Expert: Karen Craft - 12/2/2007

Question
QUESTION: HI, I know that biting and nibbling is all normal kitten stuff, but how can we teach our 9 week old to stop biting? She will even get into the "hunting position" and jump at our faces, and i hate that!!nibble on our nose fingers anything she can get her hands on!! All this happens at night time when i want to sleep. i have a friend who has a one year old cat and everytime you pet her, she bites! i dont want that with our cat! any advice?

ANSWER: Hi Rebecca,

When she starts the hunting crouch you need to distract her. A squirt from a water pistol, a loud clap of your hands or even a loud "HEY!" works. When she goes to bite you blow in her face. Cats don't like that and she will stop. She will grow out of this behavior as she gets older.

You should get some interactive toys for her. A laser pointer works great. Cats go nuts chasing the red dot. A swat and swing is good. Fake mice are great. And a you can't go wrong with a cat track. These are all great cat toys and will keep her busy and away from attacking you. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen

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

QUESTION: Another question. We have a resident cat of about 9 years, Phebe, and 2 weeks ago we bought 8 week old kitten, Momo. Both siamese, Phebe is a female, Momo is a male. Phebe would growl, hiss, swat..etc. its getting better. Mo can actually get close to phebe with only a low grumbling sound, not always hissing so much. They will sleep with a foot of each other, but mo cant get too close yet. he wants to but Phebe is not ready. The whole reason why i wanted to get another kitten , is because i thought perhaps phebe would like it, she always seems bored, layze around alot. And for me, Phebe is not much of a cuddler, Its only on her time and only for a minute. I wanted a cat that would be a little more cuddly. And Mo is! I know i am suspose to somewhat ignore Mo and pay lots of attention to Phebe, but its sometimes hard when i can pick up Mo and he gives kisses, and he actually will cuddle. We bought a cat laser for them and Mo is the one who will really get into it, and Phebe will just watch,. My question is how do we make Phebe still feel loved, when it does not seem like she wants it from us? and for her to accept Mo with out feeling abandond and replaced?

Answer
Hi Rebecca,

Phoebe sounds pretty much set in her ways. I don't think you can do too much to make her more affectionate. But you can make her feel loved. Give her extra treats for her only. This will help.

As for accepting Mo, give this time. She will accept him. I also find that male cats are more affectionate than females. Don't worry, Phoebe won't feel abandoned. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen