Still biting aggressively

[cuddly calico]

My orange tabby kitten (4 1/2-5 months) is biting very aggressively during play. He often draws blood. Ive tried many things to let him know its not ok... ive tried gently nomming on his ear and yelping, as well as squirting him with water. Nothing works. I need some suggestions fast so my mom will calm down.

 

[Ms. Freya]

One thing that often works is to give a sharp hiss (like a cat would) when he does it, then take your hands away and cease play - this way you're duplicating what a littermate would do if he played to hard.

Overall, though, you may want to look into some toys that don't involve hands or feet - maybe a wand toy or something like da bird - because it's a good idea to discourage cats from looking at our hands as something biteable.

 

[rileyslife]

My cat too (same age) I actually hiss at her...she gets the message...the first time she just looked at me like I was nuts, the second time, I hissed loud and she fell over onto her stomach...I can't say she doesn't still bite, but it's getting better

 

[itsnotpeanutbut]

Are you playing with him with your hands? Because they kind of do that when they're play fighting. Look at videos (or better yet; live) of 2 cats play fighting, you'll notice a lot of biting, but with their skin/coat (that is tougher than human skin) they won't notice it all that much. But if one of them gets too rough, the other will make it clear to him the only way cats know how to: hissing.

So you can indeed mimic that behaviour and try hissing at him (yes, it looks and sounds silly for a human to do, but they do often get the message) and just stop playing with him when he gets too rough.

Playing with your kitten using your hands just tells the cat that you're ready for some play fighting.

Either that, or just play with him using toys (believe me, they know you're the one holding the toy, so they'll still associate you with playtime).

I nearly always end proper playing with a treat at the end of the session, but when one of ours cats doesn't play nice, I'll just put the toys away and don't give them a treat.

In short: hands are for stroking the head/jaw of the cat, not for playing. Him biting your hand during play is natural play behaviour.

 

[cuddly calico]

Its not just during play... its whenever he decides he wants me to wake up, put him down, feed him, pet him, or just because he can. Ive tried hissing before and yelling ouch, ive tried squirting with water. My vet tells me to hold his jaws and cover his mouth.

 

[fhicat]

I wouldn't continue with the squirting. Those rarely work, and with some cats, it tends to aggravate the problem because it's unpleasant. Kittens can be brats. This was my hand back when my cat thought scratching was a good way to get my attention (scratches instead of bite, but same concept):

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Took him months of getting a sharp hiss, followed by ignoring him completely, before he gets the message. Now he still occasionally scratches or nips, but I learnt to see the telltale sign (he makes this funny face just before he launches into bitty mode), so I stop interacting with him when I see that.

 then take your hands away and cease play - this way you're duplicating what a littermate would do if he played to hard.

This is the gist of what I did. Basically I told him, "I'm not talking to you anymore if you do that". In your case, you can try putting him in a room or an enclosed space (like a closet) when he does that (called giving a time out). Hiss, then immediately shut him out every time he bites. Don't say anything other than hiss. Start with 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then more. Slowly increase the time-out duration. Kittens hate being ignored when they are trying to be playful. It might take you a few weeks. 

Again, patience and consistency. 

 

[mservant]

I think FhiCat has given some useful advice here, and includes the very important detail of learning to understand your cat's non verbal communication.  It sounds like you are noticing when he wants something at the point he bites and what you need to try and move to is seeing he wants something before he gets there.  Getting to know his funny facial expression when he is about to bite, then how he moves or makes sounds or looks at you or goes to other objects before he gets to the stage of making his attack face.  The best way to deal with biting is to avoid it.  If he gets attention before the bite he will learn he doesn't need to bite for attention and at that point you can start to reinforce more desireable behaviours by responding when he does something you like.    If you can't avoid the bites you practice the staying calm, hiss or say a sharp 'ouch', push in slightly towards his jaws and then stay very still. If he is really over excited then use the time-out as @FhiCat  has described, starting with a short time and build up until you find he has settled or lost interest in you when you open the door.  Also, if picking him up to put him in to a time out area means you get bitten then you can be the one that leaves the room...  

As has already been said, consistency is really important and it will take time for him to learn but if you stick with it he should learn much nicer ways to get what he wants from you, and you should feel much more confident that you know what he wants or needs.  He will probably still bite from time to time but not as a routine way to communicate with you.  Mouse still bites me if he's really over excited like when helping me to make my bed but otherwise he's learned that climbing in to my arms for a cuddle is the best way for him to get attention and play, or to run backwards and forwards between me and what it is he wants attended to.  

 

[fhicat]

 
 Mouse still bites me if he's really over excited like when helping me to make my bed 

More like helping you unmake the bed.