New kitten is a terrror! Help!

[veggie74]

I've had my new kitten for several weeks now, she's a terror! She will not stop biting everyone. I spray her with water but it only delays what she wants to do. I've gone has far has "popping" her gently on the nose when she bites but that only makes her more angry so she bites even harder. Now I just lock her up in the bathroom for a time out because nothing else works. I've tried bitter apple but I can't coat my older cat down with it.
Also, my older cat has laid down the law with her several times but the kitten just comes back for more, right away. Its like she does not understand that when a cat is hissing and biting at you, you leave them alone. My older cat can't even use the little box without being attacked.
Luckily, my dog loves the new kitten. They play all the time!!
Does anyone know what I should do? Is a time out in the bathroom a good idea? Besides her biting, she's really loveable and gives kisses.

[kitten645]

Hello and welcome to PT!
I think the only thing that will help is time! Kittens will be kittens. Eventually the little terror will learn what is and is not acceptable behaviour from you AND her older sibling. Different kitties have different personalities and it sounds like you have a little spitfire. Patience and time will do the trick.
C

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I think the squirt bottle and the time outs are a good idea. Kittens will be kittens and eventually she will get the hint that hissing means "leave me alone!" And eventually either the older cat will REALLY lay down the law or he/she will get used to the attacks and just put up with them.

Welcome to PT!

Kitten 645, we posted about the same time and had the same idea about kittens will be kittens.

[sweet_stormy]

that happened to me too when i first got my kitten. she would attack smokey and stormy all the time (they are 5 yrs. old). but my dog snowball gets along great with Mittens (my kitten). mittens is calming down (its been about 9 months). lol. just give ur kitties time. this is still new to them. my kitten is letting me pet her now and she purrs now too.

*~sweet_stormy~*

[thelmalu99]

Yeah, kittens can be a terror! LOL!

I got my first cat, Sydney, when he was just a little kitten, and he would do the same thing. He would run behind us when we were walking and bite our ankles. He would attack you anytime you moved! Those sharp little teeth felt like needles, even though he wasn't biting very hard.

Seriously, your kitten will grow out of it. She's just playing out her natural curiosity and playfulness when she attacks everything that moves like that. Cats are also natural hunters, and it's when they are kittens that they learn to pounce, and they will practice on anything, even you. She's really just being playful, and that is a good sign. It's a sign that she's a happy, healthy, normal kitten.

The spray bottle is a good idea to show her that you don't want her to attack you or the other cat. Play with her a lot as well, and get her some toys that you can toss around for her to chase and pounce on, so she understands that the toys can be chewed, but not you.

This is definitely normal behavior, even though it can be annoying at times. She will definitely grow out of it; not to worry.

[lizzielou742]

My kitten Sophie is a bit of a biter too. We've learned to avoid it: if you pick her up and she wants down, we put her down right away to avoid nips. If we pet her and she nips at us instead of loving on us, we know to just forget it. Most of the time, she's just like a baby, putting her mouth on things, not actually biting us. The only problem is when we take her to the vet - and she's not letting that vet come anywhere NEAR her!!! As for biting the other cat, the cats will resolve their issues on their own. Kittens just have to test their boundaries!! A sharp "NO!" and immediate removal of your hands (set her down if you're holding her, stop petting her if you were) can't hurt either. Good luck and just remember that she'll grow out of it!!