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9 week old kitten behavior help

post #1 of 4
12/21/09 at 11:05pm
Thread Starter 
At about 2 weeks old we found Otis in our attic. He was bottle fed until 6 weeks old, and has alternated to milk in a dish, soft cat food and hard cat food.

My problem is: Now that he's been mobile and has a run of the house, he's a little terror! He never wants to cuddle or be pet. He bites all the time. You cant even put your hand out and try to pet the cat, he will attack your hand. I'll be sitting at the computer, or anywhere, he the cat will climb up my leg and start biting me. Ive never had a cat who only wanted to bite and claw, and wanted no other type of human contact. How exactly can I break this habit? Its to the point where my kids cant even walk by the cat without it attacking. I understand hes a kitten and hes going to be playful, but will he ever be a sweet loving cat? I just want him to stop biting, and I have no idea how to go about getting him to stop.

Thanks
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post #2 of 4
12/21/09 at 11:42pm
Common problem with orphaned-human raised kittens. They still want to be kittens and don't have another cat around to teach them to behave.

You can keep redirecting him to toys and letting him know he's hurting you by saying "OW" loudly when he bites and scratches. You also have to make sure you don't over stimulate him... for some kittens it doesn't take much to put them in biting feisty kitten mode.

The easier method, if you have the resources, is a much older kitten or cat. Anywhere from 6+ months to even 3 or 4 years if the cat is playful enough would be a good "cat tutor", as well as someone your Otis could play like a cat with.
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post #3 of 4
1/4/10 at 12:12pm
I am in a very similiar situation. Bonzai was found in a warehouse by himself. I bottle fed, to wet food now he is eating dry. He is about the same age.
He has 2 "modes" - play mode and cuddle mode. Both are extreme. He responds well to a loud NO from me and my husband, but not to my 7 year old son.
I don't think there is an easy answer to this problem, especially since my son does not have the consistency I do when discipling him.
After doing a lot of research online and talking to people, it seems there are 3options: a spray bottle, a loud noise or NO, or getting another cat.
Whichever you choose, though, consistency seems to be the most effective.
I am educating my family on kittens and their behavior and attack signals and on what I think the best way to deal with him is (I prefer the NO and then ignoring him) so that we all are doing the same thing.
Hope this helps!!
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post #4 of 4
1/4/10 at 12:55pm
I had the same issue with my fiance's kitten and no amount of redirection, restraint, or "NO" would stop her! The only thing that helped was getting her a kitten sister to help wear her out and teach her manners. Now she is a sweet, loving kitten and never attacks us when we go to pet her or hold her. And it only took a few days to see the difference. I think that it was because 1) she wasn't properly socialized and 2) she had way more energy than we could help burn off for her. I'm not telling you to get a second cat if you aren't able to, but it definitely helped for us!
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