High energy and biting - kitten

[ClumsyBear]

My kitten is 4 months in a few days. He is great and loves to cuddle for most of the day. I really like his company.

However, for those first few hours of the day, he's bouncing off the walls and is so high energy. I think all that energy makes him bite a lot. He latches on to my arm to "attack" which I'm fairly certain is just his way of asking for attention and playtime, not aggressiveness. But, my arms are just all scratched up and it's getting very painful. He's also broken my headphones for work by bitting them and is constantly stealing stuff he shouldn't.

I understand a lot of that is just kitten/cat behaviour. But, I was wondering if anyone has tips in getting him to spend more energy and not bitting?

He has toys, a scratcher, a food puzzle. We don't have a cat tree yet, but I'm planning to get one soon. I tried re-directing his biting to appropriate toys, I got him a chew toy as well for teething, I've also tried putting him in "time out" and ignoring him when he bites. We saw some improvements a while ago, but he got back to bitting a lot again.

Also, he's not neutered yet, my vet recommended waiting until he's 5 months old.

 

[vince]

Neutering should help some. In the meantime, a kicker will help if he doesn't have one. You can also make one out of a couple of old stinky sweat socks one inside the other and tied into knots. You can put some catnip inside, too.

Another energy expending toy is a ping pong ball in the bathtub. The noise seems to be enticing and the ball (usually) comes back for more play! Some of them will get lost under furniture, but they're only about two bucks for a half dozen.

The red dot laser pen is real good for tuckering out kittens too.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

When he bites, HISS at him, loud and sharp. If you can't hiss well, an "OW OW OW" may do the trick. Try very hard not to let him make your hands into a toy.

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

Do you have wand toys? Like the feather on a stick or something like that? He might be telling you he wants play time with you. You might be able to preempt the biting by playing with him first thing in the morning with a wand toy then giving him a meal or snack. It might take a few different toys before you find the type he likes best though. My cat doesn't like feathers, so I have to get her fuzzy tails or stuffed animals to get her to play with the wand.

 

[di and bob]

Like said above a kickeroo, found on Amazon and most pet sites, really distracts them from biting you. throw it towards them when they come at you. Get two and keep one (and half of his toys) in a plastic bag filled with some catnip. Exchange them every week or so, it keeps them 'refreshed' and interesting.

 

[ClumsyBear]

Do you have wand toys?

Yes, I have a couple and he really loves these! I think I might start getting up a bit earlier so I can make him run around the house for longer before starting work.

Like said above a kickeroo, found on Amazon and most pet sites, really distracts them from biting you. throw it towards them when they come at you. Get two and keep one (and half of his toys) in a plastic bag filled with some catnip. Exchange them every week or so, it keeps them 'refreshed' and interesting.

I think he would really love this! He has a bigger plush toy that he uses to wrestle and kick, and it's his favourite toy. So, I might get him a couple of other bigger toys like these since he seems to enjoy being able to fight it more than the smaller toys.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Most of them seen to love those stuffed bananas. They're great for kicking!