Still biting, hopefully not turning aggressive

Poppy is 6 1/2 months old now, neutered for 1 1/2 months.

I've tried the bendy straws, he could care less about them. I think he'd rather chew on something more substantial.

Last night:
When I first go to bed I want to read but Poppy still wants to play. So I had a little stuffed mouse with me and we were playing in bed with it. I was hiding it under the cover and he was being all playful, silly and cute. Then he attacked my arm. He full on, open mouthed, chopped down hard on my arm. My reaction was crying out "NO" in a high pitched voice and grabbing his jaw to pull him off me. He laid back down on the end of the bed for about 30 seconds then he jumped at my arm again, snapped at it then ran.

I think he went downstairs so I started reading to help me fall asleep. He came back up with his stuffed lion and was biting it and wrestling with it on the end of the bed. We were like that for about 5 minutes, me reading and him wrestling with the lion. I put the book down and closed my eyes and about a minute later he jumped on me and bit my cheek and jumped off the bed. (I wasn't moving, I was almost asleep.) I cried out...then I started crying. I started crying because I started thinking about Monti and how he never acted that way even as a kitten. I miss Monti and I can't help feeling that way when Poppy bites me like that. He heard me crying and came up on the bed and sniffed me then laid down on his blanket next to me and I guess I fell asleep then.

I don't understand his behavior. It seems to be getting aggressive. Is it? What am I doing wrong? What more can I do?

BTW...Getting another cat is not an option right now, I can't afford it...especially when people at my company keep getting laid off and they're forcing us to take time off.

I really don't think its aggression, I think he is still very young and extremely playful with a lot of energy. He will probably grow out of it. Maybe it would help if you got him really tired before bed time. Play with something on a string and make him run and jump for it. When I did that with mine they would get tired and just sleep. Good luck.

Originally Posted by aswient

I really don't think its aggression, I think he is still very young and extremely playful with a lot of energy. He will probably grow out of it. Maybe it would help if you got him really tired before bed time. Play with something on a string and make him run and jump for it. When I did that with mine they would get tired and just sleep. Good luck.

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I really hope it's only playfullness...very hyper playfullness?!?

I play with him on and off all evening and most evenings he runs up and down the two flights of stairs a few times, gets winded and still wants to play. I guess he just has way more energy than Monti ever had and I'm not accustomed to it.

I've been buying him toys left and right so he doesn't get bored and I'm trying to find something that tires him out. I had bought him a laser pointer and the first time I clicked it on he went nuts. Running around so much he was panting and I think he actually got tired. But then I think he figured out that he can't actually catch the red dot and now he just stares at it and barely moves when I move it around.

Hi, to me this seems like an energetic, playful kitten. One of my two boys that I bottle raised was like that. The other one had a more laid back almost shy personality. My Frodo is now about 18 months old. They do grow out of that if you just keep a good consistent pattern of how you approach it now.

I feel sure you are probably doing these things already. Like not using your hands to play, use wand/stick type toys. Maybe keep a handful of those cheap little toy mice by your bed and throw one when he wants to play.

My Frodo was so uninhibited and unafraid of any human that when company came over he would literally jump on their leg, attach himself and start biting. Then he would push himself off and run. He was not being aggressive, he was playing with anybody he could. That was a challenging time, but he did out grow it and I had to be watchful of when company came so I could redirect him. Now he is my most devoted companion.

I personally do not think a kitten that is playing and that young is being aggressive, excited and wound up from play probably.

Hang in there and try throw mice for him to chase and keep small stuffed toys around that he can wrestle.

Originally Posted by Skimble

Hang in there and try throw mice for him to chase and keep small stuffed toys around that he can wrestle.

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Thank you for sharing that with me Skimble. That makes me feel alot better.

He has so many different kinds of toys and if he goes for my hand or foot, I say "no biting", blow in his face if I can and/or let out a high pitched yelp.

I'm off to the store to by more mice (without catnip)!

BTW all of his toys do not contain any catnip.