How to discipline a naughty kitten?

Question

ive recently rescued this tiny feral kitten,he was very malnourished and underweight,about a month old.anyhow he's doing better by the day and he's eating well,,however he seems quite naughty, he keeps biting my toes and fingers and i dont like it...i just dont want him growing up and continuing to be aggressive.how can i show him that i dont want him doin that,i've tried the firm voice 'NO!' but he just doesnt react...

so can u help me out?

thanks

i do have another adult cat but she's so well behaved... and she certainly doesnt like him..she's spayed but he isnt, bu i dont wanna spay him

hope u can help

Answer 1

I would give him the snip; If he is a wild feral cat he will never be a cuddly lap cat as he has been bred to survive the harsh conditions of mother nature and therefore he will probably be bad once he matures. It wouldn't surpirse me if he sprays everywhere etc so get him snipped for his sake. Males cats are less likely to fight and get wounded or infections or get run down if they are neutered.

My kitten was part feral and was a real character. He still likes to wander and is affectionate but only on his terms. They calm down when they get older IF they get neutered.

Get a kitten glove and therefore he can play but it won't hurt. Cats aren't easy to train at all. It will pass good luck and well done you for rescuing him!

Answer 2

My 8 weeks old kitten is constantly biting me too,and being firm voiced does nothing!!! I have started to give her a wee squirt with a little water pistol everytime she does something naughty. So far it has stopped her from chewing the tassel on my roller blind, but it hasn't stopped the biting yet. Dont let the cat play with you hands and feet directly, always wiggle a toy at him. He is only biting as a way of playing, and will eventually learn not to. Good luck!!

Answer 3

He's not a 'naughty' kitten, he is just being a kitten. If he does something you don't like, say 'no' firmly (but don't shout) and stop playing and give your other cat some attention instead. He will get the message pretty quickly.  

Answer 4

Because he is so young he should really be being disciplined by mum and by his litter mates. Obviously this isn't possible, but it's best to try and act the sam way they would. If the kitten goes too far then make a loud noise (preferably high pitched) and ignore him for a few minutes. The spray water is good, but not really convenient as you can't always carry one on you, and the repercussion of bad behaviour has to be immediate, or the kitten will not understand which behaviour is innapropriate. I find a quick blow of air works almost as well as the spray, and you are more likely to be able to do it quickly and the reinforcement will be stronger

Good on you for taking him in though, i'm sure he will turn out to be a great companion. Good luck

Answer 5

Would you expect a month old baby to know what no means? He is just playing with you, he is far too young to be away from his mum and will probably be causing him distress as she would ordinarily be nursing him and teaching him. This is not aggression, believe me he'll get better in time, wear shoes and gloves! :-) You just need to be patient. You've done a good thing rescuing him, do you feed him proper kitten replacement milk ie Royal Canin with a bottle? He will be missing the nursing and the closeness and warmth from his mum. As for your adult cat I imagine she is upset because he is a male for one and cats aren't social creatures. I know from experience they don't make friends, they just tolerate each other unless they are siblings. Get him spayed when he is old enough (5 months), it's really the best thing for all, will stop him roaming looking for females and getting himself into fights, will be alot calmer but too young for that now.  

Answer 6

Treat a kitten as you'd treata a child.

Ignore bad behaviour (biting, scratching etc.) and praise good behaviour suhc as curlingup with you or sitting nicely.

Rewards them with attention, but the second it starts to bite, just stop playing.

My kitten was exactly the same, shes 16 months now and has eventually grown out of it. It just takes a lot of patience... and pain, i'm afraid.

Answer 7

sorry but you cant kittens do that. he will grow out of it. if you don't like your kitten doing that then you shouldn't of got him. they are just play full.  

Answer 8

I have 2 11 week old kittens so I know those teeth can hurt!  He's not naughty, he just doesn't know any better.

You have to be consistant.  English is a foreign language to cats, just as meows mean nothing to us.  He will soon learn the meaning of "no" or, and this also works, a stern "ah-ah".  

Remove him from your hands/feet but do it gently.  Don't tense your hand or move quickly as this is what prey would do and it will only excite him further.  Once he is removed, wave a toy in front of him to take his attention away from you and praise him when he catches the toy.  At the end of playing, give him a treat.

Playing is a form of hunting.  If he gets a treat at the end of playing with a toy, this reinforces the natural cycle (he gets to "eat his prey") and therefore, he'll be more willing to play with the toys than with your body parts!

My kittens still bite me occassionally but I'm getting there!  It does take time, but he will learn :o)

Answer 9

Discipline a cat?

You say: Bad boy Tiddles, you should not have torn up my sofa Tiddles!!

Cat hears : blah,blah Tiddles, blahblah, blah, blah, blah Tiddles!

Commands that work on cats:

Stare into space

Ignore me completely

Sleep alot.

Answer 10

AAaaaa  He loves you...

I cat does that I think he is waiting for me to die so he can eat me...

It's a normal thing Kittens do

Answer 11

The fact that he's showing interest to you suggests to me love.  Beforehand he was small and scared... now he feels a lot more confident.

As cats get older they become more lazy.  Especially male cats after they've had the snip.

I don't think you should chastise him for being playful.  Mine is an adult cat and likes to l**k my face and fingers.  Do you think I should spray him with water for giving nothing but adoration?

Answer 12

Spaying him is a good answer even thou you dont want to , but you might try squirting him with a water bottle when he misbehaves

Answer 13

Take your 2 fingers and tap him firmly between the ears.. or on the nose. with the "NO"

this would be what the mom would do.

I WOULD spay this kitten too... unless you want him running off or spraying... (if you neuter while young then it will stay more of a kitten in nature)

Males are worse if not Neutered !

good luck  

Answer 14

A water squirt bottle is the best thing. Shouting at a cat will do nothing except give you a sore throat!

As he was feral, it will take time as he never learned to "play" properly so give him time.

Don't overuse the squirt bottle though and do it gently.

You must get him neutered otherwise he will a) spray all over your house, b) become more agressive over time, c) have a tendancy to wander and the most important d) breed with a vengeance, giving other people the hassle of rescuing and nuetering/spaying or at worst wil result in kittens being mistreated and euthanised. (This is a euphemism for owners drowning their kittens etc as they have not been bothered to get their female cat spayed.

Please re-consider - it's the responsible thing to do.

But kudos for rescuing the kitten.

Answer 15

he's just playing, he may not do it when he gets older but you might wanna give him a little slap when you say NO!

Answer 16

thats just normal kitten behaviour, he will calm as he gets older just like a baby does. neutering is beneficial for many reasons