I adopted a stray kitten and she is so loving and sweet but that past two weeks she has been very scratchy and bites me a lot. She attacks my hands and feet but it is not playful anymore. Ive tried spanking her bottom but it doesn't work. Lately whenever she gets wound up and bites too much I put her in her room and shut the door until she calms down. I hate doing this but I don't know how else to discipline her. Any advice?
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Kitten troubles...please help!
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Posted 3 years ago by PurrrrfectKittenSnuggles #
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Hi and welcome to TDK.
Thanks for rescuing this kitty.
First of all,don't play with her with your hands. She is playing with you like she would a sibling and occasionally(as you've seen) they can get rough. Distract her from your hands with a toy,a wand toy or a sock or anything but your hands.
Second,cats don't respond well to being spanked,she just knows that she was playing with you as a cat does and now she is being spanked and probably harshly spoken to,she doesn't know why. She will become afraid of you.
If she does something that isn't OK just stop playing with her and redirect her,placing her in another room is OK.
You don't state how old she is but she is probably missing her littermates fiercly and doesn't really know how to act. Kittens learn how to act appropriately by the other,older cats teaching them how and she will depend on you to do this. Actually (I obviously don't know your situation) but it is sometimes better to get two kittens and they will entertain each other quite well and be more balanced and happy.
Jus adjust those few things when playing with your kitten and/or get a littermate if possible and she should be fine.
Here's a cat dancer interactive toy
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755039
or you can fashion something out of a sock or something,it doesn't have to be expensive.
Good luck and please let us know how you do. :) -
PKS - First off...welcome to TDK! I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination and can only spit back what I have read here before.
1. Don't 'spank' - she'll become afraid of your hand and she won't understand any way.
2. Don't play games with your hands... hands are for petting, food and treats only.
3. When mine attacks my ankles; and she still does occasionally even at the age of 6, I yell - loudly -- OW! and ignore her.
4. I think your best idea is putting her in time out.There will be more on later with better advice. And I know we'd all love to know more about your kitty.... color, age, name... etc.
BC and I were typing at the same time ! Similar ideas....
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The others have given much of the advice I have to give, but I would suggest one other thing that might work. If the kitten's behavior becomes really aggressive, try hissing at her like a cat would. It's done with an open mouth, forcing out air kind of like pronouncing the letter "H". That is the only form of discipline that ever worked with my Katie, and it stopped her in her tracks.
Welcome to TDK!
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2P and BC both have great suggestions! I would echo their advice.
Play with the kitten with a toy, but not directly with your hands. If the kitten gets feisty, get a crumpled up piece of paper and throw it for the kitty to chase. (Heck, make a whole little basket full of such paper balls!)
Divert any aggression or claws & biting toward a stuffed animal toy, rather than your hands. You may be able to tie a stuffed animal to a long shoelace, and by dragging the stuffed animal manage to get your kitty interested in attacking. (Chances are the stuffed animal should not be larger than your kitten.)
Good luck!
Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #
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You've had great advice above. All I can add is, be patient! She's not really aggressive, she's just getting over-excited and doesn't understand that you don't have protective fur. Don't spank her, she will never understand why you're doing it. As the others said, the best punishment is her favourite playmate (i.e. YOU) stopping the game immediately when it gets too rough.
Welcome to TDK, this is a great place to come for fun, kitty-talk and advice from some very knowledgeable members! We would love to know more about your little girl!
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Thanks for the advice! I have grown up with cats my whole life but it has been a while since I've had a kitten. I always use toys when I play with her. Her favorite is this toy that looks like a feather duster. She goes nuts for it! Her name is Jasmine and she really is a sweetie. She is black with white paws, chin, and stomach, and she has olive green eyes. Some guys I know were keeping an eye on a cat living by their dumpster who just had five kittens. One day the mom and three of the kittens were gone, so they took in the other two. Jasmine found her furever home with me and her brother went to another home. She loves to chase her tail, pull tissues out of their box and shred them to pieces, and cuddle. She also loves to lick!
Posted 3 years ago by PurrrrfectKittenSnuggles #
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