Biting Kitten

I we have a new kitten and she is a love, however she has a couple of things that she does that we want to make sure we nip in the bud before they become real problems.

Sometimes when she's playing with me she'll start trying to bite my hand (not a little nibble). I immediatley pick her up and put her on the floor, saying no. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Has anyone has any real success with keeping their kittems from climbing the curtains?

Hi Patrice-

Welcome to kittydom! Most kitties bite, and the best way I have found to stop this is to not do the blanket and feet war at night. Where you stick your hand under the blanket and start moving it back and forth so kitty will pounce? Bad idea, kitties are smart and they know that is your hand under there, fair game whether it be over or under something. So that game stopped.

I also have a small stuffed animal that I give to a biting kitty. If kitty bites or nibbles me, I say NO once loudly and put the stuffie between us. If kitty goes for me again, I blow one soft puff of air into kitty's face and it startles the kitty out of the behavior.

To keep them off my drapes, I spray Lemon scented air freshener on my drapes Doesn't hurt the material and kitties hate lemon scented anything! good luck!

Can you help me? My 5 month kitten (Flame Point Himalayan called Borges -- what a cutie) has recently taken to biting, but not as much my hands (although he does once in a while) as the cables around my computer. He's actually cut my speaker cables in half twice already this week. What can I do to try to stop this from happening again?

Thanks, Ivette

Hi Ivette-

Your kitty is in high danger of getting electrocuted one day. For some reason, kitties love to chew cords and cables. Follow the link provided and scroll down to Stop Shock and take a look at their product. It is a really good idea for those who have inquisitive kitties to invest in this man's product.


Stop Shock

I think my kitties love to nibble at our hand and often dig in a little bit too hard sometimes. Mine used to do that and I would always give them a firm "no" and look at them directly. It seemed to work. Even now sometimes my cat gets carried away playing and bites too hard, but when I say "no" he starts to lick my hand

Thank you both for your advice, I have already ordered the "Stop Shock" cables and also spoke to the vet who confirmed it's ok to firmly teach him "No". Thanks, Ivette

Patrice, all my curtains are the lacy type. I have had several different kittens over the years, and I have never had a problem with any cat climbing the curtains. When the various kittens first came to my home they all tried to climb the curtains once or twice and then stopped completely on their own and never tried again. There must be something about the feel of lacy fabric getting caught in their claws that turns them off, I don't know of any other explanation.

Hi ivette,
I had the same problem with my little guy Spike when he was a baby. He *loved* to chew on my computer/telephone/etc wires. I didn't know about the Stop Shock product then, but I found that wire loom also works. I found it at my local automotive store. I guess people use it in their cars to keep their stereo speakers together when they do the wiring or something. (The guy explained it to me, but it was a few years ago, and he gave me the strangest look when I said I needed it because of my cat. )
Anyway, it's not clear like the Stop Shock sort, it's black, and crinkly, but it worked great. I don't remember the cost on it either now, but I think it was cheaper than the Stop Shock, and you got much more in length. Either way, I'm happy you're getting the product to protect your kitty. I just wanted to let you know about the wire loom in case you need more of something similiar.

My kitten (almost 4 months old) also is dealing with this problem. I'll let her nibble lightly, which mostly turns to licking, but if she starts to bite harder I get right in her face and say "NO" very loudly a few times. Her ears go back and she looks all guilty. I know she understands.

If for some reason she keeps doing it after I tell her no, I'll just get up and stop playing with her. I've read on web pages that the kitten will learn that her biting means you leaving, so she'll stop.

I have noticed a significant change in her behavior since I started doing this, but it's not cured. Keep trying..it'll work.

:vampireL:

We we first got Cooper, she would tear into me.....

She is slowly outgrowing this.......

Now when I'm rubbing her head, she will nuzzle my fingers and nibble/lick me......... (she loves her mommy!)

Other times she likes to bite/play, I slowly put my sleeves over my hands, and place her on the ground......

She's stubborn, but learning....

Good luck!

:vampireL:

I had this problem with my first cat when he was a kitten. However, truly the problem was really my boyfriend. He would encourage Rocket to play with his hands and feet - even though I repeatedly asked him not to. I knew it wouldn't stop as he got older, and sure enough he got worse. Even though I worked with him, telling him 'no' etc...it would all go out the window after a play session with my boyfriend.

Eventually it got really bad. At nine months he was a big kitten! He would throw a fit sometimes when he didn't get his way and would attack you right behind the knee.

I finally consulted a behaviorist. She gave me a lot of the same advice posted on this thread...such as freezing when the bite happened, saying no firmly, stopping all play. She also recommended 'time out' sessions (in the bathroom) if he was really bad.

And I quarantined my kitty away from my boyfriend! I think that helped most of all!

Today, he behaves perfectly with me. Occasionally he will bite a guest if they try to pet him before he is finished sniffing them. And he regularly nips my boyfriend everytime he sees him. oh well! I don't feel too sorry for him! I told him what would happen! Now he has to pay the price!

I have two 6 month olds.... one wakes me up in the middle of the night by dancing on my chest and rubbing her face in my face - then she bites my nose!

The other does almost the same but she bites my chin!

My husband thinks they think I am mommy and are looking for milk.

Any suggestions?

THANKS.

This is the hyper stage of their life. You may need to place them in their own room at night. You may have also noticed them tearing around the place for no appearant reason either early in the morning, late at night, or both.

As for biting I usually let out a high pitched "mew" when they do it and they stop. (If you have heard the sound they make when one plays too rough with the other it is simular to that.) I also watch for signs they are getting overstimulated..twitching tail, licking fur, ears back etc..

I hope this helps!

Originally posted by DragonLady
This is the hyper stage of their life. You may need to place them in their own room at night.

Click to expand...

heh heh.

we call it "kitty jail."