My kitten smacks me in the face!

I got my rescue kitten, Lucy, when she was 5 weeks old. She has always been a feisty and playful little sweetheart, but she bites all the time. She also tries to smack me in the face when I hold her. I know she is just a baby, but how do I break this habit? She is now 9 weeks old. I have tried saying, "NO" firmly every time she bites and smacks, and I put her down right away with a toy when she starts biting. It used to be cute, but now it's getting less cute since she is able to bite harder. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

She's biting me right now!!

and I put her down right away with a toy when she starts biting

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Just so I'm understanding this correctly, you basically reward her with a toy for biting you?

You are obviously very misled. The toy is to redirect her behavior.

She is probably teething and overstimulated. You're doing the right thing by saying "NO!" firmly and redirecting her to a toy rather than your finger or face. We used to give Tumbles straws to chew on as well as soft chewy toys. Also a "kickaroo" type toy would work for her to chew on, kick, and bat at. Lots of ball type toys and mice would also work.

Unfortunately, she's only 9 weeks old and this type of behavior takes awhile to unlearn. You have to learn to be the mother cat and teach her appropriate behavior. A finger to the forehead with a stern "NO!" will help as well as hissing. When she's misbehaving, hiss at her, just like a mother cat would do as well as other kitties when they're playing. If you can afford it, you could also adopt a friend for her of similar age.

Just continue stopping and redirecting her. Try to think like a "kitten" lol, when she has her siblings around her, this tiny age is where they wrestle one another, teaching one another what bites are too hard, how to retract their claws. So now you have to be her kitten sibling to show her what is acceptable or not.

Some people say, letting out a squeal, like a kitten would, when she bites or scratches too hard will help to show her. And just be consistent with this, every single time.

Although, Im sure it is getting frustrating with the bites and slaps, I cant help but to laugh at thinking of this little tiny kitten slapping LOL sorry.

Stephanie, I love your comment about me having to learn how to be the mother cat! LOL! I am going to try hissing to see if that works. She already has sooo many kitty toys and two cat trees which she loves. As much as I would LOVE to adopt another kitty her same age, my older cat who is still recovering would NOT be happy about it. He is still getting used to this little spaz!

Pami, it really is hilarious when she slaps me in the face. LOL Her little eyes lock on to me right before she strikes and she is lightning fast! There is little time to react with this puny little kitty! I am going to try letting out a squeal like you suggested every time. LOL

The hissing may work with a kitten, but from my personal experience... (I have a mom cat and her now grown litter, who were born here) she never hissed at them for biting or scratching. She actually didnt hiss at them at all when they were babies. (now that they are grown thats a different story lol)

The kittens never hissed at one another either, they squealed.

Hissing, IMO, is a warning sign that kitties give to each other, "that something else will happen if you dont stop". You dont want to develop a relationship with your kitten of fear, you just want her to learn how to not bite, scratch or slap.

She is not doing it intentionally, she just doesnt know better.
So can you teach her like she would learn with siblings, rather than teach her not to do it out of fear.

I think you are on the right track. It just takes time. I got Lucy when she was 8 weeks and she had no manners. She would grab my hand and pull it in for the kill. We ended up getting her a hedgehog dog toy that was about the same size as she was. When she got feisty, I would squeal if she bit me and give her the hedgehog to bite and rabbit kick. She grew out of it by about 6 months.

I definitely don't want her to get scared if I hiss at her. I have tried blowing lightly at her face when she is locked onto my hand, but that makes her more aggressive and she bites harder! I'm not getting frustrated at all with her because she is just so darn cute, but I don't want her to grow up and continue to bite.

My older cat who in 9 hisses at her several times a day. She is always pouncing on him and he definitely teaches her who's boss. He gets more respect that I do! lol

Originally Posted by stephanietx

A finger to the forehead with a stern "NO!"

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That's what I do too because as stephanie says, it's what her mom would do. It can be hard to express yourself to a young cat sometimes. It seems like by the time you open your mouth to protest, they're on the other side of the house! It helps when you use language they already know.

Good luck with this little bundle of energy! She sounds like a lot of fun!

This is Lucy. She may look cute and innocent but she is a little monster! lol J/k I love this little cutie pie so much.

Originally Posted by Susan_Marie

This is Lucy. She may look cute and innocent but she is a little monster! lol J/k I love this little cutie pie so much.

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LOLOL she is a little feisty girl, for sure LOL

Both of my girls have a feisty in them, too LOL

She is adorable. So is your other kitty. He seems so calm and relaxed. I bet as Lucy gets older, she will be the boss LOLOL poor boy kitty lol

My other kitty, Little Guy, is very relaxed and calm. He just looks at her spazzing out like, "You've got to be kidding me." lol

Pami, your cats are absolutely beautiful! God Bless you for having 5 of them! Snowball is also a cutie!

Originally Posted by Susan_Marie

My other kitty, Little Guy, is very relaxed and calm. He just looks at her spazzing out like, "You've got to be kidding me." lol

Pami, your cats are absolutely beautiful! God Bless you for having 5 of them! Snowball is also a cutie!

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Aww Little Guy, thats sweet. Him being calm and relaxed looks like the perfect match for little Lucy LOL

Thank you, they are my heart.

Your babies are beautiful, too.

Something else, you might try not making eye contact with her or blink slowly if you do make eye contact. Also, learn when she's getting to her limit on pets and stop before she has the opportunity strike out. Like with most behaviors, it takes constant repetition and time. Since she's so little and has the attention span of a gnat, it takes extra repetition and time.

I have tried blinking my eyes slowly at her so she'll do it back, but she stalks me instead... It is true, she does have the attention span of a gnat. lol Thank you so much for your tips and advice. I don't know if you remember, but you also gave me advice when my 9 yr old cat was sick a few days ago... He is still doing much better, but he's not 100% yet... He is getting there though.

Originally Posted by Susan_Marie

I have tried blinking my eyes slowly at her so she'll do it back, but she stalks me instead... .

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LOLOL I LOVE Lucy's personality LOL

The redirecting does work. Lord knows with my big cats, how much redirecting I have to do.

I sure hope it does, Amber! lol They are stunning! Thanks Pami! She really does have a great personality, especially when she's sleepy!