how to stop kitten scratching and biting my hands

[Ilovemykitten]

I’ve been taking care of my kitten Mercedes since she was only a few days old. Found her abandoned outside my house. As soon as she was able to cry she would do so all the time until I put her in my arms ( i thought I was offering motherly comfort lol, I now know I wasn’t supposed to) but now she’s growing and is getting more agressive with her scratches. I want to grow her out of this while she’s still young. Any ideas on how to because if I just let her be on the ground and don’t pick her up she cries soo much. She’s otherwise very friendly and is slowly learning to use the litter box minus a few mishaps here and there. Also I’m trying to transition from a bottle to a bowl to lap up milk and that also isn’t going so well. Always ends up in a huge mess and she doesn’t drink a thing. Any tips or tricks to help ?

 

[StefanZ]

First, I think its good you ARE motherly, esp when she has no cat momma nor siblings... The same can be said re the fostering and disciplinging. There is no cat nor even dog momma, so its up to you...

I think you are doing OK, its "age adequate" with her behavior, including food and litter.

 

[rubysmama]

Awww... what a sweetie pie. Thank you for rescuing her.

About her scratching, that's because she doesn't have her kitty mama or siblings to teach her to "play nice". Maybe something in this Humane Society link will be helpful. Do ignore their mention of a squirt bottle, as that is not a recommended manner of training cats.

Teach your kitten how to play nice
5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat [Or otherwise punish them] – Cat Articles

TCS also has this article: How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats – Cat Articles

Here's a couple more TCS articles that might be helpful:
Weaning: How To Get Your Kittens To Eat On Their Own | TheCatSite
How To Train Kittens To Use The Litter Box | TheCatSite

Also, When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat? – Cat Articles

Welcome to TCS, BTW.

 

[susanm9006]

First, all kittens scratch. Not on purpose as much as they just aren’t good at retracting their claws. So you want to keep them trimmed. Also, kittens have a built in instinct to play and wrestle so your kitten is treating you the way she would a littermate. She definitely needs a stuffed toy or two about her size that she can kick and bite.

As far as the crying, she is still so young and needs the warmth and comfort that a mom would provide. So I would continue to pick her up and cuddle her whenever she asks for it but set her back down or give her her the wrestling buddy if she try’s to bite or fight with your hand.

 

[Caspers Human]

( i thought I was offering motherly comfort lol, I now know I wasn’t supposed to)

Are we talking about letting a kitten play with your hands?

I know that I'm in the minority, here, but I am of the opinion that it's not necessarily bad to play with a cat.
The caveat is that, if you let a kitten play like that, you have to accept the consequences.
You wouldn't step onto a football field if you didn't expect to walk away with bumps and bruises. That's the nature of the game. By the same token, you shouldn't wrestle with a cat if you don't expect to end up with a few scratches. Cats don't have hands. They have claws. It's the nature of the game.

Whether it be football or cats, if you don't want to pay the price, don't play the game.

I'm okay with either decision. It's your kitten. It's your choice how to bring her up.

Personally, I'm a "full contact" cat owner. Having a cat just wouldn't be as much fun if you couldn't have an occasional wrestling match. Yes, I often come away with scratches. Mostly just a few red marks. I fully accept that as the price to pay when having fun with a cat.

When it comes to teaching a cat or kitten how to play, the basic idea is to set your limit and stick to it.
On a scale of "zero" to "ten"... Zero being NO wrestling. Ten being "anything goes."
Pick a number and be consistent with it.

When the cat goes over your limit, say "Ouch," or "No" or whatever you want your signal to be.
Some people like to hiss like a cat.
Personally, I use "Gentle!" as a warning and "Owww!" when it's too much.
Whatever you use, always use the same words. Consistency is key.

If the cat gets too rough, say "Ow!" and immediately stop playing. After a minute or so, you can play again.
If the cat makes you say "Ow" three times, playtime is over. Just say, "Game over!" walk away and do something else.

If you repeat this routine enough times, the kitten will learn how to play within your limits.
It might take a while but keep at it and be consistent.

When it comes to teaching a cat when it's okay to play or not okay to play, I have a system for that, too.

If you want to invite the cat to play, pat your hand on the floor, in front of the cat. If she wants to play, she'll attack.
If the cat does not want to play, don't pursue. That's bullying! That's just as bad as not teaching the cat how to play.
If the cat does play but, later, decides she's done playing, let her go. Don't pursue. Don't be a bully.
You have to understand that the cat has her limits, too, and if you don't respect them, this whole thing won't work.

The bottom line is that when both cat and human set the ground rules, everybody gets to have fun. If either one breaks the rules, nobody gets to have fun. That's the key: "You can't have fun if you break the rules."

I've been playing with cats and dogs and other animals like this ever since I was a kid, old enough to remember.
It's been over five decades and it hasn't failed yet.

Well... Maybe, except for "Sweets" the billy goat.
Catch me in the right mood and, maybe, I'll tell you about Sweets.
He was rather... umm... "special."

 

[danteshuman]

Oh she is adorable!!!!!! She is at the cute gremlin stage with their razor sharp claws (2 weeks?) I don’t know if I would start training until she is 2 months old. When I raised the 2 babies (gremlins) from 10 days old they shredded my hands while being bottle fed & I put up with it. (Now I know you lay them belly down on a towel, circle your fingers around their neck & then bottle-feed them (ty kitten lady!!!!)

When 3 kittens a month old were brought into the house & I volunteered to foster them & I resolved to raise them into great adoptable 12 week olds (major foster fail !) I held a house meeting and from week one it was ‘toys not hands!!’

I also resolved to convince the three minions that humans were furless wimps with paper thin skin! So every time they gave me the slightest hint of fang or claw I did a high pitched wailing oooooOOOOOOwwwwwwww and then ignored the little brat for a few minutes. Whether you choose a high pitched ow (like cats make high pitch noises at each other when one has gotten to rough) or a hiss (usually after the high pitch ow meow) your kitten will get the point (& ignoring them is also cat speak for ‘to rough!) I raised 3 kittens that way and they all behaved ..... until my mom adopted 2 of them. She let them get away with everything and has a roommate that roughhouses with them using his hands

Now before the ow or hiss method I used to just let the kitten bite me then shove my finger(s) down their throat a bit until they started gagging a bit. They never needed it done twice.

 

[vyger]

Infant animals and people babies also, need touch contact. If you go to nurseries, neonatal care, they have people who are cuddlers, and it is their responsibility to hold, cuddle, rock and talk and sing to every baby several times a day. If they don't get that contact the infants begin to waste away and even die. They fail to thrive. Kittens spend all their time together in a pile so they get that kind of comfort, they need that comfort, whoever has told you that they don't need it is wrong. When they are tiny and uncordinated they use their claws to pull themselves around and steady themselves. That is how they find their way around their mom's at the beginning, they claw their way there. They need to nurse, it's what they are made to do, it is their need. Their mouths at first are designed to nurse, not lick or lap or chew. That begins to change when they grow and their mouths change but that takes time. The reason a kitten cries so much is that it needs both food and comfort. Keep it in your lap on a plush rag and let it nurse and then let it sleep there for a while. That is what it needs. It is never wrong to provide comfort to something that needs it. Both people and kittens. Babies of all kinds need to know they are cared for and about.

 

[Kurisunium]

I learned as well from this topic, thank you everyone and to TS for making this thread!

 

[basscat]

When she starts chewing the bottle nipple it's then time to switch to a bowl.
As for the scratching and biting. I've always used a small stuffed toy held with my fingers. They can bite, claw, and chew on the toy as you wiggle it around for them... instead of your hands. When they get TOO wound up, just stop for awhile.