how do i control my kitten

hi i have a kitten who is 16 wks old and for weeks now we have been trying to get him to stop bitting and attacking us. I asked my family for advise on how to get him to stop but the only thing they tell me to do is hit him. I tried that but it does not seem to make a difference in his behavior actually it has just made him worse. so does any one have any advise on what i can do to keep my kitten from attacking me with out having to hit him all the time.

Hitting will only make it worse. It sounds like your kitten is over stimulated. Play games with feather wands, a lazer pointer or some other long distance toy. If the kitten attacks your feet, get out a toy and play with him. Kittens need alot of play time and attention. Good Luck

yes i agree, you shouldnt hit your kitten. get a water spray bottle and just spray him with it every time he attacks you, he'll soon get the hint, and try to make more time to play with toys with him, but hitting him isint doing him any good

PLEASE do not hit your kitten!!! All this will do is make him scared of you, and actually make the attacking worse because he will feel like he has to defend himself before you hit him again.

In addition to redirecting his play to toys, the only negative reinforcement that works is to take away the fun, as in you! When you are playing with him and he bites, scratches, or attacks your body just say NO in a firm voice (don't yell) and get up and walk away. Remove the play every time and he will very soon figure out that when he bites the fun stops.

The only other advice is to make sure that everyone in your household is being consistent with him. I know some people think it's really cute to have kittens play attack, so it would be very confusing to him if one person encourages him to bite and scratch as play and another punishes him for the same thing.

kuskoGB..your kitten is reacting the way he would if there was another kitten for him to play with...since you did not indicate there was another cat or kitten in the household....you may want to get your kitten a friend...that way he could express his "playful" behavior with another kitten.

The attached article explains why it is important for kittens to be adopted in pairs:

http://www.pawschicago.org/PetCare/catsinpairs.htm

Katie

I cat-sat a kitten who bit during play. We gave him a "wooly" mouse and a couple other toys to bite instead of people. What made the biggest difference was getting a little brother to play with. Also, is the kitten declawed? Cats who are declawed often turn to biting as their best defense. Hitting only teaches the kitten to be afraid of you.

Originally Posted by TNR1

kuskoGB..your kitten is reacting the way he would if there was another kitten for him to play with...since you did not indicate there was another cat or kitten in the household....you may want to get your kitten a friend...that way he could express his "playful" behavior with another kitten.

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I completely agree with this. The rescue group I'm with will not adopt out single kittens because we have found they become handbiters. This kitten needs a playmate. This kitten is not trying to hurt you he is playing, so don't hit him give him a toy to play with.

Fern

I read somewhere that if you make a loud "meow" sound, that tells them they are being too rough. Sort of what a playmate kitten would do. It seems strange, but it does work with my adult cat. Or if I just say "Ow ow ow", he stops biting, and licks instead.

If you don't want your cat to be aggressive toward you, don't be aggressive toward him. When he is attacking people, he is just playing, but hitting him could either turn that into real aggression or make him timid. I've known people who swore by hitting their animals as punishment and continued to do it into the pet's adulthood. If this method was really working, why would they have to keep doing it? Pets take time and patience, and hitting is a "fast answer" that can cause even more problems.

I pretty much agree with what has already been said so I'm not going to repeat everything, but just wanted to comment on my experience. I have multiple kittens and I RARELY have any problem with them trying to bite or scratch me as play. When they do try to play with me in that way, I just ignore them and don't play back. They get bored and look for another kitten to attack instead. This hasn't made them less playful in other ways though. They still enjoy strings and chasing balls and less painful ways of playing with humans.

Just keep in mind that it's natural for kittens to want to play by attacking and biting. That's how they play with their littermates.

Yup, 16 weeks is part of the rough play period. I think he needs a playmate.

I hang a wad of cloth on a string, hold the end up so the cloth is about an inch off the floor, wiggle it and we go have a tug-o-war. That is our playtime. Or you could hang the cloth mouse on elastic garter and tie it on a nail somewhere - an open doorway, or the ceiling - so it hangs down and will swing if the cat bats at it. Sometimes I give a paper football --a crumpled sheet of paper to bat all over the floor-- so the cat can play by himself. My kittens also love tissue; they tear it into tiny pieces.

Originally Posted by mamam

My kittens also love tissue; they tear it into tiny pieces.

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Yup, kittens love to tear tissue. This could turn out to be not such a great thing for a kitten to think of as a toy if he has access to a bathroom though!

It is natural for kittens to bite at things - they don't have hands, after all!

To get through this stage and to teach our kittens that biting people is NOT ok, we did the following.

1) Buy a box (or several boxes) of straws. (We used the bendy kind).
2) Scatter them everywhere, and either keep some on you or make sure there's one within easy reach (on the floor even).
3) Whenever kitty bites, make that limb immediately stop. Lean down and blow a quick puff of air into kitty's face. This will make kitty stop in his tracks. Put a straw in his mouth (sideways, so he can bite down on it, not the long way like you would use to take a drink. This could hurt him).

When disciplining cats, it's important to use a "language" they understand. Hitting them only hurts, makes them get defensive, AND they don't understand they're doing something wrong. Puffing air in their face will make them stop without hurting them. Redirecting their biting to something they're allowed to bite or chew on, such as a toy or straw, in concert with the puff of air, will teach kitty that it's not OK to bite people, but it's OK to bite straws (or toys).

The most important thing is that everyone in the home should do this. It is VERY confusing to animals if one person does one thing, and another person does another thing. The message must be clear and consistent. Right now to kitty, a moving arm or foot is a toy. As soon as that limb stops moving (in his mind, stops playing) and he gets a puff of air in his face, he'll know the hand or foot isn't playing and doesn't want to. Being given something that's OK to bite or chew will leave him with something to play with or chew on, and thus not frustrated. It may take a little time - after all, you didn't learn to put puzzles together overnight when you were three! But he'll learn, and everyone, including kitty, will be much happier for the very little bit of effort it takes.

Do you think the straw thing will work for an older cat, say Dori's age 1 and 1/2, or do you think it will only work for kittens?

thanx everyone for all of the great advise, me and my kitty thank you. hopefully i can get some pics of the happy kitty on the site soon so he can be properly introduced.

feeling a great relief
kusko

Originally Posted by squirtle

Do you think the straw thing will work for an older cat, say Dori's age 1 and 1/2, or do you think it will only work for kittens?

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I am pretty sure it will! I first used one on Blade to get him to stop biting. But I do want to warn you that it causes an addiction to straws....even if they are in your drink from a Fast food joint! Blade is always stealing my straws!!!!!!

I have a rather wild kitten as well and have been using the spray bottle for misbehavior. It does stop her immediately but being a mischievous kitten, comes back for more. When she gets too aggressive my vet told me to grab her, holding her feet and body close and tight until she calms down and relaxes. Then let her go. This sometimes takes a few moments but it works. She said the kitten needs to learn you are in control instead of them.  

A quick blow in the face might get your face bitten or scratched.  

Water bottle squirts work good.  BUT, I never had a water bottle holster, and I'm not that fast of a draw.  That HAS to be immediate.

IF you can maneuver your hands to where kitten bites your palms?  Palms are tougher and don't hurt much.
If kitty bites any parts of you, DO NOT pull away.  Go limp, or be very still, or go TOWARDS the cat.  (this applies with claws also) (this applies to REAL swats and bites also).  Pulling away turns a little hole into a big rip.

For finger biters:  Gag them with the finger they have in their mouth.  Make sure they did it, not you. (it'll need to be a quick, gentle poke).   Kitten isn't aware you did this.  Kitten thinks the finger did this, and it'll only take a few times before they stop biting fingers.

And when they are wound up and playing. Just don't pet them, try not to touch them.  I think this is very difficult because we all love to touch kittens.  Just refrain from it when they are wound up playing.
Save the cuddles and strokes for when they are very tired.
And if you get one nibble or one wiggle?  Stop touching them right then.