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tickledpink · Mar 22, 2007, 04:45 AM

My kitty is about 4 months old and although adorable she's proving to be a bit more than mischievous.

She tends to bite when she gets over excited, and while she's only small her teeth are razor sharp. I don't know how I could possibly break her of this habbit? She also gets a bit claw happy, and while I accept this to be part and parcel of owning a cat, I'm being left scarred.

Any ideas?

my2229 · Mar 22, 2007, 04:48 AM

To correct kittems you need a spray bottle with water. As you correct them hold them and spray a small amount of ater into their face. I know it sound cruel but it works. I have 4 cats in doors and three were bottle feed. The spary bottle worked as I corected them. It only took doing this a couple of times.

mrscoltweaver · Mar 22, 2007, 11:17 AM

The spray bottle is a good idea but a kitten doesn't have that long of an attention span to associate his behavior to your reaction. Give a quick thump in the nose with your finger with a stern "No" and then stop playing with him or remove him from the area you are in. As for the claws, keep them trimmed short, about every 3 weeks to a month-this helps a lot. There is also getting them declawed, which I own 4 and they are all declawed. A kitten will eventually outgrow clawing...

RubyPitbull · Mar 23, 2007, 07:32 AM

mrscoltweaver, I have noticed your posts and I am grateful that we have someone so knowledgeable join us here on the boards. However, I am disheartened to hear that you recommend declawing. Although the scratching and torn furniture can be torturous and upsetting for a person, I don't advise this procedure. Some people liken it to pulling out our own fingernails. Since we don't know what a cat experiences, we can't say for sure but I have seen cats and dogs appear to be in pain when this procedure is done. Yes, they do get over it and can lead happy productive lives, but I personally don't believe it is a positive or constructive solution to a problem. Training them to claw on a scratching post, using a bit of cat nip as an incentive, is the most humane thing to do.

I do agree with the little thump on the nose. Tickledpink, it shouldn't be hard, just enough to let him know that you are not happy with his behavior. Then saying no in combination with the thump and stopping playing with him, as mrscoltweaver suggests, is an effective training method. Might take him a little while, but no training happens overnight. I would use the same method with the scratching. As MrsC points out, keeping the nails trimmed is important. It also gets him used to being handled.

He is young and frisky. Training him properly and keeping those claws trimmed will reduce these incidents over time.

mrscoltweaver · Mar 23, 2007, 10:40 AM

Ruby P-I hear you on the declawing, everyone has their own opinion! The vets I worked for both did it differently but, in most cases, if the declaw is performed before a year of age, we saw that it slowed them down the first 12 hours at home (after an overnight stay with pressure bandages after surgery and narcotics) and then they were full steam ahead. It was sad to see the old guys come to get it done beacause they were "ruining the new leather furniture". It is painful for sure then.

catlady06095 · Mar 25, 2007, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by tickledpink

My kitty is about 4 months old and although adorable she's proving to be a bit more than mischevious.

She tends to bite when she gets over excited, and while she's only small her teeth are razor sharp. I don't know how I could possibly break her of this habbit? She also gets a bit claw happy, and while I accept this to be part and parcel of owning a cat, I'm being left scarred.

Any ideas?

When your kitten begins to bite, I would say "no" and stop playing with her. When they have a sibling, they realize that "hey, that hurts" and learn not to play that rough. You'd do yourself a big favor if you could learn how to trim kittie's nails; be careful not to cut below the vein at the base. It would save your skin and prevent damage to furniture. In that regard, try to train kitty to use a scratching post or one of the cardboard scrathers. Hope this helps some...

tickledpink · Mar 26, 2007, 02:51 AM

Thanks for all the comments and help regarding this subject. I'm trying the tap on the nose and a stern no technique. I feel like she's showing progress already. Hopefully I can break of this habbit completely.

Nosnosna · Mar 26, 2007, 05:14 AM

The best thing you can do to avoid the cat's claws and teeth when playing is to never play rough with her with your hands or feet. Rough play is for things that aren't you.

Cats learn to play gently by feeling the claws and teeth of their playmates... they figure out that it HURTS to get clawed, and they stop playing so hard. You don't have the sharp claws and teeth that her siblings would have had, so she doesn't learn that part of self control.

Invest the few bucks in some cat toys for her to get the rough play she wants and needs, and keep your hands for petting and other friendly attention. This will also cut down on the random jump from friendly purring lap-warmer to raging buzzsaw in the future.

I recommend against declawing... it just wouldn't be a kitty without claws. Of course, if the area allows, I prefer to let cats roam a bit, and you can't do that with a declawed cat. Not an option in an apartment, obviously, but if you have a house with a yard, the extra space and chance to go out and explore is good for your cat.

When getting a scratching post, get one with a surface different from your carpet or furniture... if it's the same type of material, your cat will treat them the same.

tickledpink · Mar 26, 2007, 05:24 AM

Oh she has plenty of toys.. . it just seems she'd rather play with anything BUT them lol!
I can certainly see where the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' came from.. . she's intrigued by just about everything! My hair seems to be a favourite at the moment, which could end in tears if I let her swipe at it.

I'm definitely going to take on board all your comments. I'll keep you posted on her progress.

- Thanks again!

RubyPitbull · Mar 26, 2007, 07:02 AM

Just another wee comment.

I always love Nosnosna's advice and input. Just to make sure you understand what he is saying about a yard... It should be a completely fenced in and safe area, that she cannot get out from. Since she is new to your home, and a kitten, you don't want to let her explore outside of your area. She needs to make the connection of where home is. Whether she is a kitten or an adult cat, too many things can happen if you don't have a closed off area outside. And, that first night when she doesn't come home is excrutiatingly long and distressing, to say the least. In addition, until she is old enough for you to get her spayed, it is a good idea to never let her out of your sight. A male can smell her in heat and will always try to find a way in. You don't need her disappearing for days on end only to come back to you pregnant. I am a HUGE propenent of spaying and neutering pets. There are so many cats that are thrown away and get euthanized for lack of homes. One less kitten in this world means that one more person will consider adopting a cat from a shelter. I see too many wonderful cats that have to be put down, and it tears my heart out every time. And, keep in mind, that it is pretty annoying when they go into heat. All that meowing and hormonal neuroticness (if that is a word) is a real pain in the butt to deal with. She will wake you up in the middle of the night "screaming", especially if she sense a male outside. Ack! :)