Biting & Scratching Kitten

leaheli23

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Hi cat people :)

We rescued a kitten who had been found on the street at just a couple days old. She was bottle-fed by the person who found her until she was 7 weeks old, then weaned to hard food, and we adopted her at 8 weeks old. For the first 2 weeks or so Sophia was the cuddliest, sweetest little thing. Now, at 13 weeks, she is either asleep and very cuddly, OR awake and extremely aggressive. Basically if she's awake, she's not pleasant to be around. I completely understand that cats (especially kittens) need to be able to be frisky and hyper and have their play time. We have lots of toys and give her lots of time where we play with stuffed animals, strings, etc, but she will try to bite and scratch me and the kids non-stop until she eats and then takes a nap. Any and all advice would be great! Thanks!
 

shadowsrescue

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Hello and welcome to the forums.  I wonder if you kitty has been taught that hands are something to play with?  It is very common to use our hands and then kitty pounces on them.  This could have happened while she was in foster care.  You need to teach her that hands are not for biting or scratching.  Here is an article on kitten play behavior/aggression

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/playtime-aggression

The best thing to try is to find a very interactive toy such as a laser pointer or da Bird wand toy.  Get her moving.  These toys keep the hands out of the way. 

What not to do:  Discipline her.  Cats don't respond well to discipline.  Some people use squirt bottles.  This does nothing but teach the cat to be fearful.  Just redirect her energy.
 
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