Help! my 4-5 week old kitten is a biter!!?!?!?

Question

to start off, he has no mother. know one knows what happened to it all the ladie who gave him to me knows is some cruel kids abandoned the kitten leaving him for dead. so there for im fostering this lovely baby with full intentions of spoiling him for the next 20 years hopefully


ok so my kitten is a biter, i understand he is playing and this is the normal behavor he does with his littermates.
but how do i get him to stop in a non aggressive way? hes finally hurting me =[.

Answer 1

awww he's just being playful...

if possible just pull away when it hurts. if not, train him to stop by using your finger, point and say NO assertively. it worked for me after awhile. i had 2 boy kittens and they used to play rough.

Answer 2

First of all in a bit of humor, I volunteer at a cat shelter, and have come in contact with HUNDREDS of kittens, and I have yet to meet one that isn't a biter!
When they bite you in an aggressive manner, let out a high pitched shrill yelp. Owwwwwwwch, like a loud sharp whine for a cat to hear. If that doesnt work you can try a loud hissing sound. Something that will totally startle them, and make them realize that when they bite you in that manner, it makes you do something that is uncomfertable to them, and you. It wont take 1 or 2 times for him to learn this, but with constant repeitive sounds from you, he'll learn quick enough.
If none of the above works, u need to just walk away from the kitten, give him no attention for like 5 minutes or so. Go back and try again.

Answer 3

Yes, all kittens bite but they don't have to bite you. You must discourage this. Single kittens raised without litter mate have the most trouble learning this. Litter mates teach each other how hard is too hard to bite and to know when they're getting carried away. They yelp and leave.

My friend took in a single kitten like yours to foster and ended up having to keep it because he became a biter and he didn't want the shelter to put it down. The kitten, now 8 months old bites him, terrorizes all his other cats, pulls up tiles and tears off wallpaper in the kitchen. All because he didn't know what to do. I'm not saying yours is or will be this bad but it can happen.

Don't play with him with your hands or let him bite your feet or legs. When you play with him always keep a toy between his teeth and your hand. Preferable use a wand type teaser which keeps his teeth far from your hand. Sometime I take a pillowcase and put my hand under it and let the kittens attack. They don't see your hand so they don't form the hand & biting association. There's lots of other ways to keep your hand hidden and still play with them this way if you prefer. Keep this up for the next month and you'll see a dramatic difference without punishment.

Here's a good video about playing with your cat and how to keep them from being aggressive:
http://petvideo.com/play.cgi?showId=783

Sometimes single kittens who are very confident can start showing dominant behavior like biting you while they are on your lap and you are trying to cut their nails or check their ears or something not play related. Your immediate reaction is to scream and let them down. This is something you have to be careful of with single kittens. This is aggressive biting as opposed to play biting. If this occurs hold the kitten on your lap until he calms down. If he's biting you and holding on try not to react too much. He must learn to believe that this behavior is not going to get him his way. If it works and you put him down he has won and everything will always be on his terms only.

Train him now, spoil him later.

Answer 4

when i foster kittens or puppies, i always like them to know I am the "mama". She doesn't allow bad behavior, so neither do I.

I usually pinch behind their neck and give a little shake and say No No No!. Then i put them down, and play we can with a toy, anything but my hand. Same with feeding. No biting my fingers either. I never play with hands. they are for petting only. : ) Same with scratching and biting. stop bad behavior, and reward good.

All my adult's are wonderful. I have to admit I've had some wild kittens that mentally never made it, and some that were wonderful, just shy. Its all in the cat. You just bring out what they have to give.

Lots of luck!

Answer 5

When he bites say "No!" in a firm voice and smack him on his rump, or but him on the floor and ignore him. Don't have the kitten chase your hands when you play with him so he does not have a reason to see you as something to bite. Don't feel bad when you have to break the bad habits he has learned and discipline him. He young enough that I think he'll come around.

Answer 6

Get a squirt bottle and squirt him right in the face when he bites you. Or you can blow lightly on his ears until they flick away. One technique that I found effective was to bring the kitten up to face level and make like you are going to stick his face in your mouth. Then let out a deep breath and it will scare the crap out of him. It's the whole alpha male dominance thing. My cat both loves and respects me and her kittens have gone to good homes.

Answer 7

He's biting because he wants to nurse. He was taken away from his mother too soon. I'm sure it hurts a little, but remember who's the bigger of you two. :-)

Just give him time, he'll learn.

Answer 8

Kittens should learn at this age that hands are not for playing - hands are for holding, petting, and feeding.
NEVER HIT YOUR KITTEN. Always be gentle... Remember it's only a baby, and it's only defense is biting and clawing.
Please check these websites for great information on kittens & cats and how you can relate to them:

http://cats.about.com
http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_Behavior.html

The following is an excerpt from cats.about.com:

It's always sad to hear of a cat being tossed out because of uncontrollable biting and/or scratching behavior. While this aggressive kind of behavior is painful and frustrating to deal with, try to remember that cats never do anything without a reason. They are actually very predictable creatures, and biting and scratching are cause and effect behaviors just as most undesirable behaviors. There are two basic kinds of biting and scratching behaviors in cats, and both of them are often originally caused by our own human failings. I'll explain more about this later. But for now, remember that biting and scratching are perfectly normal behaviors.

Playful Biting and Scratching
Kittens learn biting and scratching as an important part of their development. After all, these activities are cats' only means of defense, as well as their natural way of killing prey in the wild.
Cats' main form of play involves biting and scratching in "winner takes all" battles, whether with another cat, a toy mouse, or a hapless human who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
One of the first rules for human companions is "do not teach your cat that hands are toys." If you ignore this advice, those tiny claws and teeth will soon grow into razor-sharp "meat hooks," and you'll bear the scars of your hubris.
Okay, so you didn't learn your lesson the first time around. What do you do now when a couple of pets on your cat's tummy are rewarded with bloody scratches? There are a few things you can do to distance yourself from these play attacks:

Yell "Ouch" - Don't scream it, but say "Ouch" loudly and clearly. While you have your cat's attention, slowly remove your hand from his clutches. Don't yank it away or he'll think play is on, and he'll grab it again.

Redirect His Attention - Often playful biting of hands or feet occurs simply because your cat is bored, and is looking for a play object. Give him 15 minutes of active play with an interactive toy. Use any cat toy to distract him from your hands, or create your own toy...crumble aluminum foil into a ball and watch kitten fetch and play hockey with it... or put small ball in plain cardboad or shoe box for him to play with. Kittens are easily distracted and can be redirected to play with anything else other than your hand!

Overstimulation - Aggressive biting often happens during a petting session, when the human companion either doesn't understand, or ignores the cat's body language. While some cats love to be petted for hours on end, sometimes a cat will become over-stimulated for one reason or another, and will want to opt out of the petting session. Your cat will signal his feelings with narrowed eyes, ears pulled back. If you wait for the inevitable tail-lashing, you've waited to long, and you may be rewarded with a bite. The rule here is towatch the cat's signals and stop whatever you're doing to prevent this behavior.

"Scruff Him" - This is one of the most effective forms of discipline of cats. It mimics the punishment given a kitten by his mother when he became unruly. Grasp him by the scruff of the neck while saying "No!" in a firm tone of voice. Hold him in this position for only three or four seconds and gently release. Chances are, he'll slink away, thoroughly chastened, to bathe and recover his dignity. But he'll remember this lesson for a long time.

Fear or Redirected Aggression - Your cat may become upset at seeing a strange cat through a window, and react by attacking the first thing he sees at hand - either you or another cat.
This kind of behavior will require creative thinking on your part. First, you need to reassure him as to his status in the household. Spend extra time with him, petting (carefully) and playing with him. Give him extra treats when he is able to interact calmly.

Medical Causes - Medical causes should never be ignored when new and unusual behavior problems arise, including aggressive biting and scratching. These could range from undetected wounds, distress from mites or fleas, or a hormonal imbalance. If an otherwise docile cat exhibits sudden and unexplainedaggressiveness toward you, especially when being handled, a visit to your veterinarian is in order.

One of the most important duties a cat caregiver owes to his or her cat is to be aware of kitty's normal condition, both physical and mental, and to be observant of any sudden changes. This awareness can be accomplished by routinely examining your cat so that he is accustomed to your touching every area of his body, from head to toe. Then, keep your eyes open for the warning signs of impending aggression.

Intimate knowledge of your cat will forestall many potential problems, both physical and behavioral.