Kitten keeps attacking my eyes!

I got my first kitten when she was 8 weeks old. When she first came home, she had a lot of play aggression and would frequently bite and scratch my hands when I tried to pet her, and attack my ankles, then run away. The worst thing she did was attack my eyes - a couple of times she actually scratched my eyeball and it bled a bit.

She's about 4 months old now, and during the time I've had her, I've thankfully managed to train her a bit so that she mostly knows what's appropriate and what's not for play. For example, instead of attacking my ankles with her claws out, she just bats at them with her paws then runs away, and when she bites, she does it gently enough that it doesn't break the skin anymore.

The only problem is, she still tries to bat at my eyes. This usually happens when I'm lying on my bed, or when I'm sitting with her on my lap. She no longer does this with her claws extended (thank freaking GOD - getting my eye scratched was SOOOO painful!), but she does it with enough force that my eye still gets really teary and hurts for the rest of the day. Granted, she doesn't use a lot of force - she's still a small kitten - but it doesn't take a lot to make it hurt, especially since she tends to get me when I have my eye open. (She doesn't attack my face while I'm sleeping, even though she sleeps in my bedroom - for some reason she only does this when I'm awake)

I have tried doing the kitten squeal and moving away, and when she followed me, I have tried pinning her to the ground for a few seconds before letting her go. I've tried stopping playtime and ignoring her. These have been quite effective for the most part, but her favourite thing to do after play attacking is to run away, so they don't always work. Plus, the eye attacks don't usually happen in the middle of playtime - they seem to happen whenever I have my face close to her, whether I'm carrying her, leaning down to fill her food bowl, petting her, etc. I've tried squirt bottles but I'm not sure it's working - when I lift the bottle, she runs away, but it doesn't seem to deter her from trying again.

I know we've made a lot of progress since she's stopped going for my eyes with her claws, but now we seem to have plateaued at going for my eyes with her claws sheathed, instead of stopping entirely. We've been stuck at this plateau for about a month now, and we don't seem to be making any further progress. I really, really need her to stop doing this. She has already gotten much bigger and stronger since I first got her, and since she is a Maine Coon, she will get even bigger and stronger before she is fully grown. The eye attacks hurt very much already - I don't think I can handle it from a big, fully grown cat.

Please, TheCatSite, I desperately need help. Any advice on how to stop this?

I think it is the blinking motion that attracts them. That and moving reflections in your eyes, like the TV. Sami did this a few times, though gently. I said "Oww!" Really loudly and held my eye (even though she did not hurt me) and immediately walked away. She seemed to get the message. I think you are on the right track....just be consistent and persistent. Don't let her get away with it even once. You can generally tell when they are about to do it, and a "No, don't you do it!" along with a distraction may eventually work her out of it. At 8 weeks, she did not have time to learn her manners from her Mamma and siblings.

Rags gave good advice, and i also think you're on the right track, but I just wanted to add something about this part:

 I have tried doing the kitten squeal and moving away, and when she followed me, I have tried pinning her to the ground for a few seconds before letting her go. I've tried stopping playtime and ignoring her. These have been quite effective for the most part, but her favourite thing to do after play attacking is to run away, so they don't always work.

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You can still discourage the behavior even if she runs away immediately afterward. Just get up, leave the room and close the door so she's alone in there. You can say "No!" immediately afterward or hiss, but don't say anything else, don't acknowledge her cries when she's locked in the room by herself, and don't give in or let her out early.

Do that consistently, the same way every time, and she will learn unambiguously that attacking your eyes means playtime is over, you will leave, and she will spend a long time (from her PoV) alone in your bedroom.

About "pinning" them: I probably read the same advice you did, about how to pin them by the scruff of the neck like momma cat would do. YMMV but that was not productive with my cat and it felt wrong, like physical aggression toward him. It just made him angry. I tried it twice to discourage problem behavior, and that was two times too many.

I never remembered to do the kitten squeal and walk away when she drew blood because all I do was shriek and think about how it hurt like a mother lol. I've been good about being consistent with the proper reaction all the other times, though. The trouble with distracting her is that she tends to do this when my attention is elsewhere.

Unfortunately my kitty isn't being as good as yours about getting the message. She's improved a lot and doesn't do it often, but I can't seem to get her to quit for good.

Originally Posted by Plan  

You can still discourage the behavior even if she runs away immediately afterward. Just get up, leave the room and close the door so she's alone in there. You can say "No!" immediately afterward or hiss, but don't say anything else, don't acknowledge her cries when she's locked in the room by herself, and don't give in or let her out early.

Do that consistently, the same way every time, and she will learn unambiguously that attacking your eyes means playtime is over, you will leave, and she will spend a long time (from her PoV) alone in your bedroom.

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That's good advice about what to do even if she runs away afterward. I hope it doesn't take much longer for her to learn my eyes are not for swatting. The first time she scratched my eye and made it bleed, I seriously considered giving her away. I rescued her when she was a tiny baby so I really don't want to give her up. Hopefully she'll stop for good soon.

RagsMom said:

At 8 weeks, she did not have time to learn her manners from her Mamma and siblings.

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Argh, I don't know how to edit my posts on this site, lol.

Yes, you're right, I got her as a very tiny kitten (vet estimated she was less than 6 weeks old), so I've had to spend a lot of time teaching her "how to cat." This eye swiping thing seems to be the last major hurdle.

Thanks for your advice! I hope my kitty will stop attacking my eyes for good soon.

Nessie said:

 
Argh, I don't know how to edit my posts on this site, lol.

Yes, you're right, I got her as a very tiny kitten (vet estimated she was less than 6 weeks old), so I've had to spend a lot of time teaching her "how to cat." This eye swiping thing seems to be the last major hurdle.

Thanks for your advice! I hope my kitty will stop attacking my eyes for good soon.

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And she's still really young, and doing things that kittens do, so there's plenty of time to grow out of it. I understand your frustration though. If I were you, I'd be wearing glasses or goggles around the house

I was just going to suggest trying wearing glasses, but Plan beat me to it.

When I got my kitten a few months ago, she never went for my eyes. However, I wear contacts during the day, and glasses at night. Milly disliked the glasses, and would sock me in the eye, batting at the glasses in a fussy way. Luckily, the glasses protected my eyes but what began to happen is that Milly got frustrated that her paw kept hitting a solid clear object and besides the fact that I hissed at her actions, she pretty quickly quit batting at my glasses (at my eyes).

Perhaps you could try to wear regular glasses when around her (no prescription ones?), & that would have the counter intuitive effect of frustrating her swipes at your actual eyes? Hard to say.

I know it has been forever, but just in case someone else has the same problem I did and stumbles upon this thread, I thought I'd post an update.

My Sooty no longer attacks my eyes. I didn't really try anything new or different; I pretty much kept doing the same things I've described in my previous posts, and one day she just stopped. It wasn't really a gradual thing, so I don't know if my kitten squeals or hisses made her get the message that I didn't like her swiping at my eyes. She kind of stopped out of the blue, so I suspect she grew out of it on her own (this happened about a week and a half after I made this thread).

Are you certain she's not swatting at your hair moving and your eyes are just in the immediate vicinity?

My cat full grown recently has stratched my eye the lid . Made it bleed. He's never did that before her clawed at me even but me sometimes I don't think he likes me. i dont teust to put my face in his . He will cuddled me snd purr and the he gives it to me good . I don't know why? But can't let him do it again.

My full grown cat . Has clawed my eye the other there day . Getting the eye lid . I really don't know what to do except not get close to his face. Or I wear googles but he does do some clawing at the face and has nit me on the ear s nd ob the chin don't know why. I don't think he likes me me. I really need him to stop this bad yes bad behaver. He will snuggle me love on me and then i get the claw. Or a bite. I usyally stay out if his face and g e no longer sleeps in my room. he don't like that.

L lori2011 Hi I just made a thread called my cat bites! I got some great and lengthy responses from folks, overstimulation is a major reason fro the kind of thing your talking about, learning when your cat is done with petting is important. Also he may want more play time, balls or wands are good because he can't attack your hands. Good luck!

My cat is just so fully you want to snuggle him . I am sure I don't know when he's done with the petting or snuggling . He's such a fluff ball and Gourgous orange long haired cat with a tempter. I am sure I am trying to love on him when he's had enough too.

Yes he loves to play with a fishy on a stick . Safe you fo s me or balls and our other cat had kittens and her not been getting as much play time to get his friskyness out. he is a rough at play too.

Lori2011 said:

Yes he loves to play with a fishy on a stick . Safe you fo s me or balls and our other cat had kittens and her not been getting as much play time to get his friskyness out. he is a rough at play too.

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Is he neutered?

It's just a kitten phase they are going through. Kittens being kittens, be it 8 weeks old ( too young to have left the mother as proper mannerisms are taught by the mother which your kitten missed) or 11 months old, he is still a kitten.
Many posters have given good answers. Kittens goes for anything that moves. Especially below the sheets and eyeballs rolling in sleep.
My boy did that when he was 4 months old. He bites our hair, like pulling weeds and biting our eyes when we sleep. But it was only just for a short while and he stopped doing that. Have his favorite toy in bed or next to you and whenever you sense him coming, Give him the toy. And if he lunges towards the eyes, move aside and firmly say NO. Do that every time he goes for your eyes till he gets the message. Just be patience with him.

BassCat said:

 
Are you certain she's not swatting at your hair moving and your eyes are just in the immediate vicinity?

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It was definitely not my hair. She'd go for my eyes as I was lying down in bed, reading, when my hair wasn't moving at all. Also, I keep my hair tied back all the time.

Fortunately she has stopped doing this now