Expert: Karen Craft - 9/6/2007

Question
Hello there,
We took a kitten in when he was about 4-5 weeks old.  My husband found him at a construction site after a very bad storm had hit and the kitten was almost drowning in a ditch.  We took him in and bathed him, and took really good care of him from that day on.  He has been a pretty good kitten but has always liked to nibble on us.  Now that he is 10 weeks old the bites are really starting to hurt.  For some reason he really bites me alot more than my husband or kids.  He seems like he is all friendly and starts sniffing me and then all of sudden he starts biting my arms and hands.  He latches on with his claws and it really hurts.  His ears go down and he starts whinning alittle while he does it.  Why is he attacking me?  I take such good care of him. Let me add I had never had an animal before and know nothing about cats.  I have tried the squirt bottle with water, i have tried flicking his nose, and saying no, these all make him more aggressive towards me.  Is he playing or really hurting me?  I also worry because he has not had his rabies shot yet. The vet said we need to wait until he is 12wks.  He is strictly a house cat since we took him in, but what if he contacted rabies when he was a baby, would he have showed symptoms already?  I do have lots of scratches and bites all over me from him.  The bites are not very deep, they don't really even bleed but I still worry about the chance of rabies.  How long does rabies take to show in little kittens?  Is it possible this aggressive behaivor can be from rabies?  I really want to keep this kitten for my kids, even though he is hurting me so much I still have a soft spot in my heart for him, I would really miss him, if we have to give him up, but I don't know how to put an end to this aggressive behaivor.  I worry about my daughter she is 3 and I don't want her to get hurt.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  He has had all is shots up to date, and we go back for the next round in 2 wks.  I want him to be really healthy and happy.  Does this mean I am doing something wrong.  Please help

Answer
Hi Darlene,

Kittens go through an attack mode when they are growing up. It sounds like yours is in that stage. It is a form of play. They pretend that they are great hunters and that you are the prey. When you are flicking your finger at his nose he perceives this as you playing with him. This is why he steps up the attacking.

If he has your hand in his grasp say "Ouch" loudly. This will startle him. Then gently remove your hand from his grasp. Or another thing you can do is something called scruffing. You grab the back of his neck like his mom would and hold him in place to the floor for a few seconds. Make sure you say "NO" in a loud voice at the same time. This will chastise the kitten and after a couple of times of this he shouldn't bother you.

Kittens out grow this behavior. It just takes a little time. In the mean time try to keep your daughter away when the kitten is in a frisky mood.

I wouldn't worry about rabies. Rabies shows up within 10 days. You've had your kitten longer than that. Your kitten will grow up to be a great companion to you and your family. Just give him some time. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen