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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Bitey Kitten

26 replies

TinySongstress · 02/06/2021 04:30

Please help!
I have a 4mo male Ragdoll/BSH kitten (Mouse) who is a lovely, curious, intelligent cat in every way apart from one thing....he's OBSESSED with biting. It's absolutely constant and he's getting worse. I don't think it's aggressive, they're not quick, hard bites but he bites my ankles, my arms, my chin....even when he's come to me to be petted.
I've tried all the firm 'no's' and have taken to carrying a little spray bottle everywhere I go just as a gentle deterrent when he gets a bit bitey.
My vet won't neuter him until he's 5 months Do we think this might calm him down? Is it possible he's biting more as a result of testosterone?
I don't know what to do.
I'll fend him off and he comes straight back to bite again.
Any ideas?

(Picture attached as currency)

OP posts:

cupsofcoffee · 02/06/2021 07:04

Please don't spray your cat with water to try and train him.

His biting will partly be because he's a kitten but it's also a way of them saying they don't like what's happening to them.

What are you doing when he starts to bite? I would just withdraw all attention and ignore him if he starts. Spraying water will just create a negative association with you.

He's gorgeous by the way

cupsofcoffee · 02/06/2021 07:05

Oh and how much time do you spend playing with him? Does he have lots of toys?

Flirt poles, laser pointers, catnip mice, electronic toys they can chase are all a great way of burning off some kitten energy.

There's a big reason why people recommend you get two kittens!

Arrierttyclock · 02/06/2021 07:07

My kitten was like this- he calmed down a lot when he was netured and even tho he still does it it's only occasionally now

InpatientGardener · 02/06/2021 07:08

Mine was like this until we got a second kitten then they happily chewed on each other!

Temp023 · 02/06/2021 07:12

Lots of toys, he will grow out of it. If he does go for you keep absolutely still and say “No” very sharply. If you wriggle and pull your hand away you just excite their killer instinct. Extricate yourself when he has stopped biting, if he starts again when you move, repeat!
Do not let anyone allow them to attack their hands, feet for fun.

Original poster

TinySongstress · 02/06/2021 07:14

I don't like spraying him and only do when he gets overwhelmed and 'attacks'.
He has tunnels, a huge multi level cat tree, a couple of boxes full of tinkle balls, cardboard tubes, a chase ball maze, some teaser wands, a laser pen, I've started taking him out in a harness now he's vaccinated... I do play with him too.
I've tried the firm 'no', the distracting with toys, lifting off etc....he still comes back. I am trying to be a good cat owner!
He's on wet and dry food with treats...his mouth looks healthy. Could he still be teething at 4mo? 🤔

OP posts:

Original poster

TinySongstress · 02/06/2021 07:22

I could consider a second but they wouldn't be siblings, which might come with its own set of problems now.

OP posts:

jenesaisqu0i · 02/06/2021 07:38

When they're younger, ragdoll breeds can be very 'bitey', so this could be a reason. They do calm down though after a while. Kong kickers are very good for redirecting the biting, put it in between his paws when he bites and he'll attack that instead. They usually go mad for Kong kickers! Maybe food puzzle games like a puzzle ball filled with some dry food might keep him occupied and distracted when he's hungry, so that might prevent some biting too. After a while, he'll learn not to bite and to redirect that kind of attention on those things.

Fluffycloudland77 · 02/06/2021 07:44

Our departed Bengal was the same at that age & most evenings all you heard was me squealing “Owww! Argh, he’s biting me! I can’t get him off” while dh disentangled me from him.

We found holding his scruff calmed him to the point you could separate us safely but it continued until we had him castrated at 20 weeks. Our vet wanted to wait till he as 24 weeks so I used a different vet for his op.

They’ve literally go so much energy at this age they don know what to do with it. It sounds like he’s identified you as his playmate & they don’t know you haven’t got a thick layer of fur to protect your skin like they have.

You can buy interactive toys for him when you’re busy but their sprinters not marathon runners so try playing with him till he flops down. Fishing rod toys are good for this.

cupsofcoffee · 02/06/2021 07:46

@TinySongstress

I could consider a second but they wouldn't be siblings, which might come with its own set of problems now.

Yes, I wouldn't introduce another one now.

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 02/06/2021 07:49

I never punish my animals in anyway, it's counter productive. My feral who used to sink the fangs in without any reason calmed down completely when I just ignored her and turned my face away. She knew nobody was going to harm her for misbehaving so she stopped misbehaving.
Is the kitten teething? I've had two kittens and I remember both of them very bitey at this age and leaving little milk teeth on the carpet.
It's also high energy, they love to play at this age so they will attack you, but they grow out of it.

cupsofcoffee · 02/06/2021 08:09

I don't like spraying him and only do when he gets overwhelmed and 'attacks'.

If spraying him with water worked to stop the attacks, you wouldn't need to keep doing it over and over again.

Please don't keep spraying him - just ignore him and don't give him any attention.

How old was he when he was removed from mum and littermates, by the way?

RainingZen · 02/06/2021 09:41

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

StuffinThePuffin · 02/06/2021 09:47

I used to flinch and whimper when my kitten bit me. Then you stop giving them any attention.

You sound a bit ridiculous when you whimper but it seems to work 🤷‍♀️

StuffinThePuffin · 02/06/2021 09:48

@RainingZen

Poor cat please don't spray water, that's incredibly cruel. Like beating up a baby to teach baby manners. Just awful awful awful.

I guess you are the kind of person who rubs an animal's nose if they mess in the house too. For the record that is also abusive.

Hope next time you get bitten it bloody hurts. You deserve it.

Ostryga · 02/06/2021 09:51

@RainingZen

Poor cat please don't spray water, that's incredibly cruel. Like beating up a baby to teach baby manners. Just awful awful awful.

I guess you are the kind of person who rubs an animal's nose if they mess in the house too. For the record that is also abusive.

Hope next time you get bitten it bloody hurts. You deserve it.

It’s water, she’s not skinning it 😂

GeorgeandHarold66 · 02/06/2021 09:53

@RainingZen

Poor cat please don't spray water, that's incredibly cruel. Like beating up a baby to teach baby manners. Just awful awful awful.

I guess you are the kind of person who rubs an animal's nose if they mess in the house too. For the record that is also abusive.

Hope next time you get bitten it bloody hurts. You deserve it.

This is such a nasty and unhelpful answer and completely pointless too since you haven't shared any actual, helpful advice!!

Op one of my kittens was bitey when young, she's 2 now and doesn't bite at all so they do grow out of it.

I also found that stopping all interaction and walking away when she bit was helpful. I taught my ds that when she bit it was usually because she had got overwhelmed by whatever activity was happening so he needed to take it as a cue to leave her alone for a little while. It can take time and patience to stop it but it will fizzle out as he matures.

Finally, with any bite, push towards the bite rather than pull away. It seems counter intuitive at first but it really works as it makes the "biter" open their mouth wide and release you.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 02/06/2021 11:07

Going against the trend, but I find bitey cats quite endearing. Basil (about 11 years old) still attacks toes and fingers each morning before he's been fed. I think it's sweet, albeit occasionally painful.

Aprilwasverywet · 02/06/2021 11:08

Yabu to have only got 1 dkitten.
This is your punishment..
Imo.

adoptivemummy87 · 02/06/2021 16:37

Was he taken away from mum too young? Some kittens will bite if taken away too early as they are still learning from their mum and litter mates. It's normally recommended that pedigree cats are not homed until they are 13 weeks of age.

Mangofandangoo · 02/06/2021 16:52

We also had a bitey ( and very scratchy) kitten, he's 9 months old now and has almost grown out of it. We've just accepted that he is a bit spicy and we leave him alone unless he comes to us which he is doing more and more these days.

Neutering didn't help unfortunately. Neither did toys/ quiet time - he's just an arse

ViperAtTheGatesOfDawn · 02/06/2021 17:00

Look for dental toys for cats, Kong do some.

Some toys are over stimulating and will increase the biting, so have a think about what works best for your kitten.

CavernousScream · 02/06/2021 19:50

We found hissing worked quite well to get our kitten to stop. He’s mostly grown out of it now. He’s been accidentally flicked with water many times (likes to sit on the edge of the bath and sink) and never given a shit, I can’t imagine it working on biting.

oopsydaisyyy · 02/06/2021 19:56

@RainingZen

Poor cat please don't spray water, that's incredibly cruel. Like beating up a baby to teach baby manners. Just awful awful awful.

I guess you are the kind of person who rubs an animal's nose if they mess in the house too. For the record that is also abusive.

Hope next time you get bitten it bloody hurts. You deserve it.

wtf

Closetbeanmuncher · 03/06/2021 15:16

Stay still hold eye contact and hiss. Mine runs off when I do this.

Sounds bonkers but it works.

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