9 Week Old Kitten Is Attacking Me. Help Please!

[modelbroad1996]

My 9 week old kitten willow is happy, energetic and excited. This is good and bad. She has millions of toys, scratch posts and an obstacle course. I play with her 2 times a day but through of all of that she still has energy to swat at my hands while Im typing on my laptop or pounce at my ankles and even pounce on me while I am laying down. She doesn't do it in an aggressive manner. Theres no hissing involved. Purely just trying to play and playing too much. I am completely bit and scratched up and little scared now to even expose bare skin just because its painful. I have tried separating her, putting her in time out and using the spray bottle but I just dont think she's connecting the two.

I am open to any suggesting, I just want to fix this before she grows older

 

[tinydestroyer]

Welcome to TCS!
Ah, yes. The unmistakable hands of a kitten-owner: scratched and bit up by those razor-sharp claws. I'm pretty sure anyone who has a kitten has experienced this phase, and there are a lot of great boards and articles here to help re-direct playtime aggression away from your extremeties and towards more appropriate toys. You're definitely right to want to fix it before she becomes older, but the spray bottle probably won't help. Although some people here have had luck getting cats to stay away from areas in the house with water spray, its a pretty ineffective treatment overall for behavioral issues, since the cat doesn't understand what is going on, and can even become more resentful if they realize you're the source of the water spray.

The main method outlined here, which takes lots on consistency and patience, is to ignore the cat (no touching or playing or picking up, even to put in time out,) if she bites your hand, and to NEVER use your hand as a toy. Some members suggested to yelp or say "ouch!" (to let the cat know that it hurts,) and walk away, ceasing all playing and interaction. The article here says to redirect the play to a toy before removing your hand to prevent getting worse scratches, but this might seem at odds with ignoring her. The main point is to break away quickly somehow and ignore the cat, as this is what cats do when playing together if one takes it too far. The other part of the equation is to introduce a regular play schedule with toys (wand toys and laser pointers or anything where the part they bite is far from your hand works great here,) so that the cat gets some healthy exercise in, too, and isn't bored. Young kittens are basically impossible to tire out, but setting a play schedule will still help release some pent up energy.

If she's not been socialized by other cats, like mine (who was abandoned at 4 weeks,) it might take a little longer for your cat to understand, but it WILL work if you keep it up. My cat never bites or scratches me now, only pats my hand without any claws if she wants my attention. Good luck, and feel free to post some pictures of the adorable little one!


How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

How To Deal With Cat "love Bites"?

Worry Not, Stop Aggressive Playful Cat Behavior

Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat

 

[LTS3]

Kittens don't know any better They just want to play and have fun and don't realize that in doing so they are hurting you. You can teach a kitten to not use claws or to bite and generally teach good manners The member above posted some good links on how to stop no-no behavior. Now is also a good time to start clipping your kitten's claws and get her used to it.

Sometimes another kitten or older cat is helpful as the two can wrestle and play with each other and not bother you too much. That might be something to look into.

 

[susanm9006]

First of all, keep those tiny dagger claws clipped. Second, you are many times bigger than her so scoop her up with one hand and hold her for a second. It is a gentle way of telling her who is boss and you will see mom cats hold their kittens down for a second for this very same reason. Then set her back down and step away for a minute and ignore her.

With time and patience she will learn some manners.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the adoption of your new kitten. At 9 weeks, she is still very young. The current recommendation is to keep kittens with their mom and siblings until 12 weeks, so that they have time to learn cat manners and etiquette.

Now that you're her "mom", that's your job. Here's one more article that might be helpful: Teach Your Kitten How to Play Nice : The Humane Society of the United States

Would love to see a picture of her, btw.
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

 

[danteshuman]

I agree with tinydestroyer razor claws sums it up! The only thing I would add is pro-active toy tossing. Meaning you see a kitten hunting you, you toss a toy away from you. Also I would start gently teaching your kitten where she can be. You can be on this chair by my computer desk but not on my computer desk. If you jump up here, I will gently move you to your spot and ignore you for a minute. If you stay at your spot I will pet you, play with you (with a toy) and give you a treat sometimes. It takes time & repetition (like with little kids.) Same things with the counters. Not here, here, good kitty. Plus clipping the wee claws won't hurt