6 Month Old Kitten Biting, Attacking, Constantly

[jbarnes23]

I've had my kitten since he was about 11 weeks. He is now 6months old. I had neutering surgery done about three weeks ago. Baby (that's his name lol) has always been such a sweet boy. The vet would always make comments about what a sweet kitty he is. However, probably within the last two weeks his sweetness has been fading. He attacks me constantly, even during playtime and just this week it has gotten worse and worse. It seriously happens more than it doesn't. I have wand toys but he's more interested in clinging to my leg and biting my leg. Some nights I'll be doing work on my laptop and he will start attacking my arms. I tell him no, I (gently) push him off, I give him time outs in his litter room, I've done the squirt bottle but he doesn't care to be sprayed. I have to make him sleep in a separate room now because I wake up to him biting me. I have seriously tried EVERYTHING. He has regular playtimes that are now unbearable because it ends up being me constantly defending myself from getting bit. The weird thing is he does not hiss, he does not raise his fur. Sometimes he is purring as he is doing this! It is seriously getting to the point where I am scared to walk past him because I know what is coming! I don't know what else to do... please help. I love him and I just want my sweet Baby back.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Have you tried any calming products?

Try filling a can half full of coins and give it a hard couple of shakes when he starts in. Throw your keys on the ground near to him and also HISS just like his mama would.

 

[jbarnes23]

I have not tried calming products! Do you have any suggestions as to which ones to buy? I have read a little bit about them but I haven't done a whole lot of extensive research..

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi again - I don't have recommendations, --it's challenging due to every cat being quite different and reacting differently.

Some cats such as my Big Guy are completely unaffected by Feliway, but there are other products with different ingredients such as L-Tryptophan and casein.

There are lots of styles including treats, diffusers, sprays, collars and wipes.

There is Zylkene, Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has a calming product, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.

Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course amazon and chewy, also there's Petwishpros, drsfostersmith, animaleo. Australia's Petbarn has Vitarapid treats.

There are a couple of recent discussions about calming items, here's the link to one thread. Post #6 in this has a link to the second discussion.
Calming Treats?

 

[nevrenufcritters]

I am having pretty much the same issues except my new kitten is much younger. Zima is only 8 weeks and I have been fighting this since I found her at 4 weeks old. She constantly attacks and bites my hands, fingers, arms, whatever she can get. If I hide my hands she will bite my stomach, my pants, my shirt, my face. The hiss thing doesn't work, the can doesn't work. bitter apple is not working. pushing back at her mouth doesn't work, she comes back harder. I put her down on the floor or away from me when she starts up, but even this is not curbing the behavior. the only time she can be in my lap is when she is sleepy and not in full attack mode. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - take a look at these - the main thing I'd try, which is mentioned in the second article is to get something like a kickaroo inbetween her mouth and your self...hang in there!!
Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

 

[1 bruce 1]

6 months = a pre teen boy full of energy and (in his case, fading) hormones that he doesn't know what to do with.
I've used the hiss Furballsmom mentioned. I'm kind of mortified to admit I have it down pretty darned good, especially with the near silent "spit" noise right before. I can even fool some of the dogs into thinking there's a real angry cat in the room, LOL!
What kind of toys does he have? Toys don't need to be expensive. Our cats favorites include empty boxes of all shapes and sizes, pieces of aluminum foil wadded up into balls (large, think the size of his head or larger to prevent him from swallowing and supervise him to make sure he doesn't chew it!), large strips or sheets of packing paper you might get in an amazon box (they play slip and slide on it), handle-less paper bags (no handles, don't want them getting their head stuck), etc. Cats usually ignore expensive toys for the simple things. The cardboard tube thing from an empty roll of paper towels makes a loud, weird sound, rolls, and is easy for them to grab and kick/murder with their feet.
Does he have access to looking out the windows? Is there a way you could make him a "spot" for chilling so he can watch outside and maybe toss some bird seed out the window to attract birds? Cats LOVE this and this mental "killing" that seems to loop through their brains every 3 seconds seems to make them feel better over all and keep them more grounded.
It's frustrating but have fun with him and in a year or two you'll be remembering these crazy stunts and laughing!

 

[danteshuman]

It sounds like both the kitten and the teen need to learn manners. Unforngently it takes time. When you get claws or nipped hiss or say OW/NO then ignore the cat for 15-30 minutes. If the cat follows you charging when you are walking away to ignore them, then I would try the pennycan or keys. In a pinch hiss/no/ow and clap your hands if a can is not handy. Also if you see your cat hunting you, toss a toy away from you. Then repeat telling them no 100 times. Also pushing him away may be seen as fighting back or play.

Give them the large kicheroos. My punk loves biting and bunny kicking his. My other cat appreciates not being the kickeroo

 

[JulesB86]

This happened recently to my kitty, she’s 8 months. She was spayed and then we took a trip about 2 weeks after. During this period which we expected her hyperness would decrease after she was spayed, we noticed she was more hyper active and attacking for no reason.
We tried all the usual tricks but what I found works best is walking away from her when she gets like that, when I see her eyes get big I cut the eye contact look away or move myself cause I know she is about to pounce (another tell is her tail, I can tell what sort of mood she is in by her tail movements now).

Anyways I got some good advice here that it was a reaction to us taking a trip and that it would improve over time and it genuinely has become a lot better over a few weeks.

Have you thought about getting a play mate for your kitty?