Biting and Scratching. Help!

[admin]

Most cat behaviorists will tell you as far as timeouts go, that you remove yourself from the situation as a timeout...

 

[John Popp]

Most cat behaviorists will tell you as far as timeouts go, that you remove yourself from the situation as a timeout...

Hi Paige,

Not sure if that's a very simplistic statement or one that has more profound meaning. Probably just me figuring out whether I am truly awake or confused and still dreaming. Not at all a dig, just lack of coffee and perhaps too much fun at a wedding last night.

 

[DocMac]

The first thing I would ask is are you working with the breeder of your kitten? They should know best what the temperament is regarding him and how he was acting before you got him? Should not really matter if he has a furry friend or not unless you are not around much. He will need lots of attention and socialization from you and you do need to play with him as much as possible. You have only had him for 1 week and it will take a bit for him to really bond with you. Please understand that his little world just kind of got turned upside down. Kittens, especially F1's do have a lot of energy and always will! If he is in a hyper mood work it out with him chasing a feather toy for a bit. That will tire him out!
I would start by trimming his nails. I trim all of my cats nails every two weeks which will first of all stop all of the scratching. You need to get him used to nail trimming. The best way to help stop the biting is to keep a toy in your hand and when he goes for your hands just give him the toy instead. If you do not have a toy handy and he attacks your legs or feet the best thing to do is to yell loudy OUCH and then gently scruff him and lift his front feet off of the ground and tell him NO, then gently put him down and walk away and ignore him. He will eventually get the hint. Hissing and/or putting your finger down his throat is not a good idea. Momma cats scruff them!!! If he is really persistant in the beginning you could just do what I told you and then put him in a room for a time out, but do it gently but firmly. I personally do not think that spraying him with water or using hot sauce are good ideas.
He was playing with other kittens and when a kitten bites another kitten too hard what they do is yell and run off and don't want to play anymore. He needs to learn he cannot play rough with people also. I am sure his biting phase will go away if you train him properly.
F1's need a lot of stimulation and socialization. I would train him to a harness and take him out if possible. Even for car rides if you are just running out for fast food, or going to the ATM or wherever you don't need to get out of the car. Or take him to friends houses. You do need to make sure he has had all of his kitten shots before taking him around other cats if your friends have animals.
Please understand that F1's are really special and have special needs. This is not your ordinary kitten, he needs to be trained and worked with in order for him to grow up to be a nicely well balanced adult.

What a well thought out and great answer, Sue. Many folks think that what makes an F1 is simply looks, not considering temperament and requirements (demands) of behavioral issues. These aren't Persians.

 

[admin]

Hi Paige,

Not sure if that's a very simplistic statement or one that has more profound meaning. Probably just me figuring out whether I am truly awake or confused and still dreaming. Not at all a dig, just lack of coffee and perhaps too much fun at a wedding last night.

It's ok, John...it was 3:30am when I wrote it and I was half asleep.

So for the detailed answer...our resident cat behaviorist, Marilyn Krieger, will tell you that when a kitten or cat is biting you or scratching , that you remove yourself from the room and the kitten/cat for five minutes...then go back...if it happens again, do the same thing...punishing a cat by giving him/her a timeout, in general, either doesn't work or is not a good idea.

Take a look at marilyn's q/a on here...

 

[John Popp]

Hmmmm, I'll give that a go next time the issue arises. Not sure I'm real fond of giving myself a timeout for a cat or kitten's poor behavior, but whatever works.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

It's more leaving the scene so that they aren't rewarded by their behavior by you...mostly what the kitten is wanting when they pounce on you etc is your attention. By removing yourself from the room you are taking away what they wanted. If you have to chase it down to catch it to put into a timeout, you can see how they are getting your attention (which they wanted) and it can turn into something they continue to do.

Say you are in the living room and watching TV and the kitten is pouncing on your hands and trying to chew on them. You get up and go to the kitchen and spend a few minutes getting yourself a cup of tea or whatever... hopefully you can pause the tv for those minutes... and then go back. It might be a tad annoying at the start of this kind of training, but it is worth it in the long run if the kitten (just like a puppy) learns that the bad behavior loses their human's attention not gains it.

 

[John Popp]

Got it! Thankfully we resolved those issues pretty quickly, although now I have a whole bunch of other issues where my options are extremely limited.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Sorry to hear that :-(

 

[Kiangagirl]

Proper socialization is so important, especially with these early generation kittens. I do not allow my kittens to use any part of my body as a toy. If I am holding a kitten and he gets nippy, he immediately gets placed on the floor and ignored. I substitute toys for my hands when they want me to play with them. Just be consistent and make sure that other people follow those same rules when they interact with him.