Kitten Palying too hard

[alannaccousar]

I have a gorgeous kitty boy called MJ who is now 7/8months old. Unfortunally lately he has been playing a little to hrad now. I am covered in scracthes all over my arms. When we r palying about hes fine then all of a sudden he attackes my arm by wrapping himself arond it & kicking (really hard) with his back paws. I have tried to retrect my arm place him down & walk away but he just comes after me and pounces again & again untill i lock him out the room 4 a while. After he has calmed down he returns to the lovely affectionate kitten he is. I am finding this very unsettling as im worried he'll do it to some1 who i invite into my house. Its as if he's 2 different kittens. Can any1 help me?? Kind Regrads

[Elaine]

Kittens do play hard and rough, its all about future survival.
Can I ask how you play with him? I mean do you tease him with hands and fingers or do you use toys?
If you use hands and fingers as toys than I'd say stop NOW as you are only gonna make a rob for your own back.

[alannaccousar]

We mostly play with toys but he always seems to go for my hands and when i place him down i think he thinks its a game. I sometimes place him down 5 or 6 times b4 he gets the hint. Is there anyway of letting him know it isnt? I dont want to smack him.

[Elaine]

Oh please dont smack him, that will only serve to instill fear in the poor wee mite.
Playing allows kittens to refine their hunting skills. All family members should be consistent when trying to deter unacceptable behaviour. When he bites/scratches, dont pull away, he'll only try to keep hold of you as he would with struggling prey.Push towards the kitten, it may help throw him off balance coz he's expecting you to pull away. Add a sharp NO or OUCH and ignore him for a few minutes. He needs to learn that play time ends when he gets too rough. After ignoring him for a few minutes, play with him again and repeat the sequence if he bites or scratches.

It may not always work but its gotta be worth a try.

[babycakes]

Denis has always bitten too hard and scratches like mad when he plays. (he was feral and still timid) He didn't grow out of it when we said no or ignored him so we have turned it into a game and played along with him (making sure we are covered up cos he can do real damage), so unfortunately he still does it.
He does it more so when he is tired. He is like a 2 year old in that he won't just go to sleep. He comes up and bites me until he falls asleep. (not so much now as he is growing older (4 soon). However I would never ever smack him they don't learn like that. I would suggest getting him a big toy teddy that you can use as the bait instead of your hand when hes playful and allow him to practise his skills on that, cos thats all he is doing really

[EmmaG]

Originally Posted by alannaccousar

We mostly play with toys but he always seems to go for my hands and when i place him down i think he thinks its a game. I sometimes place him down 5 or 6 times b4 he gets the hint. Is there anyway of letting him know it isnt? I dont want to smack him.

Hold your hand/arm very still and say "OWWW" VERY loudly whenever he goes for your arm/hand, keep saying it until he stops/lets go. Another trick is to hiss at him when he goes for your arm/hand again keep your hand/arm still. Try and think how his mother would have stopped him

[alannaccousar]

Thank you for the replies, i shall give them a try. I didnt mean smack him hard just a tap on the nose or someting like that. sorry if i worried u guys. Heres hoping he'll stop doing it soon?

[dandysmom]

Yes, a tap on the nose is what mum cat would do, also a warning hiss! Stop playing instantly when he gets rough; he doesn't realize that you don't have a thick fur coat like his brothers/sisters do when they're playing, and that he's hurting you. He is just rehearsing his hunting tactics. Try toys that you use from a distance, like the bird/feather type of toy on a fishing-pole like thing...will let him run, jump, pounce, etc. and keep your hands safe.

[dinahsmum]

If it were me I would stop any play activity in which there was contact between myself and the kitten. So, as others have said, play will be with a 'fishing rod' type 'prey' on a stick and string, or a 'tickling stick' or balls, or light beams. Remove all association between your hands (or feet or anything else) and play. Let your cat just associate hands with comfort (cuddles and strokes) and food. It won't be easy; it's so tempting to turn your fingers into a wiggly snake and delight in kitty crouching and wiggle-bumming as he learns to stalk and hunt. But he can't discriminate - it was fun to chase it yesterday (when you instigated and were preapared) why isn't it fun today (when you are reading the paper when a furry missile suddenly and unexpectedly hurls itself at you.)

I hope this helps. It will take time and patience and there will be setbacks, but it will be worth it in the end. Good luck

[Leo's Mummy !]

Leo has really huge claws for a 6 month old.

He fell into the bath not long ago & used his back claws on my lag to immediately jump back out again.. There was blood everywhere.

Leo also gets a bit rough when playing. He is so naughty tho & alike yours you say 'NO' really firmly & he will give me a dirty look & chase after me.. he always does that when I get out of bed.. he will just continue to run & jump at my legs !

I do the NO thing & walk away but he doesnt learn.. he has thousands of toys to play with & we have very regulat play sessions every day but he will not stop this !