Questions About My Kitten

[MaxsMommy]

Hello. This is my first post here. I have a male kitten who will be 6 weeks old on Wednesday. I have noticed he is a aggressive. I understand that kittens like to play fight but he has biten me on my face twice and i am afraid he will bite my 2 yr old dd. Is this normal? Will he grow out of it? And what is the best way to disclpine him? Any advice would be helpful.
Thank You
Danielle

[C.C.'s Mom]

Welcome to Pet Talk!

I don't know why you're kitten is biting you, but I'm sure there will be other PetTalkers who have an answer.

Your kitten is very, very young to be away from it's mother.
I wouldn't let the kitten alone with your child and supervice. Maybe the kitten needs a young companion kitty?

[Former User]

Welcome to Pet Talk. I agree with C.C.'s Mom, your kitten is pretty young...
When ever he bites you, say "ouch" or something like that with a louder voice than normally you use to speak. We did this when Casper and Kitty were kittens and they bit us, and it worked, eventually they stopped (it won't happen in a day). Good luck with him! And yes, maybe another kitten? It really isn't much more work to have 2 kittens, trust me :)

[MaxsMommy]

The only reason we took Max home so early is because the woman who had him said he was ready to go. Don't get me wrong he can be very loveable but i don't trust him 100%. As for another kitten i think we just want to stick with one for now but maybe in the future that will change.

[wayne0214]

Max' mommy, welcome to Pet Talk.

Having raised several kittens, I suggest that you consider getting a play mate for your Max. At 6 weeks of age, I believe that they should have another to play with. This allows him to realize what is safe to do and what is too aggressive. I have also found that most queens will adapt a kitten as their own even if they did not give birth to it. Queens will also play with a kitten. As far as the aggression and biting, many kittens do not realize their own strength and sharpness of their teeth and claws. They ususally outgrow this , but you may have to correct him from this behavior, starting with verbal rebukes. :)

...........wayne

[yorkster]

I think your kitten is pretty young for being away from Mom & siblings, but whats done is done.
I had a cat years ago that played rough. When she would 'attack' I would say "NO!" loud, then relax whatever is was she was attacking. When you do that, they lose interest. At one point I did have to get the squirt bottle out. A couple good shots of water was ALL it took.

[sasvermont]

My two bite each other when they are playing/fighting and sometimes Miley will bite my toes! My biggest surprise is that they have both been nawing on guests.....on their toes and fingers.... Its the strangest thing. I yell at them and they stop eventually. But it is as though they can't get enough scent of the guests and they think they can identify from TASTE!

I would try getting your little one a playmate. It is much easier on the human's arms and legs.

Good luck.

[TheAntiPam]

So far, folks have left lots of great advice! I agree with the idea of getting a second kitten if you can - but if not, YOU will have to play with your kitten to help it learn. Find toys that it can nip and paw at, like feather teasers.

It will be many months before your kitten is full grown in behavior as well as size - be patient and have fun!

[maxx's mom]

My Maxx was quite agressive too when she was a kitten. I don't think your kitty intends to hurt, but just doesn't know his own strength. I used to put Maxx's tail in her mouth when she was getting out of hand. She would bite her own tail and soon figured out that it hurt. She is now much gentler when she plays.

[NoahsMommy]

Welcome to Pet Talk! :)

Noah was really, really agressive when he was little and since my hubby and I were his only playmates, we got to be attacked all the time. (Once he even made me cry!!:( ) I really wish that he would have had a friend while he was young to play that rough with.

What we did (until we got another cat) was to constantly have something to give to him when we went in for an attack. We bought stuffed animals his size and cat toys for him to attack. When he attacked us, we would ignore him completly. He learned after a while but still attacked. (It is in thier nature, it is how they learn how to survive if they were outside kitties.)

The difference was amazing when we brought Noel home (Who is four months younger than Noah, it took us five months to get another cat.). They roll around together and only come to us for lovin'. It is amazing and wonderful. Noel never bit or attacked us...she reserved that for Noah during playtime.

[yumyum6970]

Yum Yum did the same thing when she was little...she is one year old now and hardly ever bites us unless she is playing. :)

So yes, they will outgrow it eventually!!