# Constant Biting



## Imran Moosa (Dec 29, 2019)

Hi. I have a 9 week old kitten, Cleo. I love her to bits but she won’t stop biting.

I received her at 4 weeks of age. I started placing toys in her house, and she immediately darted for my fingers. I allowed her to do this, but after a couple days I thought how it would be a problem in the future. I always took my hands and feet away and gave her her toys instead. 

Fast forward to now. She’s a healthy cat, eating all of her food, sleeping with me regularly and often seeks constant attention. The problem is, whenever she climbs onto my lap, sitting peacefully, I try pet her, but she immediately bites me instead. This happens multiple times a day, and often frustrates me and the rest of my family. 
I’ve tried everything- ignoring her, taking my hands and feet away, giving her her toys, saying no, demonstrating pain. But nothing, she always resorts to biting my fingers.

The only time she’ll happily be pet, is when she is tired and sleepy.

Any suggestions?


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

This is a very common problem with kittens who were not raised in a litter with mum and litter mates. She never learned bite inhibition. Actually she'd still be learning it, if she was still with the litter.

First thing to do..get a little kicker toy or stuffed animal about her size. Always have one of these to hand when interacting with her. Put the kicker toy in her paws so she has that to bite and kick at, before petting her.

This will help her understand what is okay to bite and kick.

You will want to always have something like this when you are interacting with her.

For games use wand toys and toys you throw for her to chase down, keeping your hands at a distance.

Even then though, you will have to watch for signs of over stimulation. During play or cuddling, she may become over stimulated and start attacking.this is very common. Watch for ears going back, her skin on her back starting to ripple or twitch, her eyes getting big and black and fixated (especially on a body part of yours!) Anything like this you see, stop any activity immediately. Stop petting, stop playing, just stop and remain very still, except to put the kicker in between her paws.

Once she's grabbed on to that, praise her highly. However if she goes for you again in the same session, get up and walk away from her.


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## Imran Moosa (Dec 29, 2019)

lorilu said:


> This is a very common problem with kittens who were not raised in a litter with mum and litter mates. She never learned bite inhibition. Actually she'd still be learning it, if she was still with the litter.
> 
> First thing to do..get a little kicker toy or stuffed animal about her size. Always have one of these to hand when interacting with her. Put the kicker toy in her paws so she has that to bite and kick at, before petting her.
> 
> ...


Hi.

I've done all that you've suggested. I've made a kicker toy filled with some cat nip and some toilet paper. I've also bought a kicker toy as well. When she approaches me, I give it to her, she inspects it, puts her paw on it but immediately disregards it and comes straight towards my hand again. I've insisted that she uses it but completely declines the offer.

I've also ended play time when this happens but no different results the next time play time commences.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Imran Moosa said:


> Hi.
> 
> I've done all that you've suggested. I've made a kicker toy filled with some cat nip and some toilet paper. I've also bought a kicker toy as well. When she approaches me, I give it to her, she inspects it, puts her paw on it but immediately disregards it and comes straight towards my hand again. I've insisted that she uses it but completely declines the offer.
> 
> I've also ended play time when this happens but no different results the next time play time commences.


It's only been a few days. This kitten is a baby and has to be taught how to behave. It takes time to learn.( This is why kittens are left with their mothers and litter mates ideally until they are about 12 weeks old. )

You can't expect her to understand right away. I would discard the homemade kicker for now. She's too young to respond to cat nip, though that was a resourceful idea. 

Approach her and drag the kicker toy to entice her, so she knows what to do with it. If she doesn't like that toy, try different things. Some cats prefer something like a roller up newspaper to bit and kick and grab at. Other cats have different preferences in fabric/texture. When you find something she likes, be consistent with it. Use it all the time, before any other interaction with her. Drag it along to encourage her to grab it so she knows what it's for.


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## Imran Moosa (Dec 29, 2019)

Hey. So I've been trying everything you've said, and nothing seems to work. I've tried newspaper, I've tried stuffed animals, fake mice, blowing in her face when biting, ignoring her when she starts to bite and a couple others.... nothing seems to work however.

She never uses the toys and instead runs to my feet and starts biting it, or my hands when I try pet her or give her her toys. It's often *excruciatingly *frustrating for me and the rest of my household.

The sad thing too is that she will never do anything right or correctly for me to possibly reward her in order to positively reinforce that behavior.

I don't know if she is doing this purposefully to frustrate me, if she's sick or she just doesn't want me to play with or love her.

I often contemplate giving her to a different owner because my family and I are getting very furious.

You may say that she is still young and that this behavior is natural and she'll eventually grow out of it- my kitten has been doing this for the past 6 weeks and nothing has changed, only the bite has gotten worse.

I love my kitten to bits but I need to somehow find a solution to solve this ridiculous behavior.

Thanks for your time trying to help me.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Imran Moosa

I am not sure I understand you when you say Cleo "will never do anything right"? Surely she must be doing something right ? 

Does Cleo refuse to eat the food you offer her?

Does she avoid using her litter trays and instead pee and poo on the floor? Or worse, on your bed?

Does Cleo fail to groom herself?

Does she keep you awake every night crying for attention?

Is Cleo destroying your house - scratching the furniture and carpets, tearing the wallpaper?

If she is not doing the above things, then she is doing pretty well for a young kitten and she deserves plenty of praise and rewards. Praise will help her feel loved, wanted and secure.

If you and your family spend most of your time being furious with Cleo, then you are not going to get the best from her. Cats are very sensitive to displays of human anger, even more so if the anger is directed at them. They know you're angry, they just don't know why, so it makes them very anxious. It can also cause their unwanted behaviour to escalate.

You adopted Cleo at 4 weeks old. I don't know her history but I imagine she was hand-raised by a human almost from birth? If so, she missed out on a huge amount of socialisation and training from her mother. There may be some things she might never learn now, as a result of her poor start in life.

Also, bear in mind that whoever hand-reared Cleo may have allowed her to bite, may even have encouraged her by laughing when she did it. As as a result you are now inheriting that anti-social behaviour, and it is not so 'funny' for anyone when a kitten gets past babyhood and still bites.

However, whatever you have inherited, Cleo is young and impressionable and it is possible to retrain her to live well with humans, but it can take time and a lot of patience, making progress slowly. Two steps forward and one back, quite often.

If you and your family feel you are not able to do this training, then you may be better handing Cleo over to a Rescue who will find a suitable home for her. If she missed out on being raised by her cat mum, she may perhaps be better living in a home with another cat from whom she could learn social skills such as bite inhibition. It would need to be a patient, laid back confident cat to help her though.

You mention giving Cleo "newspapers, stuffed animals, fake mice" and you say she "never uses the toys" and instead runs to your feet and starts biting. I am not sure what you want Cleo to do with the toys on her own? Kittens need interactive play, either with another kitten of a similar age, or with a human (if there is no kitten playmate available). Very few kittens play entirely on their own. Kittens like company to share the fun when they play and explore.

You don't mention which interactive toys you are using to play with Cleo e.g. the fishing rod toys, the feather wands, the ping pong balls you throw repeatedly for her to chase. At her young age you need to give her several hours a day of interactive play in sessions of about 40 minutes a time or until she is tired and wants to stop. This play routine needs to go on day after day until she is about 6 months old and then you may be able to reduce the amount of sessions a day a bit.

Interactive toys:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FYNIGO-Feather-Interactive-Retractable-Refills/dp/B07F44YH6T/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2NIJRS536V2V3&keywords=purrsuit+feather+cat+toy&qid=1578613114&sprefix=purrsuit,aps,135&sr=8-8

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GingerUP-f...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Karlie-Diameter-4-Assorted-Colours-4-Piece/dp/B009E6YR7S/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1E1L5E0WAX69&keywords=balls+for+cats&qid=1578613359&sprefix=balls+for+cats,aps,136&sr=8-5

Buy a couple of these play tunnels and tie them together with the toggles then throw little balls into them for Cleo to chase. Repeat again and again until she tires of the game.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/LeerKing-Tunnel-Collapsible-Kitten-Holes/dp/B07H9P3BHR/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1ANG3Z3ZP1O6K&keywords=play+tunnels+for+cats&qid=1578614390&sprefix=play+tunnels+for+cats,aps,136&sr=8-10

If you have stairs in your home, throw ping pong balls up the stairs for Cleo to chase. All my cats loved that game as kittens.

I would forget for the moment about petting her, picking her up, cuddling her etc. Instead stop touching her and focus instead on building a bond with her using arms-length play. Do not play with her close to you at all. She will soon understand that play is more fun when she is at a distance from you.

Don't go barefoot in the house - many kittens love bare feet of humans to bite and bunny-kick. Wear shoes in the house or thick slippers until she is older. She will soon lose interest in your feet if you wear shoes. But if perchance she likes shod feet then at least she can't hurt you when she bites.

Also, if you need to, for a while, wear a pair of leather gardening gloves when you play with her using the fishing rod toys and the other arms length toys. Many people have had to do this during the time they are training a kitten to stop biting and scratching in play. It won't take long before she loses interest in your hands and feet as toys if they are covered and you do not react when she bites them.

I am sure you can achieve some gradual progress with Cleo, and I look forward to an update of how well you get on.


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## Imran Moosa (Dec 29, 2019)

Hi. Sorry for the very delayed response..
I really appreciate your very thoughtful and informative reply and taking time out of your day to help me and my little Cleo.

Sorry, thinking about it now, I did exaggerate that part of “not doing anything right” a bit too much. All those questions you asked at first I can happily answer no to all of them. I try to praise her and reward her with small treats but she’ll either bite my hands when I try let her or just sniff the treat and walk away.

However, since a couple days ago, she hasn’t been biting as much. I’ve been buying and making a lot more toys for her to play with, with and without a human attention. Her favorite one is the fishing rod toy, she’ll go crazy about it and run across the whole house chasing it. Is it normal for her to hiss at the toy and pant while playing? 

The problem is that I really want to love her, and whenever I try to hold, pet or just touch her, she’ll turn her head around to my fingers and start biting. I know playing with her a lot will help this problem, but is there any way to make her more cuddly and affectionate and allow humans to pet and love her? 

On the contrary, the only times she allows me to truly pet her while she is purring and without complaints is when she’s eating her food or when she is sleeping or very sleepy. I don’t know if this shows any clues about her behavior but it’s something I would like to mention.

I know she loves me (well I hope at least lmao), because she’ll follow me around, climb on my legs, sit on my desk when I’m there, sleep with me, leaning against my legs and just generally no anxiety towards me. This in mind, is it maybe because she is ill that she doesn’t allow anyone to pet her? Is she possibly in pain on her back that she instantaneously bites the hand on her body? If this isn’t the case, is it a behavioral problem? 

I’ve been considering adopting a second kitten the same age as Cleo to keep her company and just play with her and have a lovely bond with her. Would getting a second kitten improve Cleo as a pet and solve some of her behavioral issues? Is it recommended that I get a buddy for Cleo, because I often don’t have a lot of time to attend to her?

If, hypothetically, I do get another kitten, will they get along well quickly? And if not, how do I encourage the friendship and strengthen their bond between the two of them? 


Thanks so much for helping me once again!!
Very much appreciated.

Thanks.

Imran


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Imran Moosa said:


> The problem is that I really want to love her, and whenever I try to hold, pet or just touch her, she'll turn her head around to my fingers and start biting. I know playing with her a lot will help this problem, but is there any way to make her more cuddly and affectionate and allow humans to pet and love her?


Yes. Stop trying to force her to be what you want her to be, and let her be herself. 

Not all cats are cuddly cats, but even some cuddly cats, maybe even most, want to be cuddly only their own terms, not yours. And she is still only a baby. Just keep raising her in a loving way, respecting her boundaries as you teach her to respect yours. Trust and bonding and love is built over time. It doesn't happen instantly in most cases.



Imran Moosa said:


> I know she loves me (well I hope at least lmao), because she'll follow me around, climb on my legs, sit on my desk when I'm there, sleep with me, leaning against my legs and just generally no anxiety towards me. This in mind, is it maybe because she is ill that she doesn't allow anyone to pet her? Is she possibly in pain on her back that she instantaneously bites the hand on her body? If this isn't the case, is it a behavioral problem?


I have reread this thread and can't see any mention of her being sick, have I missed something? In my opinion she isn't sick or in pain, and these aren't "behavior problems", she is a normal kitten learning how to behave in a human world.

It's very simple. Stop trying to pet her when she doesn't want to be petted. She has told you time and again that she doesn't like it.

Let her curl up on your lap, but leave her alone while she is there. Pay attention to what she is telling you. She has shown you much affection, as you describe but you aren't listening to her when she says no.



Imran Moosa said:


> If, hypothetically, I do get another kitten, will they get along well quickly? And if not, how do I encourage the friendship and strengthen their bond between the two of them?


There is no knowing whether another kitten and Cleo will get along quickly. Many people have successful multiple cat families, including myself. This forum can help you with the introductions and al, if you choose to do this.


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## Imran Moosa (Dec 29, 2019)

However, the problem is that she’ll bite unprovoked. Even if I am about to fall asleep, she’ll come up to my fingers and start biting without me even trying to touch her. If I am laying on the couch, reading a book or on my smartphone, she’ll just suddenly come up to me and start biting me like there’s no tomorrow and it’s not a gentle bite either.

I don’t know if this means I must give her attention or if she just likes to bite.

If she is asking for attention, how do I get her to do it in a much gentler and less painful way?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @Imran Moosa, thank you for your update. I am very pleased to hear you are playing much more with your kitten using fun toys such as the fishing rod toy. 

I agree with lorilu. Your kitten is a baby still, she has a lot of growing up to do. Truly it really is not unusual for kittens not to want to be cuddled, but they can be friendly and sociable on their own terms, as your kitten is being - e.g. following you around, climbing on you etc.

Over the years I have raised quite a few kittens to adulthood, and can say in most cases they did not become cuddly until they were over a year old, maybe later in some cases. But without exception they all loved interactive playtime with me. I appreciate you understand the importance of interactive play in the process of building a bond with your kitten. You cannot play too much with her at her age! 3 hours of play a day, in sessions of 40 minutes or so, are best.

Yes, she is using biting to get your attention. You can stop her doing this, by observing closely and learning to recognise the signs in her body language when she wants your attention. Without meaning to criticise you, at present you are missing the early signs she shows that she wants your attention, and in frustration at being ignored she finally resorts to biting you.

I understand how easy it is to get absorbed by reading a book, or looking at one's smart phone, or computer. Hours can go by without one being aware of anything else in the room. I find the same! But these are the times when the kitten feels ignored, shut out. If you can make a point of breaking off what you are doing every half hour or so and checking if kitty is OK, or wants your attention, it will help. If she is asleep then leave her and go back to what you were doing. If she is wandering around aimlessly then maybe she would like a game with you. It is about being sensitive to her moods and needs.

When you give her your attention ensure she gets 100% of it, not shared with your book or phone. 

If it seems a little bit onerous to give so much of your attention to her, remember cats are needy kittens for such a short time. This period of her life when she needs a lot of focused attention from you will be over by the time she is about 9 months old. Giving her your attention intensively now, while she is young will pay dividends later on when she grows up to be a contented, calm and emotionally well-adjusted cat.

I always find I have to put my own interests and social life on the back burner for a few months when I have young kittens in my home. This is the only way I can give the kittens the attention and playtimes they need and still have time in the day to do essential things such as cooking and housework.. 

As for getting another kitten, I agree with lorilu, there is no way of knowing if they will get along. They may well play together but you could end up with both of them demanding your attention a lot of the time. It is not the right time of year at present for adopting a kitten (if you are in the UK), but kitten season will start again in March. Any kitten you adopt will therefore be younger than your kitten and that could bring its own problems.

You may in fact be better off adopting an adult cat (say around a year to 18 months old) from a Rescue. But make sure the cat you adopt is confident in itself and laid back, and gets on well with other cats. But not demanding of human attention. (ask the Shelter staff) . if you got a cat who was as demanding of your attention as your kitten is, the situation would be much worse than it is, as it would be a question of competition between the cats for resources (you being the "resource" in this instance).


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

chillminx said:


> You may in fact be better off adopting an adult cat (say around a year to 18 months old) from a Rescue.


I agree with this as well. An adult cat can teach Cleo many things about being a cat. I've rescued both tiny kittens and adult cats over the years. The kittens I've rescued, one only 4 weeks old, another 8 weeks when I brought her home but found abandoned in a box in a parking lot when she was 4 weeks old, had my adult cats around them from the very beginning and learned much from them.

The shelter should know their cats and could direct you to adult cats who show an affinity for nurturing other cats. And then you see who Chooses you.


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## Imran Moosa (Dec 29, 2019)

I don’t live in the UK, no. And in fact, I live in the Southern Hemisphere. There are plenty of kittens available for adoption all across the board.

There are plenty of choices to choose from. So what both of you are suggesting is to rather get an adult cat, instead of a kitten the same age as Cleo, to teach her about living life? I do have the choice of getting either, so the better option is to get an older cat?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Well, if you have a lot of choice of kittens perhaps you should consider a kitten of a similar age to Cleo. The main reason I suggested an older cat is because you would be able to tell the adult personality of an older cat better than the adult personality of a kitten. With a kitten it is hard to tell how they will turn out and whether Cleo and the new kitten would get on well as they grow. 

I wonder how accustomed Cleo is to other cats (or kittens)? Do you know if she was raised with other cats?


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## Imran Moosa (Dec 29, 2019)

Yes. Cleo was with her mother and siblings before coming over to me.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Imran Moosa said:


> Yes. Cleo was with her mother and siblings before coming over to me.


You mentioned she came to you at 4 weeks old so I assumed she had been hand reared by humans (without a cat mother on the scene) .The mind boggles at any breeder homing a kitten at 4 weeks old when they had a cat mother and siblings to raise her. 

Leaving her mum and siblings at only 4 weeks old is too young for you to be able to tell how she would get on with other cats. If she had stayed with mum and sibs for at least 13 weeks you'd have a better idea of how she'd related to her sibs.


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## Imran Moosa (Dec 29, 2019)

Yea it’s quite complicated. I received Cleo from a family member whose cat had a litter. This same family member was moving out of the country so had to get all of the kittens homes. 

Do you think it’s worth a shot to try if Cleo will react positively to a new furry friend?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I am hesitating to say 'yes' because of how needy Cleo is at present of your attention (and probably the reason why she bites). I am concerned that if a new kitten is also demanding of your attention that Cleo may feel pushed out and her biting of you may become worse. Or she may transfer her biting to the new kitten because of competition for resources. And she might bite a kitten harder than she bites you and could even cause an injury.

If you had adopted Cleo + one of her siblings in the first place it would have been better, especially as the poor little mites were deprived of their mum so young. Of course you would have had to act as substitute mum to two kittens then instead of one. And you may have found that hard and time consuming. Because motherless kittens of only 4 weeks old do need a lot of attention.

Have you got the time and patience to introduce Cleo to a new kitten? It is not just a matter of putting them together and leaving them to get on with it. Yeah, sometimes that method may work with kittens (but not with adult cats), but quite often it may not, and more gradual and careful introductions are required, with supervision. Particularly as Cleo has the biting problem, which is probably a result of her feeling insecure [as well as a lack of peer group socialisation at the right time in her life.]

If you decide to get another kitten, please choose a kitten that is calm and confident but not pushy. Remember you are mainly choosing a friend for Cleo, not for you. So avoid choosing a kitten that climbs all over you and immediately snuggles with you. Because a kitten like that will make Cleo feel pushed out. And Cleo's needs must come first in this instance.

Be prepared for Cleo to be upset possibly by the intrusion of a new kitten into her territory. Be patient with both kittens during the introductions and accept there may be some difficult times with the two of them that will require your thoughtfulness, kindness and patience to resolve.

If after 3 months the kittens are not getting on together (particularly if Cleo is very unhappy) you will need to re-home the new kitten. Please do not keep the two cats if they do not get on, it is very stressful for a cat to live with any cat they do not get on with.


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