Expert: Ali - 5/24/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello ALi,

I have a cute male tabby who is about 10 weeks old. I have had him since he was 4 weeks old. I am trying to train him not to bite and is need of some guidance as to how to do this. I try to pet him and play with him using his toys but he still prefers to attack feet and hands. On certain days he even tries to climb up our pants!! He is very bad about table food as well. He is always persistently climbing to get to table food. I have to repeatedly tell him no and place him on the floor but he never listens to me. Same thing with biting. He starts to bite and when I pull him off of my hand he gets very upset. His ears are lowered and he starts to twitch tail side to side. Other than that he is a pleasant kitten. He just tends to behave as unruly sometimes. Please help.

ANSWER: Nicole,

In my opinion the best way to care for cats is to keep things as close to nature as possible. I enjoy situations that allow me to offer my experience and help pet parents understand their cat's natural behaviors/instincts as well as knowing when to redirect behaviors so the cat can use them in a more positive way. Over the years my experience has shown me that most people underestimate their cat/kitten's intelligence and how easy it is to modify their behavior and teach them basic obedience commands. In my experience most cats are highly intelligent and responsive to humane training methods.

There are many different opinions about how long kittens should stay with their mother. In general most kittens are eating solid food and completely weaned somewhere around 7-8 weeks of age and it's quite common for them to be taken from their mother around that time. Over the years I've learned a few things by closely watching how queens and kittens interact. Contrary to popular opinion nursing queens do not require human help to wean their kittens, these moms are quite capable of doing so on their own and they usually wean their kittens gradually in the first 8 weeks of life. The age that the weaning process begins depends largely upon the personality of the queen, the availability of food and fresh water and how many kittens there are in the litter.

For kittens the first 10-12 weeks of age are crucial in terms of socialization and learning about the world they live in. In the majority of cases queens in colony type situations (stray, feral, barn cats) will continue to care for their kittens until they're at least 10 weeks old. During the time that kittens are being cared for by their mother they learn important life skills including how to read and react appropriately to the body language of other cats, how to hunt, stalk, pounce on and kill their prey, how to politely interact with other cats, how to groom themselves, where to find food, where it's acceptable to eliminate, how to eat solid food and how to defend themselves. The earlier a kitten is taken from his mother the more life skills he's not equipped with which is why I usually recommend that kittens stay with their mother for the first 10-12 weeks of their lives.

Mother cats are mostly wonderful and successful parents and even kittens born in less than ideal conditions have a high rate of survival. From shortly after birth kittens within a litter begin establishing a social order - each kitten marks their teat with their scent and they recognize their favorite teat. Sometimes very young kittens can be seen fighting with their siblings, you can hear grumbling between the kittens until the nursing problem has been resolved. The reason for these early disputes within litter of young kittens happen is usually related to one kitten nursing from a teat that doesn't belong to him. Mothers begin disciplining their kittens using subtle techniques to get the kittens to behave appropriately. From an early age queens won't hesitate to deal with a misbehaving kitten promptly, gently and effectively, in many cases mom will use her paw to gently push her offspring into the floor and hold them there until they settle.

For the most part we all have a tendency to want to nurture and spoil young kittens, this can create some behavioral issues over time. In most cases what we want to achieve is essentially an healthy, happy and well balanced pet. As pet parents of young kittens we're responsible to train, socialize and appropriately discipline them so that they don't become prisoners of their bad behavior or worse. Cats are highly intelligent and trainable and they're usually willing to learn basic obedience commands commonly associated with dogs once you find out what motivates them. Not all cats are geniuses,  personality traits and intelligence levels vary from cat to cat just as they do in people.

I think it's completely understandable that pet parents become frustrated when their cat isn't behaving appropriately. There are dozens of listings for dog trainers in most phone books, cats are becoming the most popular pets for people who work long hours, apartment dwellers and folks with health issues that aren't able to care for a dog. Unfortunately many pet parents don't feel that they have anywhere to turn for training advice when their cat is behaving inappropriately and most of the time things don't end well for the cat involved.

Occasionally it's impossible to keep a queen and her kittens together for 10 weeks. Young kittens are charming and adorable - this can sometimes mean that pet guardians allow their little ones to behave badly, which can cause problems later on. The reality is that human beings are a poor substitute for mother cats and we aren't equipped with instinctive knowledge feline mothers are that allows them to properly discipline their offspring. The first 10-12 weeks of a kitten's life really show that mom is the most effective caregiver - if a kitten is biting too hard, playing roughly or being overly aggressive mom immediately steps in to discipline the kitten in just the right way. Since your kitten was separated from his mother quite early he's missed out on crucial life lessons his mom would have provided. Mother cats are amazing teachers for their kittens, they teach their offspring how to behave properly, along with basic manners and respect. Cats are smart and you can train them, all that you need to do is find out what motivates your kitten to learn. I train cats and kittens using positive reinforcement which means that you reward positive behaviors and ignore negative ones - I'm sure that your kitten will catch on quickly.

When it comes to dealing with your kitten's habit of hopping up onto the dinner table while you're eating there are a few simple things you can try to stop that behavior. Some kittens steal the food their humans are eating because the food they're eating isn't providing them with proper, useable nutrition. It's annoying to have a cat hopping onto the table during meals, but some cats will stop if you schedule their meals so that they eat while their caregivers do. When kittens beg or steal food people often give in and feed the kitten from their plates during meals. As far as the kitten's concerned he got what he wanted so he's been rewarded for behaving badly. Cats are smart and they remember every successful behavior that got them what they wanted. If a cat thinks that he can get treats during dinner just by making a fuss he'll happily give repeat performances every night. When a kitten suddenly stops getting what he wants by throwing temper tantrums you will likely increase in the intensity and frequency of bad behaviors initially.

It's very important NEVER to allow anyone to feed the kitten treats from the dinner table from now on because you don't want to set your kitten up to fail. I don't see any problem with giving your kitten treats from your plate provided he doesn't associate the hand outs with the kitchen table or dinner plates. Treats should only be handed out after everyone's finished eating and the table's been cleared. Table treats should be placed into the kitten's food dish. Over time this will teach your little guy not to expect hand outs during meals so he won't have a reason to hop onto the table, stick his nose into your plate or hang around making a fuss until someone gives in to his demands just to keep him quiet.

Cats are pretty particular about keeping their coats clean and making sure that every piece of fur is in exactly the right position. This means that most cats aren't fond of being sprayed with water by using a spray bottle or water pistol. In order to keep your kitten safe from accidentally being poisoned it's important not to recycle spray bottles that contained household cleaners, this is why I buy my spray bottles at the dollar store. The best way to deal with a begging/food stealing kitten is to make sure that everyone pays discrete attention to what your kitten's doing during meal times, it's best if you can observe his behavior without him realizing it. Whenever your kitten tries to get onto the table you should immediately plop him onto the floor unceremoniously and give him a squirt with your spray bottle. If he moves away from the table and goes off to a corner to sulk and nurse his wounded pride you've found a tool that works to discipline your kitten. Some cats enjoy being squirted and they make a game out of it so if your kitten seems to enjoy getting wet it's best to move on and try another way of getting your point across.

You can use cans of compressed air, they're used to clean computers and electronic equipment. For your kitten's safety it's important to be sure you don't aim the nozzle at him, use it at close range or tilt the can and pull the trigger near your kitty. Cans of compressed air contain chemicals that can cause serious frost bite quickly. I recommend holding the can upright, avoid shaking it, aim the can away from pets/people then squeezing the trigger for a couple of seconds to create a short blast of air. Most cats recognize and respond to the hissing sound that this creates. For most cats this is an effective, inexpensive and humane tool to modify bad behavior in cats if it's used correctly. Be sure that when you discipline your kitten you speak quietly and use a low tone of voice. A firm "NO!" can also help to get your point across. It's best not to use your kitten's name when you're disciplining him, you don't want him to associate his name with being disciplined. It's not productive to call your kitten to discipline him, because that can make it difficult to convince your kitten come when he's called. It's best not to discipline your kitten if you haven't caught him in the act, after some time passes the cat won't understand why he's being disciplined. Cats have far more sensitive hearing than we do so it's best not to yell at them when they're misbehaving. I never recommend that any pet parent spank or strike a cat because they can become quite fearful and difficult to handle.

Kittens bite or use their claws on people for a variety of reasons. Sometimes folks within the household allow tiny kittens to play with them using hands and feet to encourage the kitten to pounce and launch a mock attack. While this can be cute to see in young kittens it's not so cute in an adult cat. It's important that everyone in your family is on the same page so that they can participate in training your kitten to only use his claws and teeth on toys and scratch posts. Your kitten must learn that human body parts aren't toys, your hands are for petting the kitten, transporting him from one place to another or cuddling.

If your kitten launches an attack it's best to react differently than your kitten expects. The idea is to confuse him slightly and change the way he uses his claws and teeth. Cats are predators, they're hardwired to hunt, kill their prey and eat meat. Sometimes kittens bite or scratch their human while practicing hunting or self defense skills, sometimes they're testing to see what they can get away with. My recommendation would be to take a few days and carefully watch your kitten's behavior patterns, this will provide you with a more detailed picture of what's happening. Cats are predators so it's important not to react like prey if they bite or scratch you - what this means is that you can't shove your kitten away from you or pull your hand away because your kitten will instinctively hold on tighter and bite harder, just as he would with a prey animal.

It's not difficult to teach your kitten how to use a sturdy scratch post or cat tree to exercise his claws, that may spare him the pain and trauma of being declawed. A cat's claws are important, they allow the cat to stretch and strengthen muscles in his back, shoulders and front paws. When a cat exercises his claws he's also marking the object with his scent, if you notice that he wants to claw a specific piece of furniture you can put a sturdy scratch post, cardboard or sisal scratch pads or even a cat tree with shelves to sleep on and cubbies to hide in. There are tricks to redirect your kitten and stop him from shredding furniture, I can send that your way if you like.

If your kitten scratches and bites you before, during or after you've spent time petting him you may be seeing a mild case of play/petting aggression. In this case it's important to look for subtle changes in your kitten's body language and demeanor, this allows you to stop before he actually uses his claws or teeth on you. If your kitten is grabbing you and trying to use you as a toy it's best to help burn some of his energy off by using interactive (and usually irresistible) toys like a kitty tease for a half hour or more each day. You may also want to experiment and find out which toys your kitten enjoys so that you can give him a few small, soft toys meant for independent play. You can also make use of the compressed air, pulling the trigger to create a short blast of air just might be enough to stop your kitten in his tracks and go off to sulk and nurse his wounded pride. In the event that both of your kitten's behavioral issues aren't improving you can also try a really basic idea that works for some cats. Essentially the idea is to give your kitten a time out in his travel cage or a small room. Sometimes having the kitten confined for 5-15 minutes will be just the right way to distract him and redirect his energy to more positive outlets.


I can offer information about providing the highest quality care for your kitten that you possibly can so that he will live the longest, healthiest and happiest life possible. I have information about choosing a holistic veterinarian, understanding pet food labels, finding the highest quality diet for your cat, information about how cats interact with and understand the world around them. I can provide you with some information about declawing, the behavioral issues that may happen as a result of this painful surgery, the risks directly associated with the actual procedure and alternatives that will allow your kitten to keep his claws and save your furniture from being destroyed.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello. Thank you for your response. This is very useful. I have currently came to a dilemma. I was thinking about getting my kitty a friend. Do you think this may help ease the rough house playing with us and possibly focus all that energy on a kitten companion? I have heard repeatedly that 2 kittens are better than one. Is there truth to this?

Answer
Nicole,

You could certainly consider getting your kitty a companion, it might help to give him something positive to focus his energy on. I'd suggest a kitten no younger than 10 weeks, preferably one that's been allowed to stay with mom during that time as this creates a more social and better behaved kitten. A new kitten will need to be introduced properly since cats are territorial by nature, I can provide you with guidance and information about proper new kitty introductions if you're interested or you can feel free to check out my previous answers on this subject.