Forum Discussion

rwj146's avatar
rwj146
Explorer
Apr 29, 2016

Teething or biting kitten

I have a question for those who have raised a kitten into adulthood.

The kitten I adopted was hand raised from about 2 weeks old, her mother, a feral cat, had been run over. I have had her since she was 5 weeks old (about).

She's very playful and is healthy. Too playful. She is a biter. I have tried gently patting her head when she bites and sadly at times I have not been as gentle as I should be. No harm to her but still too rough, on my part.

I have tried holding her to get her to settle down and she still tries to bite. I had hoped it would stop or slow down after I had her spayed but it had no effect. Yesterday after two bites I called two 'no kill shelters' and explained what was going on and they both told me that she would not be adoptable if I told them she bit. She would be ' humanely euthanized'


I have tried spritzing her, telling her NO and yelling no seems to stop it for a while.

I do not want to give up on her but I take a blood thinner and the bites, however small, make my arms look like I stuck them in concertina wire.

I don't know if the mother cat being feral would be the reason, we got her so young I would think it wouldn't matter but what do I know?

I am very seldom at a loss and hate to give up but there is a limit.

17 Replies

Sort By
Show More
  • nineoaks2004's avatar
    nineoaks2004
    Explorer
    Apr 29, 2016
    We have one that I found in a ditch, eyes were not open yet, she can be a little she devil, (I call her meaness) but after growing awhile we let her out with the yard cats and they have calmed her down a lot. She is much better since she has gotten older. Part of the problem is the mother cat usually teaches them manners
    and without that they must learn on their own by correction, just like a kid does.
  • Lisaren's avatar
    Lisaren
    Explorer
    Apr 29, 2016
    A kitten that is taken away from mother or siblings at too young an age can have aggression problems throughout life. Mom cat teaches the kittens in a way most humans can not. I adopted a 1 week old kitten when his mother was killed. He was so aggressive, I finally adopted another cat to teach him the rules. It was either that or have the cat put down. He did get better, but never became a loving cat.
  • toedtoes's avatar
    toedtoes
    Explorer III
    Apr 29, 2016
    A lot of the time, the biting is due to over-stimulization. The kitten starts playing and gets more and more excited and doesn't know how to handle all that adrenaline and emotion.

    Try giving the kitten a "time out". When she gets excited like that, take her and place her in a nice quiet darkened room, then walk out. She'll be able to come down from her adrenaline high. As she gets older, she'll be better able to handle things.

    The other suggestion is to watch what sets her off. Many cats have a "sensitive" spot on their bodies - they don't like being touched there and will bite when you do. For most cats, it is their tail, the base of the tail, and/or their stomach. Some cats are sensitive on the top of their head/ears. When you pet, softly and slowly just slide your hand along the base of the head to mid back. No more than that. Don't pat, rub against the fur, etc. The soft, slow motion will best help relax her. If she starts getting excited even with that, try the "time out". Some cats never want more than this minimal petting - anything more and they lash out.
  • Murphsmom's avatar
    Murphsmom
    Explorer
    Apr 29, 2016
    Teamfour wrote:
    Put a little hot sauce (I prefer Tabasco) on your hand and let her bite it. Should only take a couple of times to cure her. At least that is how my parents tried to stop me from biting my nails. Now I love Tabasco.

    I got a chuckle out of that method. We had a kitten who would jump up and try to steal food from the table. One time, rather than shooing her off, I told my husband to just let her get a mouthful of hot salsa. She loved it!

    I have several friends who do cat rescue. I'll check with them to see if they have any solutions.
  • Teamfour's avatar
    Teamfour
    Explorer
    Apr 29, 2016
    Put a little hot sauce (I prefer Tabasco) on your hand and let her bite it. Should only take a couple of times to cure her. At least that is how my parents tried to stop me from biting my nails. Now I love Tabasco.
  • magnusfide's avatar
    magnusfide
    Explorer II
    Apr 29, 2016
    We've always grabbed our kittens firmly by the loose skin at the nape of the neck and said NO in a firm and loud voice. Of course we didn't pick up the kitten by the nape, just held her still until she stopped pulling, biting and struggling and understood that we are the alphas, not her. We did this for biting and scratching. You will have to be consistent and do this repeatedly for awhile but it works well.

    If she's teething, there are chew toys for kittens too. Sometimes a crunchy kitten treat is helpful.
  • Go_Dogs's avatar
    Go_Dogs
    Explorer
    Apr 29, 2016
    I understand your plight. Mother cats and dogs are not gentle when correcting their young. Maybe you just really need one serious correction? Good luck!

About Pet Owners

2,081 PostsLatest Activity: May 05, 2025