Extremely bitey kitten

[ewhite62]

Hey everyone,
I recently just got a kitten off of craigslist. A couple things seemed sketchy after I got him, first the kitten was listen as a female but he is definitely a male. Second the kitten had just turned 8 weeks and was in his first home before that. After asking questions to the guy I got him from, turns out the kitten was taken from his mom as 6 weeks old.
He isn’t suckling objects or overly clingy, but he is extremely hand aggressive. He will go after hands and feet more than what I would say the average kitten does. I can just be laying in bed and he will lunge at my hand. I can only really pet him when he is sleepy. When he’s sleepy, he’s extremely cuddly and will lay on my chest and neck and lick my face. The face licking is almost obsessive, like if I move him away he’ll come right back up and start licking again (at 3am it’s not exactly the best time to have a scratchy cat tongue on my cheek haha.)
As for the biting, I’ve tried redirection, ignoring, correcting, and I even tried a spray bottle as a last resort. Nothing seems to be helping.
He’s my first cat, and I’m not sure if I have enough experience to get him what he needs. I really don’t want to rehome him, but I originally got a kitten as hopes to have an ESA. Rehoming will be my last resort, I’m in rescue and I understand how stressful it is for animals to be continuously moved. I will only rehome if I think it’s in the best interest of the kitten.
He is currently 8 weeks old, so I wanted to wait a bit longer before neutering him.
So. Any tips? Does this sound like a kitten that’s taken away from his mom way too early? Will any of this behavior go away as he gets older?

Bonus picture of his adorable face!

 

[silent meowlook]

His behavior is not that of a kitten taken away to soon. It is the behavior of a single kitten.
Having one kitten that young is hard because he has nobody to play with. I would suggest you get wand toys and play with him for at least 30 minutes a day, every day, preferably at the same time.
Don’t use a spray bottle. Don’t ignore him. If he bugs you at night, you may need to confine him when you sleep.

You could always get another kitten. Make sure the new kitten is healthy with doing a vet check first and get one the same size.

 

[Norachan]

6 weeks old is very early for a kitten to be taken from his mother and siblings. He probably has no idea that biting is painful and inappropriate, they learn all about that from other kittens.

They always do better in pairs, so if you can afford another kitten that would be the simplest solution to your problem.

I suggest you take him to a vet, get him blood tested, vaccinated and checked for parasites and then see if any of your local shelters have a kitten of a similar age they are trying to rehome.

He is absolutely gorgeous by the way.

 

[Flybynight]

E ewhite62
Hi,
I would add to the above good advice to get a kicker type toy that you can place in his paws when he is play biting, such as this :
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O3GWKUU/?tag=thecatsite
or this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085VKPNSW/?tag=thecatsite:

At his age catnip won't make a difference until he is about six months or so old. But the kickers will allow for the natural biting and bunny kicking of cat play.
I second the idea of a second kitten. It will help make up for his being rehomed too early, help with socialization and getting his energy out but not on you

 

[susanm9006]

Recognizing that you may not want or have space for another kitten, there ARE things you can do with a bitey kitten regardless of age. If he bites, give him a loud hiss or OWWW! and set him down or walk away when he does. If he comes back you can gently hold him down for a minute or pick him up and redirect him to a suitable toy. And you want to be sure you have lots of toys to wear off his activity like toys that bounce and roll or that he can bat at. Track roller balls can keep a kitten occupied for hours.

As far as nightime, he is missing his family and being close to you gives him a great deal of comfort. If he is too wild in bed though, you can remove him from the room for the remainder of the night if he gets to get too much.

 

[cataholic07]

I would highly recommend adopting another kitten, not from craigslist though from a rescue or shelter so they have some vetting and its cheaper. Unfortunately kittens that are taken away that young and are singletons do have a higher risk of biting hands/feets. Too much kitten energy. Way more play time with wand toys, never EVER play with your hands. I'd go for the longer wand toys like dabird just to help further protect your hands. You can get a cat cuddler toy I believe it's the smartpetlove one.

 

[fionasmom]

Cat Behavior Problems [What to do and what not to do] – TheCatSite Articles

There is a section in this article about biting. Certainly you may not be able to get another kitten, nor want to. That is up to you. It does help, but might not be on your agenda right now. The spray bottle does not work because cats don't associate it with the behavior you are trying to extinguish but see it as an added stressor.

As was stated, he was taken from him mom way too young. When I found my Jamie, he was an abandoned 4 week old kitten who turned into the biggest biter, shredder, ripper this side of the Mississippi. Try the above suggestions which redirect his energy but absolutely walk away or stop the game or affection if he starts to bite.

It is never a good idea to let cats play with your hands, but Jamie was such a biter that I began to wear rose pruning gloves if I was near him and he somehow transitioned to the fact that the gloves were like a puppet and he could kick and play with them but could not with my bare hands. You are absolutely not alone in this as it is very typical of kittens who were taken away from their mom too soon. He is just adorable and you fortunately he came to you from Craigslist and found a safe home.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hey everyone,
I recently just got a kitten off of craigslist. A couple things seemed sketchy after I got him, first the kitten was listen as a female but he is definitely a male. Second the kitten had just turned 8 weeks and was in his first home before that. After asking questions to the guy I got him from, turns out the kitten was taken from his mom as 6 weeks old.
He isn’t suckling objects or overly clingy, but he is extremely hand aggressive. He will go after hands and feet more than what I would say the average kitten does. I can just be laying in bed and he will lunge at my hand. I can only really pet him when he is sleepy. When he’s sleepy, he’s extremely cuddly and will lay on my chest and neck and lick my face. The face licking is almost obsessive, like if I move him away he’ll come right back up and start licking again (at 3am it’s not exactly the best time to have a scratchy cat tongue on my cheek haha.)
As for the biting, I’ve tried redirection, ignoring, correcting, and I even tried a spray bottle as a last resort. Nothing seems to be helping.
He’s my first cat, and I’m not sure if I have enough experience to get him what he needs. I really don’t want to rehome him, but I originally got a kitten as hopes to have an ESA. Rehoming will be my last resort, I’m in rescue and I understand how stressful it is for animals to be continuously moved. I will only rehome if I think it’s in the best interest of the kitten.
He is currently 8 weeks old, so I wanted to wait a bit longer before neutering him.
So. Any tips? Does this sound like a kitten that’s taken away from his mom way too early? Will any of this behavior go away as he gets older?

Bonus picture of his adorable face!

Hello E ewhite62 and sweet little man, and welcome to TCS! Other posters' suggestions are good ones and if you follow all of them (except the adoption of another kitten, which may or may not be applicable for you now, but cats are social for the most part, and they will play with each other, sleep together, and be company for each other if you do decide to adopt. An adult cat would also be wonderful, as adult cats can be playful all of their lives and the right pairing would mean a guardian for your kitten. Please keep us informed and we do love pix here at TCS! He is so cute! What's his name?

 

[di and bob]

If you do get a second kitten, get a male so they become bonded and brothers to wrestle together. Females tend to be standoffish and refuse to play when they get a little older. If you can't get a second kitten to keep each other occupied, hissing loudly or saying NO loudly when he bites is the way to go. physical punishment, like the spray bottle, will only make him afraid of you. He is too young at 8 weeks to really understand any other training, though there is some that can be used when he is older. A kitten is a high-energy bundle of constant motion, they all are. He will calm down as he gets older, but that won't be until a year old. He absolutely needs the playtime right now to grow up alright, a wand, a kickeroo, and a corrugated scratchpad would get rid of some of his energy. He needs playtime to learn your sleep schedule and to be tired enough to sleep when you do.

 

[danteshuman]

I agree with everyone above. At 6 weeks the boys were wrestling and discovered ball biting. Luckily they stopped within a week & a half. The point is kittens teach each other crucial things .... like biting to hard hurts!

They are 2 years old now & still love to wrestle. Their sister has no interest in wrestlemania.

Besides a wrestle buddy, it would give your kitten someone to snuggle with.

 

[Xena44]

The I agree with everyone here. I would add that when he bites, like others said, say OOWWWW! If he doesn’t respond to that, continue higher pitched and louder. That’s what kittens do. And that’s what they respond to. Don’t give up darlin. This kitten needs guidance and boundaries

 

[danteshuman]

I did the wailing high pitch ooooooooooowwwwwwww at the slightest hint of fang or claw. My goal was to convince the kittens that I was a furless wuss that couldn’t play with them. It worked! I also never played with them using my hands.

At that age they just want to explore & play. You can try sneaking a quick scratch behind the ears, then play with him some more. Also be the furniture. If the kitten gets on your lap, only pet them if the cats wants. If a cat gets on my lap, 9 times out of 10 they will get at least a half hour before I get up. Usually an hour. They can sleep on my lap &/or groom them selves without me petting them.

 

[Suljas]

I followed advice from seniors and got 2 kittens and they play chasing each other and play fighting to release their energy. So I don't get get see the zoomies around. Lol

 

[Suljas]

Just notice it also depends on the gender at times. Notice my female tends to stop playing wrestling after a while. She will teh male off in her own way..... Lol. Cute to watch. But still it's ilus who still née dto find ways to instill discipline as not to bite and scratch etc