Caring for a kitten is a wonderful experience, but it’s important to remember that kittens are babies and they don’t know all the rules of acting appropriately yet, especially if they were raised without their mama. So it’s up to you as their adopter - or if you’re fostering, as their foster - to teach them what is acceptable behavior and what is not. One of the main behavioral complaints is in regards to biting. If you are caring for a kitten and they are biting inappropriately, here is some advice.
Redirect their Attention
Biting is normal cat and kitten behavior. Cats of all shapes and sizes, both wild and domestic, bite. It is part of the thrill of the hunt. They locate, stalk, and pounce on prey. Then when they go in for the kill, they bite. This translates into their play as well. And most of the time, when kittens are biting you, in their minds, they are playing.
To get a kitten to not bite your hands or feet, you need to redirect their attention.
Never punish the kitten for biting you - they will not understand. Instead, show them something even more enticing than your hands and feet to bite. Give them a toy instead. Kicker toys are great for biting as well as kicking, but any toy will do in redirecting their attention to something interesting.
Do not encourage or allow the kitten to play with your hands and feet at all. They won’t understand if sometimes they are allowed to play with your fingers and other times they are not. Toys are for playing. Hands and feet are not.
A kitten, particularly a kitten who is not with other kittens, cannot tell when they are biting you too hard so if your kitten starts playing with your hands or feet, stop moving, make your hand or foot go limp, and say “Ouch!” in a loud voice. Hands and feet become way less interesting when they stop moving.
Kittens are more likely to attack a moving target so offer them a toy and move it around and play with them. By doing this, you are teaching the kitten that hands and feet are not fun, but interactive toys sure are.
Wand toys are great for redirection and so are balls with jingle bells inside. They can follow the
movement and stalk and pounce the toy. Teaching your kitten proper play behavior and playing with them daily will give them appropriate outlets for their energy and help them grow into happy, well-adjusted adult cats.
Kittens get bored easily so a variety of toys will be helpful distractions. There are many kinds to choose from including wand toys, ball toys, track toys, kicker toys, and crinkle toys. You should play with the toys with your kitten together. You can’t expect the kitten to play with the toys on their own. They need you to play with them to satisfy their social and predatory drives. Toys are way more interesting when they are shared. Your kitten also enjoys spending time with you and wants you to interact with them. Interactive toys also help strengthen the bond between you and your kitten by letting you share fun and positive experiences.
Once playtime is over, the kitten should be rewarded with a treat or a meal so they feel like they successfully hunted their prey.
Get them a Kitten Friend
Single kittens tend to get bored and lonely and will entertain themselves in potentially destructive ways. This is what is known as “Single Kitten Syndrome.”
Kittens are curious and need constant stimulation. Mother cats rarely give birth to just one baby so if the kitten were still with their family, they would have other kitten siblings to play with and learn from.
Kittens learn proper cat behavior from their siblings and mothers. Living isolated from other kittens and cats can delay a kitten’s emotional and social development. Kittens that grow up with their siblings or similarly aged kitten friends tend to be happier and better socialized pets than those who are isolated at an early age. Kittens are social creatures who do best in groups rather than alone.
Without a kitten companion to wrestle and play, a kitten may bite and attack your hands and feet. If you tolerate the scratches and bites as kittens, they will continue this behavior as adults, only with much stronger bites and scratches. With a kitten friend, however, they will learn to play more gently because they let each other know that it hurts to get bit and not to bite or scratch too hard.
Two kittens will also burn extra energy by playing and chasing each other and tiring each other out. Giving them an outlet to play to their heart’s content means they will have less energy to engage in destructive and unwanted behaviors like biting. While it may seem like more work to have two kittens instead of one, it’s actually a lot easier since they keep each other occupied and out of trouble. They have an automatic best friend and adventure buddy. They are never alone and always have a friend to play with, learn from, and grow up with. And you will have two babies ready to shower you with love and attention.
By understanding what your kitten is telling you, you can create healthy boundaries and teach them what behavior is appropriate and acceptable. When a kitten bites, they are likely telling you that they want to play. They are understimulated, bored, or frustrated and, as their caretaker, it’s up to you to provide proper stimulation and enrichment to keep them physically, mentally, and emotionally fit. Nobody likes to get bit and by playing with your kitten and offering them interesting toys, you can redirect their attention so you are both having fun and enjoying spending time together.
Love, Nala
