12 Week Old Kitten Biting

[jadeandalex]

I have mama cat jade and her 12 week old baby boy inky. Inky is a biter, and I have no idea how to stop it. I have sprayed him with water, moved him away, locked him in another room for a few minutes, and numerous other things. We can just be sitting on the couch watching tv and he will jump up and start biting and scratching. He does it to jade and she will either ignore him and he will move on to something else (like us or electronic cords) or she will play with him. He also still nurses and I read somewhere that makes him feel entitled? Maybe that's playing a role in it? Either way, we are at our wits end with it and need advice on how to stop it.

 

[tabbytom]

Hello jadeandalex, whenever Inky does the bite, distract him with a soft toy. Never use your hands to push him away as if you do that, he thinks that your hand is a kind of toy to play with and so he tries to bite.

Always have some soft toys lying around the house and whenever he starts to bite, give him the toy and say ‘NO’ in a firm voice. And importantly, never use a spray bottle on him 5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat
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So whatever he bites, be it hands, legs, cords, just say no firmly and distract him with a toys. Get a cardboard box for him to play too and he can chew on the cardboard box
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Spend some quality play time with him. Kittens are full of energy and they play a lot and it’s part of their growing up.

 

[Columbine]

Is Inky an only kitten? (ie no littermates). This kind of behaviour is far more common in bottle babies and only kittens, as they don't have littermates to learn boundaries from. When kittens play together, they'll squeak or squeal if they get bitten too hard. You can use this to your advantage by squeaking/squealing loudly (it can feel easier for us humans to use a word like 'ow' or 'no' ) each time Inky bites you.

Don't pull away when he bites you - that's what prey would do, and it'll likely make him bite harder. Instead, freeze or push your hand (or whatever body part he has hold of) towards him. I know it seems counterintuitive, but the shock of you pushing into him is more likely to make him release you.

Also, make sure to give Inky plenty of interactive playtime every day. Kittens are bundles of energy, and you need to give him positive outlets for it. If he's left to make his own fun, it could be far more destructive
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[jadeandalex]

I am horrible about keeping up on this. He is from a litter of 8, but we rehomed his siblings. The biting has gotten a little better. He will still do it on occasion but has learned that if we move him away from us then biting is not ok and he has to stop. I have tried the put whatever body part he is buying further in his mouth but it just confused him without really stopping him.

 

[Columbine]

I'm glad that things are improving. He will eventually learn that biting is never acceptable. Just keep doing what you're doing - it's obviously working