Expert: Dear Tabbi - 8/13/2008

Question
Dear Tabbi,
I wrote to you a couple months ago about my kitten, who is continuously
biting. He's about 4 months old now, and worse. He doesn't rest- he's always,
always, ALWAYS following me around the house, biting my ankles and feet,
even when I'm wearing shoes. I give him lots of attention and try to give him
lots of cuddles, but he's only interested in biting. I tried substituting my
hands/feet with his cat toys (using them to play with him), and it only works
for a little while. I tried a spray-bottle of water, and he got used to it — now
he just looks at me while I squirt the water at him, then resumes biting. I
tried punishing him when he bites by putting him in another part of the
house and closing the door, but he doesn't seem to understand the
connection between the two. As he gets older, his biting is becoming more
and more painful, and I constantly have cuts and scratches on my ankles/feet
and hands/wrists/arms! He's scheduled for the first of his needles in a few
days- will the vaccines or the neutering do anything to calm him down?!

Thanks again!
Tara

Answer
Tara,

Neutering should help. Part of the biting may be due to frustration.

Have you tried getting him a kitty friend to roughhouse with? Partly he is biting and chasing your ankles out of boredom. This is a situation where a 2nd kitten can help alot.

If he was a feral kitten then he has the hunter instinct in him and he is hunting you. Have you tried taking him outside with you and letting him explore and 'hunt' leaves, etc.?

When he goes after your ankles keep a rolled up newspaper with you and loudly say "DON'T BITE! and  swat him. Wait a few minutes then pet him. If he bites again repeat. The newspaper should scare him and he should start associating biting with the noise and swat of the newspaper. Be serious, don't let him think it is a new game. Also if he is on your lap and he bites then say "don't bite!" and dump him on the floor. Do it everytime he bites. He has to associate biting with something unpleasant.

I hope this helps. I know it can be annoying and painful.

Tabbi