Kitten Aggresion

harry

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Hi, I have posted here before about my kitten. I have another question. My kitten is 6 weeks old and is a boy. He is the only pet we have in the house. We when first got him he was very well behaved, but now he is very aggressive with us. He keeps biting our fingers, legs, toes, and clothes. We have tried bitter apple, we have tried spraying him with water each time he bits, and we have tried buying him lots of toys to let him bit on. Yet all he does is lick off the bitter apple from our fingers and continue to bit. What should we do?
 

amyscrazy

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The squirt guns work best for me. Sometimes it takes a couple fast squirts but it gets their attention. My kittens are now about 8 wks old and they have started to climb my legs at feeding time. I squirt and shake my legs
 

amyscrazy

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Is it possible to get him a sibling of the same age? They play rough and can take it out on each other. They are very, very happy with a playmate and it is easier to re-direct their aggressions.
 
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harry

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Getting him a sibling or another kitten wouldn't be possible. Does it matter what kind of water we use? I have been using cold water. It really bothered him in at first, but now it's not really having any effect.
 

amyscrazy

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kittens do play very rough and they have lots of energy. Those funny little toy mice are a favorite of all my cats, and the foil balls. Your kitten can chase them around and entertain itself for hours. Make sure that you spend some sit down time with him, maybe while you watch t.v. I may be making it up but I think my cats really enjoy the eye contact and one on one attention. If they get to rough I say "no" and put them on the floor. They are very persistant and it sometimes take 4 or 5 times before they understand what I am getting at.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by harry

Hi, I have posted here before about my kitten. I have another question. My kitten is 6 weeks old and is a boy. He is the only pet we have in the house. We when first got him he was very well behaved, but now he is very aggressive with us. He keeps biting our fingers, legs, toes, and clothes. We have tried bitter apple, we have tried spraying him with water each time he bits, and we have tried buying him lots of toys to let him bit on. Yet all he does is lick off the bitter apple from our fingers and continue to bit. What should we do?
Truthfully, he thinks you are another cat to play with...he doesn't see anything wrong with it because he hasn't been taught (from his mom) that that behavior is not OK (which is why we advocate kittens leaving mom between 10-12 weeks). So now you are going to have to be "mom" and put the kabosh on his negative behavior. One suggestion is a kitten "time out"...the moment he starts to attack you...put him in a quiet room for 15 minutes until he calms down. Doing this consistantly may help as the kitten won't want his play interrupted. Even if you cannot get him a playmate...is there a friend of yours who has a kitten (they would both need to receive clean bills of health from your vets BEFORE being introduced) so that he could get some kitten play time.

Katie
 

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I would suggest you NOT use the spray gun. Your kitten, is just that a kitten. He is going to bite, claw, climb up your leg it's all part of what he instinctly knows. If you spray him with water, you will only serve to make him confused and perhaps even more aggressive. If you get water in his face or in his ears, he could get an inner ear infection. When he bites, gently scruff his neck (gently) don't lift him up by his neck, keep him on something solid, then hiss at him, one time. Then release his scruff. Make it a gutteral hiss like his mom would do if he bit her. Mom wouldn't grab the garden hose and spray him, she would hiss at him. Respond to him with what he knows, don't scare him by using something foreign like a water pistol. Also get him neutered, that will help as well. Some vets are now pro early spay and neuter, so call your vet and find out if he/she does this.

Many cat behaviorists and other cat lovers believe as I do, spraying water on a cat or a kitten is just a mean thing to do.
 
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harry

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Here to update:

Not use the spray gun? Hmm, what you said made a lot of sense. So what is considered bad bitting? Bitting the clothes I wear, is that bad? So all I have to do is hiss at him? What is a glutteral hiss?

He still bits and stalks. It has been this way for about four weeks now. The only time he doesn't bit is when he's sleeping or eating. I really want to pet him. I actually get really sad when he does. I really want him to know how much I love him. I spend so much time with him and it's really stressful to take care of him. I even lose sleep because I stay up to make sure he goes to bed and wake up real early because he is hungry. I do all of this and I think he doesn't love me back : ( When he was sleepy before I wanted to try and pet him, but he didn't seem to care much for it. After awhile he just meowed and moved away from me. I was petting really gently.
 

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Originally Posted by harry

Here to update:

Not use the spray gun? Hmm, what you said made a lot of sense. So what is considered bad bitting? Bitting the clothes I wear, is that bad? So all I have to do is hiss at him? What is a glutteral hiss?

He still bits and stalks. It has been this way for about four weeks now. The only time he doesn't bit is when he's sleeping or eating. I really want to pet him. I actually get really sad when he does. I really want him to know how much I love him. I spend so much time with him and it's really stressful to take care of him. I even lose sleep because I stay up to make sure he goes to bed and wake up real early because he is hungry. I do all of this and I think he doesn't love me back : ( When he was sleepy before I wanted to try and pet him, but he didn't seem to care much for it. After awhile he just meowed and moved away from me. I was petting really gently.
Harry...using a water gun won't stop the behavior because your kitten won't associate getting wet to biting. To him, there is nothing wrong with this behavior. Why can't you get him a playmate??

Katie
 
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harry

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You mean adopting another cat? I don't have the energy, resources, room, or money for another kitten. I adopted the kitten because I didn't want him to be put to sleep. Taking care of him has already put a dent in my social life, and my pocket. Instead of trying to take care of two cats, I want to put all my love only into one.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by harry

You mean adopting another cat? I don't have the energy, resources, room, or money for another kitten. I adopted the kitten because I didn't want him to be put to sleep. Taking care of him has already put a dent in my social life, and my pocket. Instead of trying to take care of two cats, I want to put all my love only into one.
Understood..however he is looking for a playmate..which is why he is biting you. Ever watch kittens at play?? They tossle and bite each other, just like their wild cousins. When a kitten is done playing....it will hiss at the other one and walk away, leaving the kitten who wanted to play to find other useful ways to expend it's energy. Until the kitten can understand in it's own language that this is unacceptable, he will continue to play this way with you. I would follow the advice that Hissy has provided.

Katie
 
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harry

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I can understand that. I'm going to try Hissy's method and see if that works. I guess another question I have is does he even know I love him and does he love me?
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by harry

I can understand that. I'm going to try Hissy's method and see if that works. I guess another question I have is does he even know I love him and does he love me?
Well...he wouldn't play with you if he wasn't at least interested in you....for kittens, play is part of love. So yes, I do believe he understands you love him.

Katie
 
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harry

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Hissing doesn't seem to work. The last method I know about is leaving the room for a time out.
 
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