How do I deal with a naturally mean kitten (5 months old)?

Question

My kitten will just randomly walk up to me and start to nuzzle and then bite my bare skin. He especially likes to claw and bite in the face either when I am sleeping or laying on the couch. Its not like a simple bite, he actually is drawing blood. He will also attack my feet when I am walking down the hallway by curling up around my ankle and holding on with all claws while sinking his teeth in. I can actually pick up my foot and he will stay attached for 15-20 seconds before letting go. Is this normal??

Answer 1

The kitten was probably taken away from its mother and littermates at too early an age. Apart from nursing, mother cats teach their kittens to play. The littermates teach it, by their responses, when the play is too rough. The mother will stop things if they get out of hand. This is how a kitten learns to play without hurting. The only things they have to use are their mouths and their feet. They hold on to things with their claws. Now, your challenge is to teach him to play nice.

This may sound weird, but when one of my rescue kitties does this, I just say a rather loud, not mean, but hurtful sounding ourch, that stops them, and I look at them and say, "That hurt, why did you want to do that?" They do get a look on their face and they do understand that they did something wrong. Do not pick it up, at that point. Just stand still. It will get the message.

You need to give this kitten more opportunity to have some active play. Kittens need love, but they are like kids. They need to run off steam. A couple of kitten balls with bells in them, some furry mice with rattles in them, balls with rattles, will keep a kitten amused for a long time as they run off steam chasing them around.

Keep your hands for petting. Do not play with the cat with your hands. For $1.99 to $3.99, depending upon how elaborate they are, you can get long plastic sticks with feathers, colored foil and even fake mice attached to the end. Whip one of those around a bit and see how your cat will chase it, flip circles in mid air andplay itself out until it is panting. When it starts to pant, it is time to stop. The kitten needs to get the message on how to play, and you are going to have to teach it.

It works. It takes time and patience for a few weeks, but it saves your ankles. Thekitten is also old enough for some catnip. Put some of this in a cardboard box or on a piece of newspaper and watch it wear itself out. It is just like a little boy who has to sit behind a desk in school all day. When school is out, they want to run and play.

It may not be a bad idea to get another younger kitten for a playmate. They could keep each other busy and you would be saved for loving. They could also let each other know when the bite it too hard and they would train each other.

These are the best hints I can give you and I hope they help. If you spray your kitten when he tries to interact with you, no matter how unpleasant it is for you, the cat will start to avoid you. it will associate you with the spray of water and it will keep away. Loud yelling and scolding will also not help your kitten to bond with you.

Answer 2

There are alot of good answers here (except the ones like *kick*!) and I agree with most of them ... the kitten is just trying to show love and doesn't know how ... might have been handled aggressively before you got it, I don't know. One thing you might consider is to get another kitten for the first one to play with. They are socialable animals and usually like a friend. If the kitten's 5 months old, he/she should be spayed or neutered, that sometimes helps them calm a little, and be sure to spay or neuter any playmate that you bring home for your kittie. All my life, I really have found that cats do better in groups of 2-4, especially if you can introduce them young. Two kittens aren't much more trouble than one. Just a thought. And squirting with water is a good idea, too. Do it right when the kitten misbehaves, don't wait until later. They cannot put a later punishment with an earlier act, and won't have a clue why you are squirting them. Good luck!

Answer 3

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RE:
How do I deal with a naturally mean kitten (5 months old)?

Answer 4

Mean Kittens

Answer 5

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This is pointless. Cats don't care if you are the owner or not..if you get in the middle of a fight between two animals they are naturally going to freak out if you try physically removing them from the situation. I suggest using a broom to separate the animals in the future so your flesh isn't close to teeth (not to hurt the cat, just to shoo the animals away from each other). The cat really didn't do anything wrong so you are punishing it for no reason. The cat didn't mean to attack you it is just a normal protection response. If the dog and cat get into it again and you bend down to try to separate them then it will happen again unless you pic the cat up by its scruff (the way its mother holds a kitten in its mouth) because this essentially keeps the cat from being able to turn around and bite you. You can't teach a cat to not protect itself.

Answer 6

My cat is like this - well, not that much, but he bites for fun. He loves bare feet, actually. Your kitten is now at the most naughty age. Around 6 months they like playing by throwing things down, by attacking you, etc. This will diminish very much with age. Neutering also helps a lot, but do it soon. Also, when he attacks you, don't beat it or chase it, that's his play. Say no with a strict voice and get him out of the room until he is calm.
Also, buying him small toys in the form of mice and throw them around for him to catch and bite, will show him what is a good game and what is not!

Answer 7

My kitten was the same way. Its a stage that they go through. My kitten did it for awhile. He would attack my leg while i would be walking past him and at night while i was sleeping he would jump on my head and attack it. But now he is over it. Just give your kitten some time and it will stop doing that stuff to you. So all your kitten needs is time.

Answer 8

If the kitten is very agressive, they may need to play more. I have found that picking the cat up less often helps. Let the kitten get accustom to the surroundings and come to you during feeding time. When it is meal time, pet the kitten to instill confidence and warmness towards you. It may take time, but don't force anything on the kitty.

Answer 9

Kittens are very playful and sometimes mischevious.

It is very Important to not play rough with them.

Be kind and they will turn out to be a good pet once they are spayed/neutered and given a loving home.

If it wasn't tame when you got it, it may be afraid and thats a different story. It will just take time and gentle treatment.

Answer 10

One thing you can do for certain is to NEVER EVER use your hands or feet as a "play toy" for the kitten. I know it is tempting to "tease" a kitten with your fingers or feet and let them chase them or swat at them- but it starts the preditor-prey associations as preditor = kitten; prey = you. if biting is your problem, don't fight the bite- it is more fun for the kitten (because, lets face it- it sounds like you are the prey). if the cat bites you on the hand, for example- keep your hand steady and assert a firm "NO!". if after a few tries, this does nothing, then shove the hand deeper in the kitten's mouth. it sounds mean, but the point is to take away the gratification the kitten is getting from being mean to you. Encourage the kitten to be mean to toys. If you are finding that your kitten seems to enjoy sinking its teeth into something- get her/him a stuffed mouse. if your kitten is being mean by chasing you and biting our ankles- get her/him a ball.