Heeeeelp!
I recently got my 4 month old kitten from Poorly Paws and although he's the cutest little thing, he is driving me nuts with biting and scratching me! He is a white and ginger tabby shorthair. He's my first cat and I'm starting to think I am out of my depth!
He tends to bite around 9/10ish in the evening, when I'm sitting on the sofa or when I'm in bed, and he wakes me up at 4am, 5am and 7am each morning doing the same thing. The bites sometimes draw blood and even though I have tried hissing, growling, shouting 'no!' and 'ouch!' and using a spray bottle (although I only do that as a last resort), NONE of these things seem to deter him and 10 seconds later he will do it again. He's now started going for my face and neck, which is a horrible surprise to wake up to if I've nodded off.
My house is an open plan studio so unfortunately there aren't any places that I can shut him in at night and send him for a time out - my kitchen door doesn't have a latch and my bathroom is just too small to be able to keep him in there overnight. It just seems a bit cruel to me.
Is it playful or aggression when he bites and scratches and just revisits after a few seconds to do the same thing? At all other times of the day we just have cuddles or play together and he's absolutely fine. He's very affectionate at other times and also very active, he loves jumping around the house and playing with his toys with me.
He has a large scratching post, toys he can play with when I'm not in the house, and plenty of things to do (my house is very old so plenty of beams to climb!)
Has anyone got any suggestions of why he keeps doing this and what else I can do to make him stop?
Thanks so much!
xxx
I recently got my 4 month old kitten from Poorly Paws and although he's the cutest little thing, he is driving me nuts with biting and scratching me! He is a white and ginger tabby shorthair. He's my first cat and I'm starting to think I am out of my depth!
He tends to bite around 9/10ish in the evening, when I'm sitting on the sofa or when I'm in bed, and he wakes me up at 4am, 5am and 7am each morning doing the same thing. The bites sometimes draw blood and even though I have tried hissing, growling, shouting 'no!' and 'ouch!' and using a spray bottle (although I only do that as a last resort), NONE of these things seem to deter him and 10 seconds later he will do it again. He's now started going for my face and neck, which is a horrible surprise to wake up to if I've nodded off.
My house is an open plan studio so unfortunately there aren't any places that I can shut him in at night and send him for a time out - my kitchen door doesn't have a latch and my bathroom is just too small to be able to keep him in there overnight. It just seems a bit cruel to me.
Is it playful or aggression when he bites and scratches and just revisits after a few seconds to do the same thing? At all other times of the day we just have cuddles or play together and he's absolutely fine. He's very affectionate at other times and also very active, he loves jumping around the house and playing with his toys with me.
He has a large scratching post, toys he can play with when I'm not in the house, and plenty of things to do (my house is very old so plenty of beams to climb!)
Has anyone got any suggestions of why he keeps doing this and what else I can do to make him stop?
Thanks so much!
xxx
They get calmer as they age. My advice? 1) kitten proof one room. Put toys, food, litter & bed in that room. When you sleep, leave the house or need to cook dinner, stick him in there. 2) Play play & more play! Play with him in the morning, evening & before you go to bed. Any extra play on top of that is great. A tired kitten is a cuddly kitten. Your kitten only wants to play, eat & sleep at this stage. 3) Toys not hands or feet. If he attacks your hands or feet tell him NO! or OW! Then ignore him for 5-15 minutes. Do it every time. He will get the point eventually. 4) In a couple of months you can work on letting him sleep with you. Every time he wakes you up, calmly pick him up & place him in his room for the rest of the night. Or you can start training him now but in my experience they are easier to train at 5-6 months. 5) I think he is past the teething stage but if he starts chewing on stuff, by him some kitten chew toys or a couple of those raw hide bones made for little dogs. Cut the bones in 1/2 or 1/3's & let your kitten gnaw to his hearts content. 6) Take lots of pictures. They grow up fast 
