Still too bitey

Hello all!

So I took the advice of some helpful members, but still no luck. My 10 week old kitten (female) is still biting everyones feet, legs, hands & arms. I've tried the whole clapping & blowing in her face accompanied with saying "NO!", but it's like she's not even listening. She'll just keep on doing it, even after I put her on a "time out" in the bathroom, and even if I try to get her to play with a "cat fishing pole" or a sock. Any other suggestions? She really is sweet when she mellows down, and I really don't want to resort to hands-on punishment. Is there any other way to stop her from biting us? (I read that really long thread that deals with kitten/cat behavior and followed everything on it with no luck, as well as taking her to the vet and getting the "okay").

When she bites, is she using a chewing motion?

She could be teething.

Is she biting after being petted? Or during a while she's being petted? If that's the case, she could be overstimulated and leading her to bite. Have a soft toy available to you when she bites. Put that in front of her and let her bite and chew on that rather than you.

Also, she is very young. In the usual circumstance, kittens stay with their mother and littermates until 12 weeks of age or at times longer if it's felt that they need more time to develop. During this time, the members of the litter interact with each other and this does include biting. She could be extending that playfulness to you now that she is no longer with her littermates.

Even during play sessions with a toy, a kitten or cat can become overstimulated and bite.

All the methods suggested by me, other members and mods, require patience as they take time to work. It's different for each cat, but generally it is easier when they are younger.

Hmmm... well...

She bites in a striking manner, not really chewing. She'll do it randomly, without stimulation from petting or over-playing. She gets excited on her own and runs back and forth in the living room, then if one of us go to walk away she bites our feet. Or, if she jumps on the couch she'll go directly for someones hands.

I wish I could have another cat for her to play with, but circumstances are limited.

It's a long process and patience is a virtue. Try Flower Essences. http://www.petsynergy.com/flower.html I did this with Zoey for a few months, put it in her food every feeding and worked with her with the biting. When she would go to bite I would deter her with another toy, or simply stop playing with her altogether.

She basically stopped biting and now just head bonks

i picked up one of my kittens, Sakura, a couple weeks early due to my very long move i was making... i picked her up when she was about 8 weeks old instead of 12. the first few weeks i had her, she too was a biter and i know it was because she was pulled away from her mother and littermates a bit too soon. luckily for me, i had her half-brother Li to help me socialize her as well. just be patient, and work with her...this is how kittens play. it takes a little time for them to realize that it isn't acceptable to bite. another thing you may want to try that i had to use at first was actually hissing when she plays a little to rough (just a short quick one with your teeth showing a bit). it may make you feel silly, but she'll understand that without a doubt. after doing that for a couple of days, she should hopefully start to get the message and not bite quite so much...

all the advice you've been given so far is wonderful...please give it time to work. you can't make a kitten stop biting overnight. i still have to remind my two on occasion, and if they do bite me, they correct it right away by being very loving and "kissing" the area. they just get too excited sometimes.

BTW, your kitten is BEAUTIFUL!!!

have you thought of maybe getting a second one so she has someone to play more roughly with?? and then she'll have someone else to help socialize her....

One of my fosters (Spanky) is a biter, but is slooowwwwwlllllyyyy getting better at it (in the last 3 weeks). I distract him with a rope of fishing pole when he goes after my feet or fingers. He was dropped off on my porch at about 8 weeks old and he is now 11 weeks old. Hang in there!!

She's just a baby, and babies bite, they teethe, and their normal reaction is to bite and wrestle. If you can get a second kitty that she can wrassle with, that would be great, one along her own age, but other than that I use those small rawhide chews with my kittens when they bite. Knocks down the amount of holes in my hand, because they chew on those instead of me. Also, if you are rubbing her tummy- I suggest you stop, that encourages them to bite you at that age.

Yep, since I got Saki for Zoey to play with, she has not bitten me once. It's really amazing!!