Kitten Training

How To Stop A Kitten From Biting

Is your kitten biting everything?

Kittens biting is a common issue that many new pet owners face. While the behaviour is expected, it can be due to a range of reasons, such as teething, exploring their environment, or playful aggression. Understanding why your feline friend acts this way can help you train your kitten not to bite.

In this article, we will discuss the reasons behind kitten biting, what actions to take when it happens, and effective methods to stop this behaviour to raise a well-behaved cat.

How to Stop a Kitten from Biting 1 - NexGard

How to Stop a Kitten from Biting 2 - NexGard

Why Does My Kitten Bite Me?

Many first-time owners wonder, ‘Is it normal for a kitten to bite?’ The answer is a resounding yes; kittens biting can be attributed to several instinctual and developmental factors. Understanding these reasons can help you effectively manage and reduce this behaviour.

Teething

Kittens teeth between two weeks and seven months of age, and they may bite more frequently to seek relief from the discomfort.

Love Bites

Often, what cat owners perceive as sudden, inexplicable nips during petting sessions are actually ‘love bites’—affectionate gestures in which kittens mark their humans with pheromones, signalling ownership and affection.

Demand for Attention

Young kittens often nibble, scratch, or bite to get your attention. While it might seem cute at first, reinforcing this behaviour can lead to more frequent biting and scratching as the kitten grows.

Socialising and Testing Boundaries

In their early weeks, kittens learn social behaviours from their littermates, including the boundaries of play. If a kitten is separated from its litter too soon, it may not know what is acceptable, leading to more frequent nips and bites.

Response to a Threat

Kittens can bite as a defence mechanism when they feel threatened by unfamiliar people or animals. This type of biting is usually more aggressive and responds to feeling insecure or endangered.

Pain

Biting can also indicate that a kitten is in pain. If your kitten suddenly nips when touched, it could be a sign of discomfort or injury, prompting a visit to the vet for a check-up .

Overstimulation

Kittens (and cats) can bite when they’re overstimulated. This may occur when they’re being petted or played with, and can indicate that they’ve had enough of the handling/interaction, or just that they’re very excited. Sometimes the human interacting with them has missed subtle cues that they’re getting overstimulated, so it’s good to educate yourself on what these early signs might look like.

What to Do When Your Kitten Bites

So, you have biting kittens in your home – what to do about it?

Kittens, especially those around nine months to one and a half years old, are in their peak play aggression phase. Teaching them what is acceptable during this time will prevent future biting issues.

Provide Appropriate Chew Toys

When we know kittens have a natural need to bite, it helps to have something designed to fulfil that specific purpose. If you’re wondering, ‘What can I give my kitten to chew on?’, try offering them suitable chew toys, such as stuffed kicker toys, kitten-specific chew toys, and prey-mimicking toys like furry mice.

React Appropriately When Your Kitten Bites

•    Immediately and Neutrally Disengage: Stop all interaction at once when your kitten bites. Don’t talk, look, or react in a dramatic fashion. Calmly leave the area to teach your kitten that biting results in the end of fun.
•   Avoid Yelping or Jerking Away: Reacting like prey (yelping or pulling away quickly) can increase your kitten's aggression, even if it's playful. Instead, remain calm and still.
•   If Your Kitten Won’t Let Go: Gently drape a towel or blanket over them to help them release their grip. Alternatively, toss an object across the room to divert their attention, but ensure they don’t see it as a game.

Addressing Fear or Anxiety-Related Biting

•    Identify Triggers: Determine what causes your kitten’s aggression and try to eliminate these triggers. For example, if they bite when you touch their belly, avoid doing so to respect their boundaries.
•    Desensitise to Unavoidable Triggers: Gradually and positively expose your kitten to unavoidable triggers, like other pets or loud noises, to help reduce their fear and subsequent aggression.
•    Reduce Stress Naturally: Ensure your kitten has access to food, water, litter boxes, high perches, hiding spots, and resting areas. Provide plenty of playtime and enrichment to keep them mentally and physically stimulated.
•    Use Cat Calming Pheromones: These are available in sprays, collars, or plug-in diffusers and can help your kitten adjust to new environments and reduce stress. Consult your veterinarian for recommendations.

For further information on kitten biting and aggression, contact your veterinarian for advice.

How to Stop a Kitten from Biting

Here are a few ways to stop your kitten from biting:

Check Your Kitten’s Health

You can raise concerns about biting at your kitten’s routine health check and vaccination appointments. Pain or discomfort can cause a kitten to bite more frequently. In understanding how to stop a kitten biting, ensure your kitten is healthy and strong.

Engage in Regular Play Sessions with Your Kitten Each Day

Daily play sessions – even just 10-15 minutes – two or three times a day can burn off a lot of energy. Structured playtime also helps your kitten learn boundaries. If you’re struggling with questions like, ‘How do you get a kitten to stop biting?’, consistent play and reinforcing gentle behaviour is an excellent start.

Redirect Energy to Toys

Kittens naturally want to pounce and bite, so to protect them and those around them, owners must learn how to train a kitten not to bite. You can try redirecting their energy to toys. Always use toys, like feather wands or stuffed animals, instead of your hands or feet, to help them understand what's appropriate to bite.

Redirect to a Scratching Post

Cats must also scratch and pounce as part of their natural, animalistic behaviour. Similar to experimenting with how to stop a kitten from biting with toys, you can provide them with scratching posts and interactive equipment to keep their claws and teeth busy. Recognise signs of an impending pounce, such as a twitching tail or dilated pupils, and guide them towards a scratching post or toy instead.

Stop Playing Amid Biting or Scratching

Stop playing immediately when your kitten bites too hard or scratches, and step away. Ignore your kitten for a few minutes to teach them that biting ends the fun. Outlining a consistent response will help them learn that biting is not acceptable.

Avoid Reinforcing Unwanted Behavior

Don't respond positively to biting. If your kitten bites, do not pet or play with them immediately after. Instead, walk away and ignore them to show that biting results in losing your attention.

Create a Calm Environment

A relaxed environment reduces stress and aggression. Ensure your kitten has access to plenty of resources like food, water, litter boxes, and safe resting places. Maintaining a regular routine and minimising loud noises can help create a peaceful atmosphere, making it easier to train a kitten not to bite.

Seek Professional Help

If your kitten’s biting persists, consider working with a certified feline training and behaviour specialist who can help identify the root causes and provide tailored training techniques.

If biting or scratching results in an injury, clean the wound and consult a healthcare professional.

Kitten Biting Phase

While those gentle kitten nibbles may appear adorable from time to time, try to discourage rough play from the start. Allowing your kitten to bite and scratch when they are young can lead to behavioural issues as they grow older. Although kittens often grow out of biting and scratching naturally between 1 and 2 years of age, always set boundaries early on.

The kitten biting phase typically occurs as they explore their world and learn new social behaviors. Kittens use their mouths to interact and play, a normal part of their development. Understanding how long the kitten biting stage lasts helps in managing their behaviour effectively. It generally diminishes as they mature, especially if they are guided towards appropriate behaviours, but proper training, consistent feedback and socialisation will aid the process along. It's essential to be patient and persistent, as teaching them how to interact is key.

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FAQ

Why Do Kittens Bite Then Lick?
Kittens often bite then lick as a form of communication and bonding. The bite is usually a playful gesture, and the subsequent licking is a way of showing affection, mimicking how they interact with their littermates by mixing play with grooming. It’s their way of saying, “I’m playing with you, but I also care about you.”

Why Does My Kitten Bite Me While Purring?
When a kitten bites while purring, it can be confusing. Purring typically indicates contentment, but kittens might bite during this time due to overstimulation or as part of their playful behaviour. They are still learning how to interact appropriately, and biting might be their way of engaging with you.
How Do You Treat a Kitten Bite?
If you receive a bite from your kitten, it's important to administer first aid treatment for kitten bites promptly to prevent infection:
1. Clean the Wound: Wash the bite area thoroughly with soap and warm water.
2. Seek Medical Attention: If the bite is deep, or if you notice signs of infection, consult a healthcare professional immediately.