Teaching New Kitten To Scratch Less?

[EggSandwich]

Hello,
How should I go about teaching my new (8 week) kitten not to scratch as badly, if that makes sense? I don't want to end up with a bunch of "battle scars" all over me from playing with her. Thanks in advance!

 

[abyeb]

The standard protocol for interactive play with cats is with a wand-type toy. This will let your kitten get her aggression out, with saving your hands.

 

[karrotlover]

1. Get in the habit of clipping the claws every single week. It makes a HUGE difference in the amount of damage done to your carpet, furniture, and skin.
2. Do not ever play with her by using your hands/fingers/toes/feet as "prey."
3. If/when she scratches you, try hissing loudly at her. This worked and continues to work on my cat when he does something very naughty.

 

[red top rescue]

You can use a stuffed toy to play wrestle with your kitten. I have one that looks like a calico cat and has glass eyes. That brings out their aggression and they grab it and kick it and have a great time rolling around with it. If you aren't clipping your kitten's nails, you should be. There are many good videos of how to do this on YouTube. Young kittens need the front nails trimmed every week and the back nails every 2 weeks at the very least. You can practice trimming just the tips by trimming the thorns on roses!