Bringing a new kitten into your home is an exciting time, filled with playful energy and adorable antics. However, it’s perfectly normal for kittens to express their natural predatory instincts through biting and scratching. As they develop, typically starting around four weeks of age, kittens begin to visually track moving objects and practice their pouncing skills. If anything in your body is in motion, it can easily become a target for these little hunters. While biting is an acceptable behavior for a kitten, it’s crucial to redirect these actions towards appropriate toys rather than human hands or feet. Fortunately, kittens are adaptable and can learn quickly with the right guidance.
Why Kittens Need to Bite and Scratch
The fundamental reason kittens bite and scratch is their innate drive to practice their hunting behaviors on a moving object. Kittens are biologically programmed to attack anything that moves, making it essential to teach them from a young age to direct these actions towards toys. Engaging in active play sessions multiple times a day, especially before meals, is an excellent way to help kittens develop their motor skills, learn appropriate play habits, and expend their boundless energy. Interactive play is key to satisfying their predatory instincts.
The Importance of Interactive Play
A toy that remains still is unlikely to capture a kitten’s interest, especially when they are eager to practice their hunting skills. Opt for toys that you can actively use to mimic different types of prey, such as wand toys, crinkle balls, felt mice, and kicker toys. Kitten Lady often emphasizes the importance of interactive toys that encourage stalking, chasing, pouncing, and catching. Once your kitten successfully captures the toy, allow them to bite and “bunny kick” it before moving it again. Conclude play sessions by rewarding your kitten with a treat or meal, simulating the satisfaction of a successful hunt. This reinforces their proper hunting behaviors.
Even when you’re not actively playing, keeping a few kicker toys within reach is a good practice. If your kitten begins to bite you, avoid scolding them. Instead, calmly grab a kicker toy and redirect their attention to it. The goal isn’t to say “don’t bite,” but rather to encourage them by saying, “bite this!” This redirection strategy is more effective than punishment.
Don’t Encourage Hand Play
While it might be tempting to wiggle your fingers or playfully tickle their bellies, this inadvertently teaches kittens that it’s acceptable to practice their predatory behaviors on your skin. Even if you don’t mind these playful attacks now, potential adopters likely will, especially as the kittens grow larger. A 12-pound cat stalking an ankle is far from cute. Therefore, kitten caregivers have a responsibility to help kittens establish good biting and scratching behaviors from an early age. It is significantly easier to build a positive habit than to break a negative one. When a kitten attacks your hands or feet, simply disengage from the interaction and redirect them to a more suitable play object.
Quick Tips for Training
- Provide Plenty of Stimulation: Ensure your kitten has access to a variety of toys, including plush toys, wand toys, crinkle balls, and tunnels. Offer a diverse range of toys that mimic different types of prey. You can even explore DIY kitten toys to add variety.
- Engage in Daily Play: Actively play with your kitten multiple times a day using toys that can be made to wiggle and flutter. Kittens do not typically entertain themselves for extended periods. If you rarely make toys move and entice them to hunt, they will likely resort to practicing their hunting skills on your hands and feet.
- Reward Good Behavior: Allow your kitten to successfully catch the toy and then provide an opportunity for biting and bunny kicking. After playtime, reward your kitten with a treat or meal to signify they’ve been a great hunter!
- Consistent Redirection: Always redirect biting behaviors towards an appropriate target. It is essential to provide an equally or more attractive alternative (“yes”) every time you discourage an undesirable behavior (“no”). Instead of focusing on penalizing the kitten, recognize their need for specific stimuli and offer a suitable alternative. By consistently redirecting, your kittens will satisfy their natural urges, and you can enjoy a bite-free environment.
Consider a Companion Kitten
If you have a single kitten, you may want to consider getting them a friend. Kittens are generally happiest and best behaved when they have a companion. They can engage in play-hunting with each other, expend their energy together, and even teach each other important biting boundaries. Read more about the benefits of raising kittens in pairs for a well-rounded social development.
For a visual guide, watch this video on how to stop kittens from biting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC38YsbapLA
