Need Advice on Feline Discipline

[crashhelmet]

I know we have a lot of cat people on here, so I figured this could be a very good place to start.

I recently adopted two kittens, a brother and sister, that are now about 16 weeks old. To be truthful, I took them off my dad's hands after the stray he took in turned out to be pregnant. But anyway...

The girl, Cassiopeia, is a biter. At first it seems like it's affection, but it turns into a addiction-like episode. She'll start by licking my finger tips and then bites them. She has yet to break the skin, but bites hard enough that she probably would if I let her. I say it turns into an addiction-like episode because if I move the hand away she will jump and/or climb to get to it. If I hide my hand in something, like my shirt or under a blanket, she will immediately go after the other hand. If I hide both hands, she goes for my toes. While lying in bed, she has gone after my nose, my ears, my chin, and will even go after my nipple if they're uncovered.

Blowing in her face stops her for a moment, but only for a moment, and raising my voice does nothing. I've tried putting cologne on my fingertips, but that just sends her to some other body part. I pray to God I don't fall asleep naked one night.

Have any of you ever dealt with anything like this? I realize she is probably trying to be affectionate, especially with how loud she purrs, but I have NEVER had a cat like this before and I grew up with them. Is there a way to get her to stop?

Thanks!

CH

[MaggieTheCat]

Kittens are going to bite. Fact of life. We've got our newest addition trained pretty well not to go after feet and he's pretty good about not biting too hard when he does bite hands and fingers. But sometimes he does exactly what you describe your kitten doing. Squirting him with a squirt bottle filled with water helps but he's still naughty. Every kitten I or my husband have ever had has been this way, and they mostly grow out of it eventually, or learn when to stop if you pull away/yell at them.

[crashhelmet]

If it was the occasional biting while playing, I wouldn't mind it. That is expected. For this, you'd think that my appendages were dusted with catnip with the way she goes after them. She's very determined and persistent with it.

CH

[Seshat]

Does a sharp tap on the nose and a firm 'NO!' have any effect? You'll have to be consistent with it.

If not, I'd take her to the vet. It sounds more serious than most misbehaviours I've encountered.

My strategy would be to deter the misbehaviour - tap on the nose, firm 'NO!' - and distract with a permissible behaviour, such as a toy or a chasing-wand or a laser pointer dot.

If she doesn't respond to deter-and-distract, then I'd definitely be taking her to the vet for a behaviouralist's advice.

[bean]

Spray bottle full of water (never used for any other chemicals, get one at walmart in the health and beauty area).

Cats HATE getting sprayed with water. When they start playing too rough, state "NO!" loudly. If they persist, a quick spritz should send them running. Doesn't really matter where as long as it's a stream that hits their body (avoid the ears, that can cause ear infections).

Hitting them with your hand does nothing except teach them to avoid your hands for any and all reasons. A tap is fine, but it's more likely to make them bite in the future.

I've broken up really bad cat fights with a glass of water poured on both of the cats, they haul ass in different directions and hide until they dry off.

Cats also bite if they're over-stimulated. Some cats become over-stimulated easier than others - it can happen while playing, it can happen when they're curled up in your lap and you're lightly stroking them. Once you get to know the cats, you'll start to see the signs.

Most common signs: pupils start becoming dilated, ears will start to change angles, whiskers will start to pull in toward their face, tail starts flicking more than normal. All of these are signs that a cat is getting annoyed or stimulated. Their pupils will dilate for a number of reasons, especially while playing. But the ears and whiskers are sure fire ways to tell that the cat is about to go from play to "fuck you and die". If you start seeing these signs, just get up and walk away. If they bite anyway, that's why you keep a spray bottle nearby. Just try to keep it out of their ears to avoid ear infections. If a spray on the back doesn't stop them, aim for their face. It's not going to hurt them as long as you keep it away from their ears, but it'll send them running to hide and dry off, and they eventually learn "hey biting gets me sprayed with water, I shouldn't bite".

Now, if you ever see a cat with a tail wagging like a dog's tail, don't even think about approaching it, for whatever reason he/she is REALLY pissed off and will likely shred your hands. This happened the first time I put a collar on my cat, he'd never had one and ran around hissing/growling for a few hours. He tolerates it fine now.

Kittens do bite, but you have to be firm with them. And I highly suggest something along the lines of "Bitter Apple" spray on anything they shouldn't chew on - specifically wires, cords, and rug fringes. Or some hot sauce rubbed on cords. Pissing off their taste buds for a bit is better than them biting through a power cord and pulling a National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Spraying them with water when you catch them using your couch as a way to sharpen their claws may or may not be effective. Get a good scratching post infused with catnip and try to redirect their scratching to that (i.e. pick them up while they're scratching furniture, carry them to the scratching post, and make scratching motions while holding their paws against the post). Some saran wrap around the legs of the chairs/couches will help deter scratching on furniture, they don't usually like the feel of it.

My cat is a HUGE biter, I blame that mostly on the previous owner and the fact that the previous owner had him declawed (if you even lightly touch his front paws he flips out and bites as hard as he can). It took several months for me to learn cat behavior since I'd never had one before, and it took him awhile to learn me since he was 4 or 5 years old when I got him (he's 9 or 10 now). Now he only tries to bite if I intentionally provoke him or play too rough with him, and even then he rarely breaks skin. He really does seem to like playing rough though.

[Whiskey]

kittens are jerks. They're going to be jerks. Assuming it isnt something a vet needs to check out, you can try water bottle squirting. Chances are, theyre going to be little jerks regardless because kittens are stupid jerks. My nermal is a bit over a year and STILL a jerk.

you could also try dipping your finger tips in apple bitter and letting it dry. When she goes to bite your fingers, shell get apple bitter taste and it'll discourage the behavior.

re-reading the op, it just sounds like shes trying to play with you, honestly. She thinks you're being boring and inattentive.

[Seshat]

It could well be overstimulation.

ElderlyKitty will instinctively bite and grip if your hand is in the 'prey position'. You can see it in her eyes that she knows it's you, and knows it will hurt you, and doesn't want to - but she can't seem to help herself.
So we don't put our hands in 'prey position' with her. Easy fix.

For something like scratching furniture or getting onto benches, the trick is to provide an acceptable alternative and make the alternative more attractive to the animal than the undesired behaviour.
EG: cover the couch with something unpleasant to scratch, while spraying catnip spray on the purpose-built scratching post. (Note: a good scratching post is stable, and taller than the cat is long at full stretch. Our cats' scratching 'post' is actually carpet stapled to the side of a living room cabinet.)

[MaggieTheCat]

Make sure to play with her a lot, too. Kittens need a lot of attention, more so than adult cats. They have a lot of energy and need to burn it off. Sometimes they can burn it off on their own playing with their toys, or with other animals if you have any. But sometimes they want to play with you, too. When our little boy gets feisty with us and starts biting, we try to take a few minutes to play with him then and there. We play with him throughout the day, too, and try to wear him out about half an hour before we go to bed, so he doesn't stay up too long after we try to go to sleep.

[Whiskey]

I didnt think of this before but next time you go to the grocery store, have them pack everything in paper bags. Then, when you unpack your groceries, throw all the bags on the ground.

You will have the happiest, most exhausted cats ever.

[bean]

I didnt think of this before but next time you go to the grocery store, have them pack everything in paper bags. Then, when you unpack your groceries, throw all the bags on the ground.

You will have the happiest, most exhausted cats ever.

Oh god this. Though they get a little irritated if the bags have handles and you pick up the bag and hang it on a doorknob with them inside.

Not that I would do such a thing.... (often, and he gets lots of treats and scratches afterwards)

Or, find a box a little smaller than the cat. The cat will attempt to curl up in it. Just don't get too close to the box while occupied, they get a little possessive while they're inside the box and WILL swat the shit out of you when you walk by.

Cats are lower maintenance than dogs overall, but they need to burn off energy just like dogs. And they turn into super assholes when they need to burn it off. Mine has started waking me up by jumping on the bed and SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT against my face, then running off once I open my eyes, if he's hungry. And he's 10 years old.