My 2 1/2 month old bites and makes huge messes

I've had this kitten for about 1 1/2 months (she is around 2 1/2 months old) and she is very playful and fun, but she has this problem with biting. I can never pet her without her biting me. Its playful biting but sometimes it is a little too much. She has bitten my roomie and my friend's mom and drawn a little blood. She bit the back of my hand and drew blood as well. I searched the forums but cant find answers on how to get her to stop biting. She'll bite any part of your body if its exposed.

Also, she has a terrible mess problem. She will literally kick out all the litter in her box. I clean it 3-4 times a day and change the entire box full of the litter at least twice a week. Its frustrating because my entire apartment is carpeted and even if I put the litter box on newspaper, it still gets everywhere. She also does this with her food.

I have 4 other cats (they live with my parents) that we've had since they were only a couple weeks old and none of them have ever had these kinds of behaviors.

Anybody got advice for me? thanks for your time!

-noob

First: Litter issue: Get a large, DEEP litter box. A covered one seems to be best for litter kickers. If she is too small to get in it easily, you can put a little box in front to help her get in.

When she bites, literally HOLLER. Yell OW!!!! as loud as you can. This should startle her, and she won't like it. Every time she bites, do the same thing - then turn your back to her and ignore her.

She's not going to want to be ignored, and will learn that this habit may be fun NOW, but once she is startled then ignored, she will learn that it is no fun to make her owner unhappy.

Also, and while I did this it may not be recommended: My tortie Ginger was quite a biter as a kitten. For a couple of weeks, every single time she bit me I would jam one of my fingers in her mouth like a horses bit - not choking her, but forcing her mouth open wide.

She didn't like it ONE BIT, and stopped biting completely soon after. Now she is VERY delicate with her mouth and takes great pains not to bite me when taking treats from my fingers.

Good luck!

She's exhibiting the sibling play at her age. That's why its important not to adopt or let them go to new homes till around 10 weeks old - so they get the play biting out of the way!

Anyway make your hand go limp - don't pull away - makes your hand "prey" and they will go after you more.

Is she the only cat in the house? If so, you may want to adopt an older kitten 4-6 months old so she has a better playmate.

The litter pan - get a deeper one and only fill it up 1/3 - 1/2 full. I think sometimes people put in far too much litter and then when they dig or jump out, its all over the place. You can also get a covered litter pan which should help.

You can also try giving her a toy everytime that she bites you. I had the same problem with my kitten when he was little. I would substitute a toy for my hand when he was play biting and if he still persisted I would do the same as Gingersmom said and yell OW!!! and ignore him. He soon learned that biting meant that he couldn't play with me. He still bites occasionally but is much more gentle when he does

I agree that a deep litterbox is probably a good solution to litter flinging. You may want to try a covered box if that doesn't work

thanks all for your quick and informative replies!

Sounds like my baby Jade. Good luck!

Try Bitter Apple spray on your hands, also. But, IMO, a friend is likely your best option for long-term. Provided, that is, you can afford another cat.