Help plz

[BizarroSephiroth]

Well, those of you who read one of my previous topics, i have adopted a 6 week old kitten. We are trying to teach it how not to bite, since it likes to bite our fingers and other objects(technically teething). If he keeps doing this, it will carry on to his adulthood and he will be a very bitey cat. If we can teach it not to bite, that would help, but how?

Does anyone know techniques on how to teach a very small kitten how not to bite so he wont kill me in my sleep when i a m older :p

[BardTard]

Bite it back.

I wouldn't worry about it too much though since cat bites don't hurt. My cat used to bite me all the time. I could hardly feel it. lol

[Peegee]

When I was teething my parents put bad tasting tape on my crib so that when I bit into it I would taste nastiness.

You can't do that to a kitten so you will have to be more careful :P

[Faris]

Yeah, the trick with cats and dogs is to give them a small bite on the ear. It's supposed to show them who is boss.

[Bart's Friend Milhouse]

Aversion therapy a la 'A clockwork orange'

[Bunny]

Bite it back.

Yes. Except don't do it that hard. Just a tiny nibble to show it that you mean business. I did that to my cat once and now he doesn't bite me. Other people, yeah, but not me!

Aside from that, everytime it bites someone, pick it up and throw it against the wall. It will soon learn that bite = fly.

[Fonzie]

Bite it back.

Yes. Except don't do it that hard. Just a tiny nibble to show it that you mean business. I did that to my cat once and now he doesn't bite me. Other people, yeah, but not me!

Aside from that, everytime it bites someone, pick it up and throw it against the wall. It will soon learn that bite = fly.

Anaisa would of loved this comment if she was still with us. :(

[Miriel]

Call Cesar Millan!

[scrumpleberry]

Biting it back gently seems to work. Most of the time his or her littermates would have done the same thing to teach them boundaries.

[BizarroSephiroth]

Call Cesar Millan!

i thought he was the dog whisperer......i wonder if he can whisper to cats........

[Jess]

If my puppy nipped when he was little I used to nibble on his ear gently, just to put him in his place. :jess:

[rubah]

put stuff on your fingers that is not tasty to cats.

[Parker]

Apply an elbow drop from a great height.


(this thread is now about cruelty to cats)

[Renmiri]

I have taught several kittens :)

First, this is just a phase they go trough, while growing up. They will grow out of it. But if it worries you:

1) They are play fighting. Usually their kitten siblings would be their target and any "over the top" bite would be punished with an enraged meow and a bite or a paw scratch.
- Say "ouch" loudly, take your hand / foot away and ignore them after a strong bite (play bites can be ignored). If you feel up to it, do the nibble / bite but it isn't necessary. Just ending the game is good enough

2) Play a lot with your kitty: Strings, feathers, throw those little balls slowly for them... They will learn other ways to have fun besides biting

3) Even play fights are fun:
- Use your hand to mock a big monster mouth and aim for the kitty's neck (slowly and gently obviously!), do a "swordfight" with your fingers and his paw, etc... Again, stop the game yelling loudly as soon as the kitty bites or scratches too hard. You want to teach him limits.

3) While play fighting the kittens have this secret code that says "you won" or "I yield" that signals they are tired of the game and want to stop: They go limp.
- While play fighting with your kitty, if he hurts you or you get tired, make your hand / foot go limp. He should stop.
- If he goes limp, stop a bit and talk soothingly, petting him.

Soon enough you two will learn to play without hurting each other and you wll be the best of pals :D

[Levian]

Yeah, I did the ignoring thing Renmiri described, works pretty well. Another thing I did was to place a finger on the cat's forehead, cats don't like that and it makes them feel shame! I read this in a cat book while waiting for a dentist appointment. The comics were all taken.