My cat is driving me crazy!!!!?

Question

I have a 5 month old male kitten who, every time we play, scratches and bites, and its a very hard bite... just about everytime he draws blood from my hands. I have tried to discipline him but after i do, he just throws his ears back and gives me the "oh hell no" stare and attacks back even harder... what do i do!!!!???

Answer 1

Cats view aggression for what it is, aggression -- even when it's meant as discipline -- and they'll fight back rather than cower like a dog. The best discipline for a cat play-biting too hard is: as soon as he bites or scratches too hard, say No really forcefully and really loud so he's startled, and then get up and stop playing. Cats are smart. As soon as he realizes that playtime is over when he bites too hard, he'll lighten up a bit.

Answer 2

When playing with your cat.. NEVER let your hand be the toy.. he'll see it as the object to pounce, bite, scratch...

Use a toy mouse or feather on a string and let him enjoy that.. and you'll be at a safe distance..

Also... try having his nails trimmed... makes scratches not as painful... You can have this done at a groomer... Or.. have a friend help you hold him.. wrapped in a bath towel.. with his head out of course, but not in a direction that he can bite you... and the one paw at time, press the toe pad to allow the nail to push forward and with a regular finger nail clipper just take the very tip off.. he may never enjoy this.. but after a few times he'll get used to it and not be so difficult.. your kitten is still young and trainable..

If he attacks you unprovoked.. or shows other bad behaviour.. like jumping on a table... use a squirt bottle and send water his way... He'll stop the behaviour soon enough..

Good luck and enjoy your cat...

Answer 3

Sometimes when you are trying to discpline a cat, if you move your hand around, the cat will think that you are playing. The water bottle idea is good, but after awhile of squirting your cat with water, your cat will associate water with bad behavior, so you couldnt give it a bath, etc. He will eventually settle down, kittens at this age are very playful. Whenever he tries to bite you, get up an walk away, or hide your hands. I do this with my kitten. It upsets him that we stopped playing and he evenutally got the message.

Answer 4

He is only playing. that is how he would play if he was in a litter. He doesn't realize that he is hurting you he's just playing. Get a spray bottle and every time he bites you spray him with the water. Of course have the bottle in your other hand when you are playing.

One thing that cats looooooove to play with is feathers. There are feathers attached to an elastic which is attached to a short stick for you to hold. Use that to play with your kitty and he won't be biting and scratch you.

I've also used small balls in the bath tub. Not all cats will do this, my current one won't. But when I had Persians they loved to chase the little balls around the tub.

Answer 5

Kittens play a lot and their teeth and claws are so thin right now that yes, they will go right through the skin. For cats, I have found that disciplining through hitting just does not work. You could try loud noises or using a water bottle with a sprayer to discipline him. Most cats will grow out of the super violent play all the time phase and male cats tend to calm a bit more after they have been neutered. Be patient, it will work out.

Answer 6

If you have been reading a bit about feline behavior, then you should know by now that cats and discipline don't mix; in other words, you should never punish your cat. Cats are not dogs and you simply can't take your cat to obedience class…

The Water Squirter/Can Shaking

This is probably one of the best-known techniques of negative reinforcement. The idea here is for the cat owner to always be on guard, ready with a squirt bottle, an empty soda can with some coins in it, or even a compressed air can. As soon as the cat performs the forbidden act, you're supposed to apply the instrument of choice and either spray the cat with some water (never directly on its face), or simply "blow the horn" and create some loud sudden noise, hopefully without kitty seeing it was you who operated the nasty thing.

While this method can be very effective with some cats, I usually don't recommend using it, for several reasons. First, it could possibly associate you, the cat owner, with the punishment. Ideally, anyone using this method should try to attract as little attention to herself or himself as possible, and make the squirt bottle or "noise can" as disassociated from themselves as possible. In reality, this is extremely difficult to achieve, as most owners project their own nervousness and agitation into the process. Secondly, in terms of consistency, this method is far from perfect. It's difficult to be on the alert at all times, or even to be around at all times, and you end up with having a non-consistent pattern. Thirdly, and not less important, the water spray and loud noises can be too stressful for some cats.

Answer 7

He may calm down when he's old enough to be fixed. My kitties did this too. I say "no no" and withdraw from petting. They get the idea that they will lose something nice when they are rough. If you play a toy with him right away he may associate something nice with biting your hand. He has a lot of energy so:
1. make sure he has plenty of toys
2. get a nice cat climber
3. consider getting him another kitty friend. That way he has someone to play with that is like himself. He will be so happy.

I personally don't want to hurt my kitties when they hurt me. I withdraw from play or if he is too crazy just isolate him for a little while. That way they learn that roughness is not an option in any case. That is my goal anyway! And it has worked for me so far. :-) good luck.

Answer 8

Has this cat been neutered yet? Normally after they are neutered, they will become less aggressive and mellow out. When your cat starts biting and scratching your hand/arms, just stop moving it and go limp. Once the cat realizes your not playing/fighting back, they will back off. You should never resort to hitting, or a slapping a cat, and will only promote him to bite you harder.

Answer 9

Withholding of affection seems to work with cats (and kids!) and definitely worked for mine. When my lil guy was a kitten, he played too rough. Any time he would bite me, I'd say "No" or "Ouch" very loud. Then I'd move away from him, no longer petting him. Eventually he'd get lonely and come for more affection, which I'd give him until he bit again...then I repeated the process. Only took a week or two, then he stopped. Cute little guy is 8 years old now, very cuddly and affectionate, and a non-biter. :)

Answer 10

my cat does that. the best thing to do is stop playing. if he bites say nope and go sit somewhere else. my cat even does the folds his ears back thing. he thinks its fun. so if you stop playing he goes oh.....ok. my cat is only about 3 months older than yours....try it. its not gonna work every time cuz if he is like mine he will bite your ankles to make you keep playing. but a also got my cat de clawed so his only weapon against me is teeth. but i also got a thick glove so that when we play he can bite the glove and it hurts less. they sell those at pet stores. so instead of saying never bite again because thats how kittens and cats play with eachother wear the glove every once in a while.... but if he bites without the glove stop playing. he will get it.