissing, ignoring her, walking away from her, didn't work so far...
 
E

elliesvictim

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 20, 2016
Messages
287
Purraise
118
I think sometimes people think that they want a kitten to not bite them because when the kitten grows up to be a full grown cat their bites will then hurt. Even at three months if the kitten wanted to hurt you she could.
I’m full contact with my cat and have been since she was a feral kitten. Initially her biting at times was too rough but generally did not break the skin. Overtime she learnt what my pain threshold was and what was acceptable.
I know most people on this site will tell you not to allow the level of contact but I believe cats have very few methods of communication and discouraging one of those methods, biting, will not help in the long term.
Usually biting is used to show affection. My cat will often sit down and chew on a hand or a finger just to amuse herself. As long as no bloody shed there is no hissing I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.
 
di and bob

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,637
Purraise
23,060
Location
Nebraska, USA
This will stop as the kitten gets older. I agree with hissing or saying NO loudly. He has to learn boundaries. One of teh best methods I have found is to get a cat 'kickeroo' on Amazon or a pet section. A long, catnip filled toy that they bunny kick and wrestle with. When he bites, put the toy between you and him or toss it to the side. Or toss it at him when he is appoaching you with 'that look'. They are irrestible, and a great way to distract him from biting. I use mine all the time when their is too rough of play between my cats. i got two and keep one 'steeping' in a plastic bag filled with catnip to refresh it. All the luck!
 
RangersMom

RangersMom

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
May 10, 2019
Messages
153
Purraise
172
Best thing is immediate distraction. If he bites, firming say No and then redirect his attention with a toy. Another method is as soon as he bites you, turn your back to him or leave the room. Biting = no attention. Redirection is best though :)
 
C

canucksfan1

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 2, 2019
Messages
48
Purraise
47
a important thing to rememer is the cats breed some cats naturally like that genetically, my Tonkinese loves to chew on me but not mean like
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top