Play aggressive kitten!

Question

I have a 12 week female kitten who I adore. Weve had her since she was 8 weeks and has had all vaccinations, vet check-ups etc so we know shes really healthy.

Shes really friendly and will follow us around the house all day, jumping up on our laps for cuddles and when she wants a nap. The only problem is playtime!- We only ever use toys and not our hands when playing with her, but sometimes she will bite my hand, or leg. Its not a hard bite, and always playful in nature, but Im worried that as she grows, she will bite harder!

When she bites, I put her down and show that playtime is over, or I gently blow in her face to show her she has done wrong, but still she keeps doing it!

Any other ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Answer 1

You shouldn't worry because as they grow they start to get less interested in playing and more into hunting. (that may worry you even more but just make sure it doesn't get int the house not very nice....)

Answer 2

A gentle but immediate tap on her head when she bites may help.

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Answer 3

Hi my cat who is 3 now (but i have had her since 9 weeks) does exactly the same but only at playtime she never just randomly comes up to me and bites me, but if i rub her tummy and "do the claw" she will attack but to her its playtime and it doesnt hurt me, and if yes she gets too aggressive then i tap her nose or blow in her face and tell her no, she loves playing with bottle caps though (the ones of the top of fruit shoots?) she used to carry them around in her mouth and she chases them all over the house - its a cheap easy toy - we bought a lot of mouses balls etc but she just wanted a bottle cap

Hope i helped (:

Answer 4

When she bites you scruff her(grab her by the neck for a few seconds).

It will show who is in charge, also fill a spray bottle full of water and then spray her when she is bad.  Cats hate it.

But afterwards give your cat some love, you can still pet her, you dont have to stop playing with her, just every time she bites you, you spray her, or scruff her.

P.S.Scruffing is not a bad thing to do to your cat or kitten because that is how mom cats carry there kittens around, but when you scruff and adult cat to hard and to many times it can possibly damage the brain.  So when you scruff your cat, do it lightly.

Answer 5

Keep a favored toy handy and distract her with it when she goes for inappropriate targets. When that fails, you might try what we were told to do by our puppy trainer. Basically, when the pet tries to bite you, you push into the bite softly, then stop moving. This confuses the animal because they expect that you will pull away. My husband has trained all our puppies and kittens that way since then, and they all became very non-aggressive, and never bit down hard, just love-nibbles. However, one of our cats was almost a year old when he adopted us, and while the training worked flawlessly with his behavior towards my husband, Jester would occasionally forget and bite me pretty hard. At such times, I found that a time-out worked wonders. I just picked him up and put him in another room, pulling the door almost closed. Opening the door distracted him long enough that he would forget about attacking me! If he wasn't out in a minute, I would re-open the door and leave him alone in there.

You might also try firmly grabbing the scruff (loose skin on the back of the kitten's neck) and shaking her gently once, making a low growl while you do it. This is how mother cats discipline their kittens. Praise and pet her as soon as she stops the bad behavior. Sometimes, just making the deep growl is enough to stop the behavior. PLEASE NOTE:  I said ONE GENTLE SHAKE of the NECK.  I do NOT advocate shaking hard enough to lift them off the ground or even knock them over.

Some advocate "scruffing" which is a similar practice where you grasp the "scruff" while putting downward pressure on the kitten (just enough to show your dominance, DON'T mash) and hiss like cats do to other cats. Maintain your hold until the cat relaxes, talking gently to it, and praise and pet your cat when she has relaxed and you can let her go. More info on this can be found on About.com in their articles on cat discipline and behavior.

Contrary to what Tom M. suggests, you should NEVER HIT your kitten (cat) or dog.  They don't know why you're hitting them, just that you are being mean to them, because dogs and cats do not hit others as discipline.

Answer 6

I've found that hissing is very effective.  It reawakens memories of the mother cat's discipline and is enough to make even adult cats stop whatever it is they are doing.  

Ending the playtime sessions as soon as she begins biting is a good way to teach her that rough behaviour isn't acceptable, so continue to do that.  I don't know if you already do it, but when you move her aside, walk away and ignore her till she calms down as this will reinforce the message that the fun stops when she gets too rough.

She's still only a baby with a lot to learn, but it sounds like you're already doing a great job with teaching her good manners.  She will eventually grow out of this.