4 month old kitten biting too hard!!

[tinykim]

Hello everyone! I have a beautiful 4 month old male kitten, we found him at around 6/7 weeks old all alone on the streets so we took him in. He can be lovely and affectionate at times, he comes along purring and tries licking my face and rubs up against us but he is also biting very hard and drawing blood. Iv tried saying NO, directing him to a toy, hissing and turning my back on him but he never seems bothered.

We are planning on getting him neutered at around 5/6 months old, would this calm him down?

I'd appreciate any advice or tips thankyou x

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• tinykim
• Jun 11, 2013

 

[tulosai]

How are you saying 'No'? It has to be said loudly.  I usually say 'OW' and I more or less scream it.  If it is not my hand he is biting, I also clap loudly or shake a can of coins at full volume. How long are you turning your back? You should be ignoring him for at least 5 minutes after he does this.  If that has no effect, lengthen it to 10.

If he is biting you from somewhere that is not the floor, he should also immediately be lifted up and set on the floor.

Does he have acceptable things to bite, like heavy duty drinking straws or little mouse toys?

Are there any triggers you can identify? Does he do something else before he bites or is there a particular time he seems to bite? Avoiding these triggers, or removing yourself when you see him about to bite is also effective.

As for neutering, I am not sure it will help with this, but he is definitely old enough to be neutered right now and I would not wait.  While it's somewhat unusual some cats can reach sexual maturity (as defined by being able to mate) by 4 or 5 months and it's better to get them neutered before this occurs.  

 

[tinykim]

Thank you for your help. I shout NO in a loud deep voice which usually has no effect, when I hiss he usually runs away but soon comes back for more. If I put him on the floor he jumps back. He usually only bites when he's in hyper mode, he has a box to hide in, straws, balls, mice, a teddy, scratching post, laces and many more toys.

He tends to get ignored for 5 mins or I walk into another room, ill try it for longer.

My vet recommended getting him neutered between 4 and 6 months of age that's why I chose 5 months haha ill give them a call this week to book him in as a few people have said sooner is better than later.

 

[amalisa]

My two month old does this too.

I wake up at 7:30 to get ready for work, but he wakes me up earlier, biting my ears, nose, pulling my hair, chewing my elbows. It's very painful. As I walk down the stairs he attacks my toes and bites them, scratching my legs. He even draws blood at times.

It is driving me nuts. It's my first time owning a cat, I've always had dogs, so I have no idea if this is normal or not! I hiss and he gets startled but it has no effect.

I say NO! Really loudly or OW STOP! and then pick him up and drop him on the floor, or push him off the bed with my feet, but he just gets right back up!

Sometimes if i get up and move after yelling he will run and hide.

He's also started door dashing, which is getting on my nerves. If i open the front door he tries very hard to get out, and if i close the door he starts to scream like someone is murdering him.

Its the same when I cook for myself. he screams and cries and yells like someone is attacking him... i'm worried what my neighbors must think!

 

[tulosai]

My two month old does this too.

I wake up at 7:30 to get ready for work, but he wakes me up earlier, biting my ears, nose, pulling my hair, chewing my elbows. It's very painful. As I walk down the stairs he attacks my toes and bites them, scratching my legs. He even draws blood at times.

It is driving me nuts. It's my first time owning a cat, I've always had dogs, so I have no idea if this is normal or not! I hiss and he gets startled but it has no effect.

I say NO! Really loudly or OW STOP! and then pick him up and drop him on the floor, or push him off the bed with my feet, but he just gets right back up!

Sometimes if i get up and move after yelling he will run and hide.

He's also started door dashing, which is getting on my nerves. If i open the front door he tries very hard to get out, and if i close the door he starts to scream like someone is murdering him.

Its the same when I cook for myself. he screams and cries and yells like someone is attacking him... i'm worried what my neighbors must think!

Hi 

 It is not normal, what you are describing, and you need to stop him ASAP or else it will get harder and harder to do so.  

Do not pick him up and drop him.  This is probably antagonizing him and that's quite a drop for a 2 month old- the cats always land on their feet thing is a myth. Instead pick him up and set him down away from where he was doing the action. Try a loud sound other than an OW, such as loudly shaking a can of coins or clapping.  Do not be kicking him off the bed.  This too is antagonistic and making him more aggressive.  Instead pick him up and set him off the bed.  If you are too sleepy to do this, you have to keep the door to your room closed when you are sleeping.

Door dashing is hard to deal with.  It is pretty much the only thing I still sometimes struggle with with my two resident cats after many a year.  What I recommend when you are leaving is to throw some treats down in an area away from the door. I do this in a whole separate room. Kitty will be distracted by the treats and you will be able to slip out.  When you come in it's harder, at least for me.  You can try throwing treats in front of you and saying loudly 'BACK, BACK!'  You can also enter low to the ground and try to block kitty that way. I basically try to enter quickly screaming BACK, BACK and this is 95% effective as long as I've been gone a while. Treats didn't work for me coming back- they ignore them for the glory of the outside.

If he does escape, resist the urge to chase.  Go out there, try to keep him in your sight, and move very, very slowly.

When you are cooking, ignore. When he gets no response for weeks, he will get the message.

That all said, what I really recommend is adopting a second kitty.  He is very young to be away from mother and siblings and has not learned the appropriate ways to play (hence the biting) and has no outlet for his playing except you (hence the biting).  This is also why he probably meows like he's being murdered- he is super lonely and needs more attention- attention that a playmate could provide.  He is still at a very good age to easily get along with a non sibling as long as the non sibling was also around 2 months. Please consider this.