Recently a friend asked me for some kitten advice. She adopted a new kitten, and was having problems with her biting behavior. I’ve fostered hundreds of kittens and cats, including many who would play bite. With the help of some knowledgeable cat behaviorists, I was able to teach them all to stop. By “play bite” I mean kitten biting that would sometimes really hurt but happened during play, not aggressive or fearful biting. (For adult cat biting, read this.) Sadly, very sweet kittens can be surrendered to shelters for play biting behavior, even though it can usually be fairly quickly stopped, if you know what to do. Read on for my friend’s email and my response with my five steps for success. I hope this will help anyone who is struggling with a feisty, play-biting kitten!
Hi Jennifer! My family rescued the most adorable kitten. She’s 3 months old, super friendly and cute, but this is THE MOST feisty kitten I have ever met! She bites bites bites all in non-stop play. She attacked my face even! I was told to only play with her with toys, but this doesn’t seem to phase her. Any advice would be soooo welcome! Thanks!
It’s so wonderful you rescued a kitten! Here are five steps I use with feisty foster kittens, to teach them not to play bite people:
- Adopt a kitty friend for your kitten! Ideally one around the same size and age (NOT younger or smaller, but the same age or a few months older) with an equal energy level. Spend time with potential kittens to try to adopt a kitten who plays gently with you already. After you introduce them, the kittens will play and teach each other not to play or bite so hard that it hurts. They’ll also have fun tiring each other out! You can find kittens for adoption near you here: http://adopt-a-cat.adoptapet.com
Tip: If adopting a 2nd kitten isn’t possible, though not as effective, give your kitten a stuffed animal toy kitten, the same size, and lots of other stuffed toys that she can bite and wrestle with safely. - No hands: Do not play with kitten using your hands, or toys that she plays with while they are in your hand. Don’t allow anyone else to either!
- Appropriate play: Get a laser toy and feather toy on a string, or any other super fun running around toys that you can play without being too close to kitten. Like a remote control mouse!! (Here’s an adorable video of a kitten playing with a remote control mouse.) Get kitten’s energy out with 3 “remote” play sessions of 5-10 minutes every day. Tire kitten out with fun!
Tip: The frequency and intensity of the play sessions will probably need to increase as she becomes an adolescent, until she matures into an adult kitty, and then can taper down. It’s ideal to observe kitty during each session to see the moment she starts to get slightly less interested in playing, and stop before she’s totally tired/bored with the game.
- No punishment, instead withdraw: If kitten starts to rough-play with any part of your body, IMMEDIATELY stop playing & walk out of room. If she’s “attacking” you while you are sleeping or resting, close her out of those rooms while you are doing those activities until these steps start helping. Do not punish. Kittens are often biting for attention, and even negative attention like punishment (of any kind, even gentle) is reinforcement and likely will make the biting WORSE.
- Calm petting: Practice petting only when kitten is super sleepy, or eating. Kitten should learn human hands touching them is soothing, not play.
You should see improvement starting almost immediately, but definitely within a few days. If you do get bitten hard enough to draw blood, even the tiniest bit, make sure you immediately flush flush flush with clean running water at full force for 5 minutes, and then go to your doctor or urgent care immediately. They will likely prescribe antibiotics. Even tiny cat bites should not to be ignored. Not to scare you, but the infections cat bites can cause, especially to hands and wrists, can be very severe and require surgery if not immediately (the same day) treated by a doctor.
Thanks again for adopting a kitten and giving her a loving home!
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Rehome by Adopt a Pet
If you can not safely keep your kitten any longer, you may feel that rehoming is the best option for you, your family, and your kitten. If this is the case, in addition to contacting local cat rescue organizations for help, consider using Rehome by Adopt a Pet. You can post your kitten on the Adopt a Pet website to connect with potential adopters near you. Get started here.