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How do you stop nipping behavior, or can you?

post #1 of 7
4/27/10 at 1:58am
Thread Starter 
I'm a bit concerned about one of my fosters, Adam, who is eight months old and have been with me since birth. We've had some interest in him but nothing has ever worked out but now that we're in a new area I'm feeling more hopeful about getting him adopted here. There is one problem though that worries me - Adam is really big on nipping when you're petting him or interacting with him in other ways.
A lot of cats will nip you when you pet them and that's not a big issue but Adam does it a lot and it does hurt. He will even nip me in my face which is not comfortable, I can assure you. He's a super sweet cat and I love him dearly so the nipping is not a big deal for me but I'm not sure if an adopter would feel the same. I'm afraid of placing him in a home and get a call after a week to come pick him up because he "bites". Is there anything I can do to stop or reduce the behavior? Any suggestions would be very welcomed.

Thanks
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post #2 of 7
4/27/10 at 7:13am
How long has he been nipping and what have you done so far to try to get him to stop?

It's really best to correct this the moment the behavior starts, the older the kittens get the more stubborn and unruly they get about listening... which is why people say they're teenage kitties.

If you haven't started with the basic correction, do this. Whenever he nips say "OW, NO!" or "No biting" and push his face away. If he doesn't listen and keeps trying to nip, put him down or push him away and do not give him attention. When he tries to nip your face, do the same thing or even hiss at him.

I have one around the same age who gets a little riled up now and then. He's a big boy and is used to playing rough with the other cats. He does however listen when I say "no biting".
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post #3 of 7
4/27/10 at 8:30am
Probably look to his age as well - he is at the stage of telling you 'go away, I'm busy' and 'You can't make me'. Splash went through this and the nipping lasted about 2 months, then the frequency was reduced and now he doesn't nip at all. Da Magpie also nipped, well, more chomped, and she outgrew it for the most part. Her nipping is now reserved for waking me up and is directed at my nose AND is a last resort if washing my nose doesn't wake me up.

At any rate, doing what was already mentioned and a little age will help a lot
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post #4 of 7
4/28/10 at 9:48pm
This is tricky. The best thing to do is I agree with the poster up there who said to shout NO at him when he does it. Pushing him back, be careful it doesn't seem like a game, otherwise you're encouraging the nipping because this seems like he's doing it to get you to play with him. Have a toy nearby so when he starts to seem like he might bite, present him with the toy so he can bite that and learn that biting people is a no-no.
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post #5 of 7
4/29/10 at 8:01am
Perhaps this article about petting-induced aggression will be helpful.

I hope you find a solution!
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post #6 of 7
4/30/10 at 2:11pm
I treat kitty nipping similar to puppy nipping. I stop what I am doing (petting/playing) and say "ouch" (with a pup I scream ouch). You can also try putting bitter apple spray on your hands.

You can let future adopters know that overstimulation brings about controlled nips.
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post #7 of 7
4/30/10 at 4:59pm
I'd treat it the same way as when teething. He needs to learn that nipping/biting is not OK and it's not a game. He needs to learn what is OK to nip/bite/chew - and nipping people gets him ignored.

Start with the surprise - the shout OUCH! Then blow in his face - this startles him (hissing doesn't work from people like it would another cat - the short, sharp puff of air directly in his face works from people), say "No" sternly - and if it happens during play, redirect him to something that is okay to nip. When teething, we recommend bendy straws. Have a lot of them scattered around so they're easy to reach. If he starts to play with it, tell him what a good boy he is. If he doesn't redirect, just walk away. Inappropriate behavior gets him ignored.

When you're petting him, it's probably because he's overstimulated. So just do the "Ouch!", blow the short, sharp puff of air in his face and say "No" firmly, and stop and walk away. Our kitties learned to tell us "enough pets" by putting a paw on our hand.
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