Four month old with a biting problem, need help!

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  • 24 July, 2015 at 11:17 pm #835124
    Taylor516
    Participant

    Alright, I have a four month old male kitten and he bites hard enough to draw blood and he bites CONSTANTLY. He’s been neautered already, it was mandated by the shelter we got him from, he does not have any problems with clawing at all and he’s extremely sweet, when he wants to be. I’m just really confused by his behaviour, he bites when playing (I don’t let him play with hands or feet), when we’re sleeping, when we pet him, when we feed him, when he’s being affectionate. He just bites all the time. It’s always very hard, and seemingly aggressive. We’ve had him since he was 6 weeks old and he’s always been a biter but he’s getting more aggressive and almost vicious, he’ll dig his teeth in and almost try to rip the skin.
    We’ve tried:
    – Scruffing and hissing
    – Shaking a can of coins
    – Loudly saying “No”
    – Spritzing water at him
    – “time outs” by himself in a room
    – Putting bitter apple on our hands, feet and arms.
    – Tiring him out by playing with him.
    – Loudly squealing as his bites
    – Throwing toys to distract him.

    Nothing has helped or even toned it down. I’ve brought this up with his vet and she says he’s completely healthy and that it’s more than likely because he was removed from his litter so early and that we can expect him to mellow out once he’s passed his “teen phase”. He was the runt of his litter and at four months is still very small, but he’s very active, playful, eats well and is affectionate. This is his only problem. I’ve had cats my entire life, even other males, and have never experienced this behaviour. We love him dearly but the ” attacks” are very painful and make it hard for us to even hold, pet or play with him. It’s almost like he doesn’t know when to stop. I would really appreciate any help as to how we can at least diminish this behaviour and his aggressive tendencies. Thank you so much 🙂

    Side note: he is very hunting oriented so he tends to lock onto his “prey” and relentlessly attack, whether that’s a hand, a bug, a toy or whatever is unlucky enough to be his target. I’m not sure if his hunting drive is the main culprit here, just thought I’d throw that in. Again, not sure if that will diminish with age or if he’s just a more gifted hunter than I’m used to.

    25 July, 2015 at 10:19 am #835132
    AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew
    Participant

    Welcome to TDK 🙂

    Patience, he is just a baby and learning how to use his teeth and hunting skills. Best advice I can give is ‘never’ use your hands as a playing tool, always toys, crinkle up paper or something to distract him. Kittens use pouncing and biting as practice even if they are destined to be loved furry kitties. This is a good link to explain how kittens brains work 🙂

    http://www.petplace.com/article/cats/behavior-training/normal-behavior/how-to-play-with-a-kitten

    25 July, 2015 at 12:49 pm #835141
    Taylor516
    Participant

    Thank you so much!!

    26 July, 2015 at 9:27 pm #835191
    Megan Boudreaux
    Participant

    My boy, Mo, has always been a bit on the aggressive side to me, too. I’m not learned in cat behavior, since he was the first cat I’ve ever owned as an adult and I wasn’t prepared for the biting, etc. He would bite and pounce all the time, even after a play session (although those did often help). I would come to work with bandages all over because he just would not stop! I became really good at cleaning a wound, though. 😉

    As he’s gotten older (he’s 2 now), this aggressiveness has ebbed, and play sessions wear him out much sooner than they used to. Kittens just seem to have boundless energy. Even so, he still liked to viciously attack my legs as I walked to the kitchen to feed him every morning. I solved this by getting a laser pointer to distract him as I walked downstairs. He’s just excited about being fed and playing/hunting is a natural predecessor to eating. For me, it helped to understand the behavior so that I could address it for what it was – a playful hungry cat.

    I think over time he will not be nearly so aggressive. I felt it was odd too, when he was doing that to me as a kitten, but I think maybe some boys are just built a little tougher. I have no idea for how long Mo was separated from his momma as he was found already abandoned, so he could very well be much like yours!

    I will also close on this: we recently got a new kitten, a girl, who we adore. She’s precious, but has recently started the biting thing. I’m not ready to say yet if it’s as bad as Mo’s, but I will say that getting a new kitten feels a lot like starting your cat training all over again. You get to used to that ONE or those TWO cats behavior that any new addition or new kitty seems totally different. I guess this is because it’s true – they are all different. And no cat is typical!

    I think you guys will be just fine. Good luck any way! Keep that alcohol-ointment-bandaide combo handy!

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