# Mad half hour



## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

help! the last 2 nights my 8 week old kitten has had a crazy half hour at night, now he has mad spells during the day but he settles down but the last 2 nights he just goes mad....looks a bit crazed! Tonight he was leaping around, jumping on me, wrapping his paws around my arm and trying to sink his teeth into me  I kept getting up, telling him NO, putting him on the floor or on his scratch post but then within minutes he was back again, just launching himself onto my arm and trying to bite me. i swapped seats with my husband (who kitty had been ignoring) and then he started biting my husband. Eventually after continually doing this for about 15-20 minutes, we both moved off the original sofa he just shut his eyes and went to sleep, I think exhausted after the craziness. Are we dealing with this right and if not what else can we try? During the day he doesn't try to bite, maybe scratch but if he does then we re-direct him with a toy, at nights though he's like a different cat.


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2008)

Does he just wants to play or is he trying to hurt you?


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

He is our first cat so its all new, its just that during the day you can tell when he is trying to play, he tugs at things and bats things around and you can see that he looks playful, however tonight and last night he just seems to get into a different dimension altogether! If he was a child I would have said he looked hyper, maybe did just want to play, but I didn't want to play with him directly afer he had tried to bite me incase it seemed like a reward  but there wasn't enough time to then play before he launched himself again.


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2008)

Our cats like to play fight with us, they roll on their backs and "box" and "bite" us, they are only playing though and don't do it to hurt us. Not sure if that's the sort of thing you are describing or not.


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

Not sure either, I suppose we are still getting to know him and him us. His tail was just going like mad and he looked quite frantic, not like the play mode he gets during the day, more like proper pouncing


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2008)

soozeej said:


> Not sure either, I suppose we are still getting to know him and him us. His tail was just going like mad and he looked quite frantic, not like the play mode he gets during the day, more like proper pouncing


Not sure what to suggest really, just keep doing what you are doing and hope it works!


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

Thanks, we will keep trying, just didn't want to keep trying incase it was the wrong thing altogether...he is now sleeping on my husbands knee looking so angelic


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## bee112 (Apr 12, 2008)

ha ha dont you just love kittens! 

try getting dangly toys which you can use to play with him, that way he can sink his teeth and claws into the toy and not your arm!


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## may (Nov 2, 2007)

I had a naughty kitty that used to bite me when he got excited,
I did try everything like saying NO and not playing when he bit me I then used to bite him back (not hard ) it stopped him!!


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## bee112 (Apr 12, 2008)

may said:


> I had a naughty kitty that used to bite me when he got excited,
> I did try everything like saying NO and not playing when he bit me I then used to bite him back (not hard ) it stopped him!!


ha! if I did that to mine I'd get a mouthfull of fur!


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2008)

may said:


> I had a naughty kitty that used to bite me when he got excited,
> I did try everything like saying NO and not playing when he bit me I then used to bite him back (not hard ) it stopped him!!


That just encourages mine! They love a bit of ruff and tumble!


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2008)

He just sounds like a typical kitten to me. Obviously some are more/less boistress than others. 

They can bite you when playing and sometimes it can be a bit hard, but it's just play. I'm sure you'd know if he was literally attacking you or doing it to be bad. 

Cats all have crazy moments. Mine are nearly 2 and still do it and I know even whey they get to 5+ they'll still have the odd crazy moment... it's just a cat thing. 

They put their ears back, make a really horrible meow, start looking up at the ceiling with crazy wide eys and tale waggling slowly... then suddenly scarper/pounce out of nowhere.

I would keep on with saying a firm NO when he bites though, as you do want to let him know this isn't really acceptable. Like others have said, make sure you have lots of kitty toys to play with, so he can scratch and attack them instead. Try the sticks with string on and a toy at the end, go crazy with it and it'll soon wear him out and get him over his "crazy" moments lol.

This is just all the joys of having kittens... I love it when Bailey has his mental moments. I can't say the same for my mum though, because normally it ends up in him just jumping up the wallpaper for no apparent reason!


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

Thanks for the replies everyone, we do have a couple of the dangly toys that he likes to chase, tonight I might just try to get in their first before the biting starts and get him to chase the toy around instead. Just with having the kids as well I didn't want him to start to think that the way to get to play was to put his teeth into someone. Thanks again.


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## Kat28 (Mar 19, 2008)

My cats do this. Snowy tends to do it when im brushing his stomach he seems to think its play time. Have to use 2 brushes now 1 for him to bite the other to brush him . Roony & patsy do it when im playing with them they wrap there paws around my arms and bite. Is he an only kitten/ cat as 2 of mine are brothers and even though they play like this with us they do it with each other as well. Mine are 2 & 11 so they still like to play even as they get older. Just keep saying no and distracting him with something else. Sounds to me like he is just playing more than been aggressive


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

He seems to be biting a lot this morning, both the kids have been crying, every time I lift him he bites me, he keeps jumping up on my knee and then tries to bite me. We have been playing with him lots, with the chasing toys and his soft balls which he has been chasing and chewing on but he is stressing me out  I feel like I can't leave the room because he bites someone.


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## Kat28 (Mar 19, 2008)

Dont really know what to suggest as i said before mine bite but only in play. Is he the only cat maybe he needs a friend to play with. Mine tend to pounce on each other and chase each other round maybe he is using you as a surrogate kitten friend to play with. But biting you a little too hard.


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

he is the only one, not sure I am ready for another one!! Its probablyh worse because the kids have just broken up for school holidays so usually its just him and me for a while during the day.


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## Kat28 (Mar 19, 2008)

Probably wondering whats going on then if kids are at home all day. Try giving him an old teddy or something he can dive on and bite that might help. If he is encouraged to pounce on that every time he jumps at you it might just save you and kids getting bitten .


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## may (Nov 2, 2007)

ajshep1984 said:


> That just encourages mine! They love a bit of ruff and tumble!


  Yes I know what you mean nothing like a bit of ruff and tumble! 
I find they do grow out of biting you as they get older though


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## bee112 (Apr 12, 2008)

Now I've got 2 the rough play is just between Alfie & Lola.. before I had Lola Alfie would be constantly jumping out on me!


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2008)

may said:


> Yes I know what you mean nothing like a bit of ruff and tumble!
> I find they do grow out of biting you as they get older though


Mine are about 10 months old now so still babies, they only bite when we start playing with them but Alvey does like to gently nibble on the OH's nose for some unknown reason! 

Soozeej - How hard is this little guy biting you and the kids? I think getting him a friend to play with might be a good idea!


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

Well last night was a bit better, I think that must his very active hour, we took turns to play with ( with hands at a distance ) until after about an hour he climbed up on the sofa and snuggled in to sleep. Its fine for us though but I do feel nervous when he is around the kids, i suppose its still early days for us all. I don't think my husband would agree to getting another one, will give it a bit longer and see if he settles down any!


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## ellie_w (Nov 15, 2007)

My grandma's cat always used to have a mad half hour before we had a thunderstorm 

She would go nuts running round the room on top of the furniture and if you got in her way you would get bitten or scratched - she would calm down as soon as the rain started - very strange cat


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

She must have sensed something in the air, should have phoned the bbc and told them the weather forecast!!We have cows in a field behind our house and when they all lie down you know its going to rain ( or they are all tired )


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

I've got 4 cats and they all have a mad 1/2 hour. Wish they'd get the timing right though and all do their running around at the same time. They do tend to slow down a bit with it as they get older, but my old cat he's 19 (20 in sept) still has a play each day. The youngest cat, (well we think he is as he was a stray and the 'kitten' will be 10 this year) still attacks the stairs and your head if you walk close to the rails when he's playing. I once had a cat that used to bite my eldest daughters knee when he wanted to play and he never grew out of it, although he didn't bite hard.


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## daniellecool2003 (Jan 2, 2010)

We got a new kitten before chrismas. She has a typical nature of attacking us to. She even scratched my fiances lip while asleep. Fiance wasnt too pleased i can say. Well we found if we locked her into her carrier for a while she calmed down. We now call it her cool down box. Found it a good way to settle her when we didnt want her going mad. Another trick we learned was to grab her by the scruff of the neck and hold her down briefly with the command 'no!' worked also. Apparently its similer to what a mother cat does if the kitten get to boistrous for her. TRy them and see it might work.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

This is a VERY old thread - over 18 months old - try starting your own thread - it will get a better response


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## sarahdisco (Jan 4, 2010)

We get mad half hour.. Spartacus runs round like a nutter, bouncing off walls, chasing tin foil balls (why ever bother spending money on toys when she ADORES tin foil!) and if our hands or feet get in her way.. they get punched or bitten. She has this mad look too, we've just learned to ignore her and redirect her attention to the tin foil... after an hour she chills out and comes over for some love. Nutter. 

See if a new toy (something dangly he can swipe at) can direct his attention...


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

This thread is EVEN OLDER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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