My Kitten bites and scrathes all the time?

Question

my kitten i hand raised is very violent and scrathes all the time, ive tried to use the squirt bottle method, the hissing method and the no attention method...what do i do now?

i talked to my vet and he sed when she misbehaved that i should his lightly, and in a week if that didnt help mist her with cold water, and if that didnt work then stop playing with her and dont touch her for 3 mi-5 min. none of thats work so kiki...ya i was told to do so, so grow up

Answer 1

Here are a few tips to help with the most common biting situations.

1. Never play with your cat bare-handed. Use interactive toys like a "Cat Dancer" (a few bits of paper on a long, wiggly wire - may sound odd, but my cats love it), or those fishing pole style toys. There are even some wacky gloves with extended fingers that look like they might be a lot of fun. I have used animal-shaped oven mits to wrassle with my cats, and running my fingers under the covers of a bed when the cat is on it and awake (one of my cat loves playing mouse-under-the-blankets, the other is not interested). Cats don't realize that humans have softer skin than they do, that they need to be gentler with their teeth and claws with us than when they were rough-housing with their siblings (who had thick fur to offer some protection). It is very important for a kitten to have a variety of toys, and for it to have someone to play with. If possible, do play with your kitten - but not bare-handed - enough to burn off some of that boundless kitten energy.

2. If you can reproduce a cat growl - it's a lot lower than a dog growl - you can use that sound to correct the cat's behavior. Mother cats give their kittens growls when they are being too rough.

3. If you cat bites and holds on (or grabs you with more than one paw and digs claws in), here is what you do: push gently into the cat's mouth (or body), not hard to hurt, but to surprise the cat with actions that are unlike a prey, to get the cat to release. Speak firmly and say No! or growl, or whatever works for you to give warning while you are doing this instead of yelling or pulling away, or trying to spray it with water at that moment. Loud tactics startle and may provoke a fear response, which will reinforce the biting; pulling away is what a prey animal would do, and that may cause the cat to feel more excited, like he would if hunting.

3. Some cats are painfully sensitive along their spines, and will react aggressively if touched there. If this is part of the pattern you see with your cat, it may be worth talking to your vet about it; but mainly you will just have to not touch it's back.

4. Not quite the same thing as the spine issue, but many cats do not tolerate having their stomachs touched, as the soft belly is where an enemy can do them harm if attacked. Don't take this personally, it's just self-protection. If this is what you see from your cat, then avoid touching him there.

5. If your cat bites you on the nose, it is a play for social dominance. Do not let it get away with that. I have responded to this by saying a firm No! and tapping the cat on its nose in return.

6. If your cat gets too excited when you are grooming him, and that's when he bites, you might like to hold him gently but firmly by the scruff of his neck to keep him calm and relatively immobilized. If performing grooming tasks that require two hands, then you may need to recruit a friend to help you hold the cat.


Hope that some of this helps. Good luck.

Answer 2

First, trim the claws regularly to keep the scratches from hurting you. Second, any time the kitten starts to get aggressive, stop playing, pull away, and end the interaction. If you're consistent, and it may take some time, he will eventually get the message. Squirting works to stop transgressions like getting on the kitchen counter, but it rarely helps curb aggression when your kitty is excited - any reaction may just increase the aggressive behavior. The best response is to pull away, and if that doesn't work, try putting your cat in a closed room for awhile each time it happens.

Answer 3

Depending on the age of the cat, you can wrap it up in a towel with only it's head out and then talk to it gently and leave it tightly wrapped in the towel until it calms down and relaxes. If this takes too long, you can try again later. What this does is assert dominance over the cat, meaning YOU are the top cat. Cats are very hierarchical and that's why this can work.

You need to remember, too, that when kittens are small it's cute to play with them with our hands and let them bite on us and grab our hands with their claws. What we forget is that they get bigger and so do their teeth and claws. That's why I always advise not to use your hands to play with the kittens.

If you get a kitty tease and play with your cat using that, it will get her active without scratching or biting. Tired cats seem to be more agreeable. If she'll let you do it, you could clip her claws, too. Next time you have her to the vet, they can demonstrate how this is done.

You've got to try to think like a cat.

Answer 4

well if you hand raised this kitten i was probable by its self with no other cats and kittens when there around other cats want to let the other cats no that its the dominant one and is in charge. but since it is all alone it cant do that.

Answer 5

if you squirted me and hissed at me, I would bite and scratch you, too. He is confused, you raised him, fed him and now are in cat lingo, telling him off, maybe you should find him a new home or try gaining his trust back and he will stop feeling like he has to be defending himself against you.

Answer 6

learn about this, and a lot of interesting things at these GREAT sites:
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/index.html

http://www.cat-world.com.au/CatHealthArticles.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library

http://www.cattraining.com/

http://www.perfectpaws.com/

http://members.lycos.co.uk/furbabies/healthcare.html

hope these are helpful