Reacting To Bites And Scratches
Adopt Kittens In Pairs
Whenever possible, it is best to adopt two kittens instead of one.
You might think that getting a friend for your kitty will mean double the biting! But this isnt typically true.
Instead, what they will do is play with one another. Kittens will play fight and bite one another, but the difference is that they have fur that cushions these bites much better than our own skin.
Kittens will also tell one another when enough is enough. If they bite too hard, the other kitten will let them know its not okay!
In this way, theyll learn manners from one another and likely be better-behaved as a result.
That said, you should always watch for bullying or true aggression and separate your cats if theres a problem.
How To Stop Kitten From Biting
Understanding how to stop kitten from biting is an important aspect of kittenâs care and training. Baby kittens turn into adolescents very quickly. By the time they reach 8 weeks of age, they will have some baby teeth growing inside their mouth. They quickly become tempted to use their newly growing teeth by biting.
Kittens bite because of various reasons. As they turn into adolescents, they become more aggressive. They will bite anything that they consider a threat. They may also bite something or someone not because of their aggressive behavior.
Most kittens simply find it fun to use their teeth to play with their litter-mates, their mom and you. They may also bite because biting something soothes their gums and gets rid of the unpleasant feeling of having new teeth. Just like human babies, they also need teething.
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Teach Your Cat That Your Hands Arent Toys
Cats love to play with toys. You know this if you ever catch your cat fidgeting with electrical cords or leaping after balls.
However, you want to teach your cat early on that your hands and fingers are not toys. Cats play with their claws, paws, and teeth, so they will naturally want to give you a nibble if they think you are romping around.
Always have a toy to offer them instead of your fingers, ideally one that allows for hands-off play . This sends a clear message that you are off-limits when its time to play.5
How Do I Stop My Kitten From Biting Me
Here are some important recommendations on ways to stop your kitten from biting. Of these, I think that numbers 2, 3, and 4 are crucial in correcting your kittenâs behavior while they are still young.
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Dont Use Your Hands As Toys
While it can be tempting to tickle your kittens tummy until they bunny-kick your hands or wiggle fingers for them to chase, using your hands as toys isnt a great idea.
Your kitten will start to think of this as normal behavior.
The same goes for toes! Wiggling your feet under the covers might seem cute until your kitten manages to draw blood!
So, no human digits as toys. What can your cat play with?
Kitten Teething: 5 Tips To Stop Kitten Biting
Do kittens teethe? Kittens start losing their baby teeth around 9 weeks of age, and from that time until their adult teeth are fully grown in at 5 to 6 months, you can count on lots of chewing action. In fact, like teething babies, teething kittens will bite and chew on anything including human toes and fingers to ease the discomfort they feel. This is why kitten teething is a perfect time to teach your kitten to stop chewing on things she shouldnt. Here are a few tips to help kitten teething and stop misdirected kitten biting.
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Redirect The Kitten’s Attention
Often playful biting of hands or feet occurs simply because your cat is bored, and is looking for a play object. Give your kitten 15 minutes of active play several times a day with an interactive toy. Da Bird or other teaser toys are a great choice. Alternatively, try a laser-beam type toy that kittens can chase and pounce on, or even commercially available “gloves” with very long dangling “fingers.” Once you’ve taught both yourself and your cat that hands are not toys, your play sessions should be more enjoyable for both of you.
In addition to the active play, a scratching post are a positive addition to your home. To the kitten, these are now places where scratching is encouraged. Try both horizontal and vertical posts and ones with different textures to find the type your kitten likes best.
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The spray-bottle/squirt-gun method has fallen out of favor since then. A lot of qualified people worry that it will make your cat fearful of you.
Petfinder has still another take on the subject: The water bottle or blowing only tells him to stop but doesnt give him enough information about the things you want him to engage in instead.
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Shower Your Kitten With Cat Toys
One common mistake that Kitten Owners make is to use their hands or feet to play instead of relying on more appropriate toys. This can set your cat up for confusion because theyll continue to see your hand as a toy when you try to groom them or give them a loving pat on the head.
Instead, make playtime safer by investing in some real cat toys. The best ones will create space between you and your on-the-hunt cat so that there are no accidents. Fishing pole toys or small toys that can be thrown for your cat to chase after are two good examples of appropriate cat toys.
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Trimming your kitten’s claws regularly is a must as well. This will keep you safe from scratches, and you don’t want the claws to curl. If you follow this advice, and your kitten is still biting, it is recommended to clear up any underlying medical issues with your vet.
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Kittens Need To Bite Something
The reason kittens bite us is simple: theyre natural predators and they want to practice their attack on a moving object. In fact, kittens are biologically wired to attack an object that moves, so its important to teach them how to play with toys–not fingers or feet–from a young age. Actively playing multiple times a day before meals is a great way to help kittens develop their motor skills, learn appropriate habits, and get out pent up energy.
Dont Punish Your Kitten For Biting
Its tempting to punish cats for hurting us, but it rarely works. What happens instead is that they become fearful or develop other behavior problems as a result.
In the end, itll only damage your relationship with your kitten as they begin to associate you with the punishment you enact.
This is especially true if you hit or otherwise injure your catthis is abuse and should never be done.
Instead of punishing, ignore your cat when they misbehave by biting you. Stop playing with them immediately, and theyll soon learn that biting does no good and gives them the opposite of what they were hoping for, which is attention.
If you practice this consistently and pair it with rewards when your kitten behaves well, then your kitten will learn not to bite quicker than you may expect!
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Give Your Cat Some Space To Walk Away
Give her some space so that she can calm down.
- If you do not give her the space to walk away, she may attack you. And why is that? She is thinking that you are trapping her.
- Dont feed your cat till twenty minutes after her biting and scratching incident. She may take it as an award.
- Show her silently that you are not happy with her.
How To Stop Your Kitten From Biting
Provide them with toys
All kittens love to play, so redirecting those sharp teeth and paws away from your vulnerable flesh makes for a good start. The best way to do this is to tire your kitten out regularly with a variety of toys, preferably ones that are separated from your fingers to stop your kitten from biting you.
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Create A Calm Kitty Environment
A stressed or anxious kitty may also be more likely to display biting or scratching behaviours. To help your kitten feel calm, make sure their environment is just right. Check that you have provided enough resources for every cat , make sure your kitty has a regular routine for meals and playtimes, and try to limit any extra noises or changes in the house.
Using a FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser, plugged into the place where your cat spends the most time, can help to support a calm environment, and is clinically proven to limit scratching, spraying and hiding behaviours.
How To Get A Kitten To Stop Biting
Toys
Kittens are extremely energetic and playful. So, the best way to stop a kitten biting is with toys. It is recommended that kittens and cats get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. You can break this up into two or three sessions a day.
We should mimic prey behavior with toys to get our kittens to play. Make your kitten hunt, stalk, run around, and pounce at these toys. Always let your kitten catch and “kill” the toy to complete the hunting experience.
It’s much better to encourage them to kitten bite their toys and not your hand! This will help prevent other behavioral issues. Cats require mental stimulation indoors, and this full hunting experience with toys is perfect for stimulation. Kittens can get stressed easily without proper stimulation.
Train From the Beginning
Cats thrive on routine so it’s important to train your kitten as early as possible. The mother cat trains kittens to bite prey at a young age, so now we have to train them to kitten bite toys instead of us. Create a schedule for multiple play sessions every day. Make playtime a routine and stick to it.
Stop Playing Immediately if Your Kitten Bites During Playtime
If your kitten bites during playtime it’s important to stop immediately. We should not reward undesired behavior with more playtime. When you stop playtime, this will teach your kitten that the fun stops when he bites. Again, make sure you are persistent.
What Toys to Best Use for Kitten Bite play?
Interactive toys
Fishing pole design
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Maybe Your Cat Is Anxious
Cats sometimes can transfer aggression from discomfort or insecurity towards the person playing with them, this can result in what may seem like vicious and unprovoked attacks.
A great step towards relieving your felines anxiety is to keep some hormone diffusers plugged in around the house.
These products emit a pheromone that can be very effective at calming your cat down and helping them to feel more secure.
Six Reasons Your Cat Bites You
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Be Prepared With Chew Toys For Your Kitten
Make sure you keep appropriate chew toys on hand wherever you are. If youre sitting with your teething kitten and you see her getting in the mood to bite or chew, you can give her the toy and say, Here, chew this.
Its crucial that you consistently and lovingly reinforce the message that only certain things are appropriate for kitten teething, chewing and biting, and people are not among them. The behavior training you do now will set the stage for the rest of your lives together. Its entirely up to you whether that life includes being a human pincushion.
Tell us: How do you handle kitten teething? How did you teach your kitten not to bite you? Tell us in the comments!
Originally published in 2012.
Why Does My Cat Randomly Bite Me
Cat bites can be dangerous if not taken care of properly. Cats have sharp teeth that are able to make deep punctures, and cats mouths harbor a lot of bacteria that can potentially cause infection. If left untreated or not given proper first aid care, cat bites can lead to infection, cat scratch fever, or in rare cases, rabies. If the puncture wound is deep and dirt or outside debris get into the wound, tetanus can also be of concern.
One in three cat bites will become infected, compared to the much lower likelihood of infection from dog bites. If an infected cat bite is left untreated, it can develop into cat scratch fever, which is a bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms and can cause serious complications such as encephalopathy or vision loss. Although more attention is often given to dog bites and the danger of rabies, statistics show that there are 300% more rabid cats in the US than rabid dogs.
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Tips On How To Make Your Kitten Stop Biting You
December 16, 2017 By Sneha Singh
Is your cat/kitten biting you more often? Specially when you try to play with them? So how to make your kitten stop biting you?
No worries I have few tip on how to make your kitten stop biting you. This will help you to train your cat not to bite.
But before going around on how to stop a cat or kitten from biting when petting. Lets get few facts on why cats bite their owners?
Kittens May Grow Out Of Biting
Kittens are similar to puppies and toddlers in the way that they put things in their mouths. While kittens typically have a much less noticeable teething faze, they are more prone to biting than grown cats.
Many cats naturally stop biting as much before they turn two years old. However, this applies only to cats who havent been encouraged to bite.
If you teach your cat that biting is a good thing, theyre very unlikely to grow out of the behavior because it is rewarded.
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Ways To Stop A Kitten From Biting And Scratching
Does your kitty sometimes get carried away and leave you with a sharp bite or scratch?
Though occasional play biting can be expected, its important to teach your pet not to scratch or bite you while they are young. That way, youll still be able to play with your happy, friendly kitty once theyre grown – without the risk of injury!