Biting Kitty

kabukidad

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Hi, I am a total cat noob and ordered some cat care books but in the mean time I have a question, I have a kitten that is between 4-5 weeks old we found her as a stray abandoned kitty and she doesn't really play with toys, she just likes to crawl around on people and get tummy scratches. This morning she started biting a bit, not out of defense but just to bite. What is causing this? is it normal?

thanks
 

addiebee

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Yes - the biting is normal... just like a pup. It is play behavior. But it is important that you teach her that biting hands is not ok. One of the cat experts on here suggests redirecting that biting behavior by using bendy straws.... Blow of puff of air in her face, say no and give her the straw to chew... she is not too young to be trained. Or get a little beanie baby and wiggle it... pretend like its another kitten and try playing with her with that.... she probably has never played before -- and she is at an age where the playing and roughhousing with siblings would be underway.
 
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kabukidad

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thanks, I am sure I can find a beanie baby for her, Last night she cuddled her stuffed porcupine. It is a dog toy but she doesn't seem to mind
 

yosemite

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Just like with children they need to learn acceptable behaviour. Usually the mother cat will teach them this but your little one is very young and obviously separated from the mother cat for some reason before she/he should have been. That is the reason knowledgeable folks will tell you not to separate kittens from the mother until they are 12-14 weeks old.

When the kitten bites, hiss or blow in it's face and say "no" loudly. Also don't move the hand or body part that the kitten is biting. If you move the kitten thinks it's a game of chase. Soon your kittie will also start teething and want to bite. Get some of those fat, plastic bendy straws and strew some of them around for your kitten to chew on. If you see one getting chewed up, dispose of it and throw a few more around.
 
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