# Please help me with my bitey kitten!



## SuperCat86 (Jul 20, 2010)

My kitten Poppy is 9 weeks old and we got her at 6 weeks (rescued from a not very nice family). At her birth home, she was taught to play with peoples hands and feet so she's always bitten and scratched us when she's feeling playful and we've discouraged it from the beginning. 

We've tried saying no and we've tried clapping when she does it, when that didn't work, we tried a spray bottle but she seems to enjoy that, so I now pick her her up and move her into another room. The only problem is, she also bites me the whole time I'm holding her because she knows she's been naughty.

Just in the last few days she's been getting a lot worse and biting harder so it breaks skin and hurts. I really don't know what else I can do and it's getting a bit upsetting  She's really very nice otherwise, I promise! 

Any advice would be much appreciated  xx


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

You have my sympathy ,I know what you are going through.My kitten is (was)the same I hope he is now begining to learn but it has been hard work.Firstly do not use any physical punishment,try not to react to her biting(very difficult)try if you can to distract her when she bites by throwing a toy or at least diverting her attention on to a toy.Never use hands in play,a wand type toy with something on the end to chase is worth a try.Some say to spray with water that imo is similar to punishment and doesnt work.Putting her out of the room for 10 minutes is good or you leave the room (closing the door )
Lots of quality play time with her to build a bond.6 weeks is far to young to leave mum so she has not had the socializing she should have had,mum would have taught her most of what you are now trying to do and as you are finding mum does it better.with consistancy and love and a lot of hard work you should win.Good luck and hope this helps .There will be those more experienced than I am giving you more detailed advice but this is working for me along with support.

Welcome to the forum


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## SuperCat86 (Jul 20, 2010)

thanks for your advice and for the welcome 

I felt really awful about taking her so young, but one of her sisters died in a horrible accident after my friend left them alone in the house for a couple of days, then her kids were throwing them around and feeding them Wotsits and chocolate spread, so when she told me she wanted to get rid of the kittens, I took Poppy before she could get hurt or given to someone else who wouldn't take care of her.

I will persevere with the training and hopefully she'll learn in time.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

That is terrible ,What happened to the other kittens?Poor little soul what a start in life no wonder she is biting,was she reported to sspca/rspca for cruelty?


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## SuperCat86 (Jul 20, 2010)

It was difficult because she didn't think she was doing anything wrong. Fortunately the last two kittens were re-homed a couple of days after I took Poppy and the mum is getting a new home too- she's still just a kitten herself really.


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## Kaitlyn (Apr 28, 2010)

I don't know if this would work for you and poppy but maybe try hissing at her like a mother cat would if she starts her bad behaviour. It worked for me when Harley used to bite and scratch, i got that advice from a thread on here.. i'll try and find it for you as theres a lot of good information and advice in there.

Found it  Nasty kitten Hope this helps! :thumbup:


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## ebonymagic (Jun 18, 2010)

I had a kitten called Poppy who was exactly the same, she was playing with me the same as she would any sibling (if she had any), I was covered in scratches all the way up my arms. Unfortunately I split from my ex and she had to be rehomed.

I got 2 cats and they are not quite as bad with me, but my God! they are awful to each other sometimes. Now I have 2 14 week kittens who are chomping on everything in sight, they don't chomp me too hard but they are evil to each other to the point where one or t'other squeaks. They do like to chew on my help for heroes band.

I think at this age it is because they are teething.

I will never have a single cat again because they are better at entertaining each other and I don't end up quite so bloody


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## Nando (Jun 28, 2010)

you have my sympathy also here our nando is just over the 5 month mark now he bit and scratched and then he'd learnt that it was bad with a combination of putting him in the hallway when he bit and using the spray bottle, it really did die down for a bit but over the last 2-3 weeks hes got back in the habit this may be a stage in his growing up or he may just be a little monster but im determined to tame him but we also got him at 6 weeks and learnt that this was a mistake that im not keen to repeat, ive also noticed he can be very loving like hell come over the length of the room to come and give you a head bump you stroke him and its play time its patience i think which is the key


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Nando said:


> you have my sympathy also here our nando is just over the 5 month mark now he bit and scratched and then he'd learnt that it was bad with a combination of putting him in the hallway when he bit and using the spray bottle, it really did die down for a bit but over the last 2-3 weeks hes got back in the habit this may be a stage in his growing up or he may just be a little monster but im determined to tame him but we also got him at 6 weeks and learnt that this was a mistake that im not keen to repeat, ive also noticed he can be very loving like hell come over the length of the room to come and give you a head bump you stroke him and its play time its patience i think which is the key


Sorry for hijacking this thread.Nando has your boy been neutered yet.Mine is off to vets tomorrow this may help

Just read your post on another thread .he is neutered.


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## SuperCat86 (Jul 20, 2010)

thanks for your help everyone  

I'm just wondering if it's normal that she has started biting in revenge now lol. She knows when she's been biting and I pick her up that I'm going to put her out of the room and she really goes for my hands while I'm carrying her outside. Then when I put her down, she'll try to attack one last time while I withdraw. She doesn't seem to like me at all at the moment


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

I know how you feel .I get the same reaction when I try to remove my arm from Meeko's mouth:lolr remove him from the room.I dont know what the answer is I think I have given all the advice a try and nothing seems to work,its not a nice feeling when you think your cat doesnt like you.She is still young and has been through so much in her short life,kindness patience and understanding will hopefully win in the end sorry I cant be more positive,Good luck.


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## luisa (Jul 14, 2010)

i know it sounds wierd but your body language could also be helping the issue.

cats pick up on you ( if your scared/agitated they will carry on going for you )

try to be more calm with her. she may be picking up vibes that you feel like she hates you.

give her nothing but love... i knw this is hard when shes biting the F*** out you but when she gets hold of your hands etc loosen them and dont move. 
she sees your hands as play "prey" the more your hands move she sees it as them fighting back. if you play dead she will get bored... then throw a toy to distract her attention else where.

pets at home have a sale on in store at the min so u can get the tickling sticks for £1 ( i have 4 of them my kittens love chasing them round )

cats like this need alot of attention. as she has been taught bad habits to begin with you need to start trying to change her behaviour.

for example check if its a cartain time of day shes doing it. ( my kittens seem to be lively most in the evening ) at that time get lots of toys out sit on the floor and talk to her give her treats and encourage play with toys. stimulate her with longer toys ( ie balls n strings mice on strings etc ) also a panic mouse might be a good investment shes more likely to attack that then and not you. really tire her out ( run up n down the hallway dragging a string for her to chase ) 

kittens at this age need to be played with lots she will soon be panting and laying about. when she looks sleepy then try to give her light strokes to her head and if she lets you her back each time speaking in a light almost singing voice saying her name and saying things like your such a good girl etc.

its not about telling a cat off or punishing them they dont understand punishment like a dog would. its about rewarding the good behaviour.. 

ignore her when shes bad and encorage and reward the good behaviour with lots of treats. dont try to pet her when shes in play mode she will think your playing.

she was taken from her mom at a young age and has grown up in a bad enviroment and is lucky to have you. she hasnt leant from the best parents. you have to now be mom and try to make her feel loved when shes doing good things


i hope this helps you a bit more xx


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## KathyM (Jul 30, 2008)

SuperCat86 said:


> thanks for your help everyone
> 
> I'm just wondering if it's normal that she has started biting in revenge now lol. She knows when she's been biting and I pick her up that I'm going to put her out of the room and she really goes for my hands while I'm carrying her outside. Then when I put her down, she'll try to attack one last time while I withdraw. She doesn't seem to like me at all at the moment


I think perhaps this is in reaction to previous use of aversives in reaction to play biting, so her biting you is more defensive than anything. I think you're going to have to work her trust back in that respect. I would go right back to basics and work on positive reinforcement of good behaviour, distraction from the bad with suitable toys. Up her interactive play (eg. fishing rod toys) so she is more worn out and the focus is on the toy and not your hands. This will help her to associate you with nice things rather than punishment too, and should help you bond with her better. Like others have said, she will pick up on your body language too, so I think if you must remove her from the room (which I'm not sure is effective from personal experience and from what you've written) you're going to have to share that job out with someone else so it's not just you that's the focus, perhaps?

For a little while I would focus on making you the bringer of good things - food, toys, playtime. Punishing animals doesn't reinforce a good relationship with them sadly, so I would absolutely avoid aversives like the water spray and keep trying with the distraction and positive reinforcement. Good behaviour gets the playtime, the treat, the fuss (if she'll let you). Eventually she will realise that when she's being bad she's not getting the things she's getting when she's good. :thumbup:


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## SuperCat86 (Jul 20, 2010)

okay!  I have loads of toys and we usually play all morning because that's when she's most energetic. So i'll start giving her a little treat or two while we play and we'll see how that works out


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## petforum (Oct 30, 2007)

My cat was quite viscious and used to bite a lot when he was a kitten, even after he was neutered he was still the same. He was only playing but he used to hurt sometimes when biting. He has calmed down a lot with age and is very soft now and hardly ever bites.


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## luisa (Jul 14, 2010)

SuperCat86 said:


> okay!  I have loads of toys and we usually play all morning because that's when she's most energetic. So i'll start giving her a little treat or two while we play and we'll see how that works out


good luck hun its all about being lovely to her and speaking to her treat her as you would a child.

lots of play and love just ignore the bad behaviour dont be too jumpy or aggressive if shes bitey with you


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## SuperCat86 (Jul 20, 2010)

Hi again everyone, I just wanted to let you know that me and Poppy are making slow progress  but progress none the less! So your advice has been really helpful. I just wanted to ask one last question 

My friend gave Poppy's brother to her sister a few days after I took Poppy. Her sister is now saying that she's sick of the kitten and wants to get rid of him because she is having the same playfighting problems as we've had with Poppy and she has to interest or desire to try and teach him to be gentle.

I'm wondering, would it benefit Poppy if I took him on? They wouldn't recognise eachother would they? They've been separated for a month now.
I wonder if they would learn from eachother about how hard biting, and I'm wondering how easily/not easily it would be for them to become friends? I wouldn't want him to go to a rehoming centre so early in life, but I don't want to take him on without a bit of knowledge from your wise selves 

Sorry I'm a pain in the bum!


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## AmberNero (Jun 6, 2010)

Just an idea, don't know if it would work- but what about using lemon or orange scented handlotion, or even rubbing a little lemon on your hands? It might put her off biting because of the physical repulsion to the taste as well as learning not to bite through what you're already doing. Hope she stops being such a little madam soon! (and welcome to pf :thumbup: )


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

SuperCat86 said:


> Hi again everyone, I just wanted to let you know that me and Poppy are making slow progress  but progress none the less! So your advice has been really helpful. I just wanted to ask one last question
> 
> My friend gave Poppy's brother to her sister a few days after I took Poppy. Her sister is now saying that she's sick of the kitten and wants to get rid of him because she is having the same playfighting problems as we've had with Poppy and she has to interest or desire to try and teach him to be gentle.
> 
> ...


I'm sorry but I dont know simple as that.It may work but it also may not,and you could have two little monsters instead of one.This is one I think for the experienced members who have more knowledge of kittens and their behaviour.Glad to hear you are making progress even slow progress is better than no progress.:thumbup:


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## SuperCat86 (Jul 20, 2010)

yeah that's what I was thinking  It could either work really well or just be a complete nightmare. I'm hoping there might be someone around who has tried it, or something similar


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

The only words I can offer are those my vet/behaviourist gave me and those were that he thought it would be unwise with my kitten to get a playmate because he was showing interactive aggression but I dont know if that would apply to your kitten.Having said that I hav'nt ruled it out as he is showing signs of improvement.


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