3 Ways to Stop Your Kitten From Biting

We all know kittens are playful. But what do we do when this turns into roughhousing? A Petside Facebook fan recently asked for advice on getting her daughter’s 6-week-old kitten to stop biting.  We asked certified cat behavior consultant and cat expert Marilyn Krieger to give us tips on how to stop your kitten from biting.

1. Never use hands or fingers when playing with a cat or kitten (hands are for loving, toys are for playing). When people use their hands to play with kittens, the kittens do not understand why it's OK to sometimes mouth and bite and other times it's not. Instead, use toys, such as fishing pole types of toys (don't leave fishing pole kinds of toys around when you're not able to supervise).

2. When a kitten bites, do a time out. Turn around, leave the room, or give the kitten your back. Don't even talk or yell, just leave. Zero interaction. The kitten will quickly learn that when she bites, her favorite person disappears. A time out is short... maybe only 30 seconds. Then come back into the room and gently pet or play (using a toy) with the kitten. At the first sign of biting, give the kitten a time out. 

3. Always have toys available for the kitten to play with and chew. Toys need to be safe... in other words, pieces can't be chewed off or swallowed, no sharp edges, etc.