# Kitten bites when purring/happy



## Catticus86 (Mar 25, 2017)

Hi all, 

I have a 5 month old female kitten called Arti (and a male kitten who's approx 6.5 months).

Arti's a lovely kitten, very sociable, playful, and affectionate. However, she has one bad habit: she likes to nip and bite me and my boyfriend. She does this when she's purring and happy.

She has broken my skin once, but mostly it's a little nippy bite that she does. I can easily shove her off, she's not grabbing on or bunny kicking, but she's very persistent and usually comes back for another nip or three before giving up. She doesn't just go for hands, she likes arms, feet, back - any bit of flesh she can get her little teeth on!

Is she just initiating play? What does this behaviour mean?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Some cats and kittens do nip when they get very excited. It is probably something litter mates do to each other in play, and may be something mum cats do to their kittens when training their kitties how to behave, so the kitten comes to associate nipping with affection.

One of my cats gives me gentle little nips me when she gets excited from being stroked. It's very cute But once she starts to nip I always stop stroking her and give her time to calm down.

BUT, being bitten to the extent the teeth break your skin is entirely a different matter and needs to be taken seriously. Cat bites are puncture wounds, there is a lot of bacteria in a cat's mouth and the bacteria is carried deep into the skin in a puncture wound. You should always seek medical treatment if the skin is broken, and especially if there is swelling. Untreated cat bites can turn very nasty.

Personally I have never been bitten as hard as that by a kitten. I have been bitten by an adult cat a couple of times in my life, once when a feisty cat was being restrained for the purpose of me giving medication, and the other time when a cat was angry at seeing another cat through the window and redirected his anger at me. Maybe neither of these scenarios apply to your kitten, so perhaps she did not intend to bite you so hard. On the other hand perhaps the bite was redirected anger from some annoying interaction Arti was having with your male kitten.

Can I just check with you that both kittens are neutered? If not you need to arrange for this to be done a.s.a.p. or you will likely soon find the male kitten has made Arti pregnant. 

As Arti is approaching (or entering) sexual maturity it is possible she has become more skittish and more easily excited. This could be the reason for her actually biting you (as opposed to nipping you). Spaying her should help to calm her down.

To stop the nipping, buy several Kong Kickeroo toys (the full size ones) and leave them around the house so there is always one handy. When Arti nips you slide one of the Kickeroo toys between her paws so she can bite it and bunny kick it to her heart's content. It is really important to provide her with these kind of toys.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KONG-Kicke...&qid=1495795288&sr=1-2&keywords=kong+kickeroo

If Art actually has her teeth in your skin do not snatch away your hand away as it will make her think it's a game. Instead keep your hand still and squeal "ouch" which she will understand as litter mates do this when a sibling is too rough. She should then release your hand. If she doesn't release then gently blow onto her face, which she won't like and she will let go of you.

I advise taking the nipping as a warning that she is getting over excited. Having given her a Kickeroo to play with cease stroking her and walk away from her. If she persists with the habit redirect her attention to a more acceptable game with you such as a fishing rod arms length toy like the Flying Frenzy. Or throw some ping balls for her to chase.


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## Catticus86 (Mar 25, 2017)

chillminx said:


> Some cats and kittens do nip when they get very excited. It is probably something litter mates do to each other in play, and may be something mum cats do to their kittens when training their kitties how to behave, so the kitten comes to associate nipping with affection.
> 
> One of my cats gives me gentle little nips me when she gets excited from being stroked. It's very cute But once she starts to nip I always stop stroking her and give her time to calm down.
> 
> ...


Hey, thank you for all this info 

To answer a couple of your questions:

The bite that broke skin wasn't too bad. It was basically when I was in the bed dozing and I had my pillow up around my head, and I guess she just pushed her face in and nipped my ear lobe quite hard. It bled very briefly. I did go to the doctors straight away, and I think they thought I was crazy because it was such a small bite, but I was only following the advice I had read online...! Anyway, long story short, there was no infection and I'm fine now 

Our Male kitten was neutered about a month ago. She hasn't been done yet because it seems my vet prefers to wait until they're a bit older, but she will be spayed soon.

I've started blowing her when she bites which seems to be working well, ty 

It is possible that some of it is redirected anger because our kittens have historically had a bit of a tough relationship (boy kitten took a long time to adapt to Arti joining the family), but they're miles better now, they cuddle up next to each other and mostly get on very well.

Could it still be redirected anger if she does it while purring/seemingly very happy?

We do have a lot of toys around the house, we have one kitten size kicker toy and a load of ping pong balls and and scrunchy ball things, and string, mice etc. Sounds like it's time to upgrade to a bigger kickeroo thing.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

No I wouldn't think it's redirected anger if she is purring and happy when she nips you. It is due to her being over excited and over stimulated and also wanting your attention.

She is only a youngster still and has not yet learnt fully how to self-soothe. So when she is very excited she needs an outlet to help her let off steam. Best thing is for you or your OH to grab a fishing rod toy such as Flying Frenzy (with a feather attachment) and get her leaping and jumping around after it. It always calms my lively cat down.  

Many vets in the UK will spay these days at 5 months old. Hopefully your vet does not intend to leave spaying beyond 6 months? 

I am glad the bite that broke your skin did not get infected. Ear lobes can bleed a lot if the skin gets broken.


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