Cat newbie, is biting this much normal?

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We adopted a rescue kitten a few months ago, I've never owned a cat in my life (neither has DH) so I'm not sure if his behaviour is normal at this stage or not!

We're not entirely sure how old he is (stray litter), but probably around 5 months, he was neutered just under a month ago. Some of his play is pretty aggressive, I try to wear him out with balls/mice on a string etc but he's quite badly behaved at night. He just wants to bite and not be held, he'll saunter up and bite whichever part of you is nearest. If you're lying on the sofa (which I tend to do after a long day and the DCs are finally in bed!!) he's been known to jump up and go for your face. He does this to the DCs when I've put them to bed, he gave DS a bite on the ear that drew blood, so I've taken to shutting him in the utility room in the evening. I don't think its pure aggression though, it definitely feels like play/exploring. We've got an enclosed yard that he explores at night, during the day he shows no interest in going out at all.

Will he grow out of this? I'm not sure how to divert him from the biting so I just end up shutting him away.

Look up Jaxon Galaxy on you tube. He deals with this a lot, usually seems to be attention seeking and shutting away is a big no no. Do you have da bird type toys to encourage pouncing?

Yes, they grow out of it. You need to try not to react, just calmly remove the cat to the floor or away from you. Easy to say I know, because it hurts, but it doesn't sound like aggressive behaviour.
A lot of cats get over stimulated, does he give any warning? Flicking tail, ears back?

Thanks, I will look up Jaxon Galaxy! I do have a bird type toy that he loves. I try to set aside half an hour in the evening to play with him, it doesn't always happen though.

Sometimes you know he's feeling crazy when his eyes are completely black and his ears are back, other times there's not much warning!

Sounds like he need more than half an hour tbh and you definitely need to play with him every day. Perhaps spread it out rather than a solid half an hour?

Sounds like mine at that age.

Catnip mice, ping bong balls both great toys.

When you play with the stick toys sit at the top of the stairs & make him run up & down. It wears them out faster.

He might be teething, and will probably grow out of it.
Dcat is three but still bites occasionally, either getting over excited or just nipping for attention or to get me out of bed.
He likes to wrestle with and bite his Kong kicker toy or life sized stuffed toy cat, which helps confine biting, I think.

Awwwww little teething kitty 😺

This is why kittens are ideally homed as pairs, or to join another cat, because they need lots of attention and playtime!

Never let him play with your hands, and when he bites, try to either remove your hand/foot or walk away. Never punish him, he won't understand that.

Echo all of the above, and second a kicker toy. Our BiteyCat is an adult (hasn't grown out of the behaviour but was adopted as an adult so harder to re-educate!) and if he gets the wild-eyed look or starts to mouth I give him a kicker toy to beat up as an acceptable alternative, with praise and treats. Even an old stuffed sock with some catnip in tied tight at the top will work. If you can have one to hand in every room you can redirect quickly before he's sunk his teeth into a person. It's natural behaviour but needs to be channelled in the right direction as it bloody hurts once they're full grown.

Thanks everyone! It sounds like he needs more play and redirection, I'm recruiting the DCs to help. I had no idea kittens went through teething! The Jaxon Galaxy videos were very good too, it's a learning curve!