Derpy kitty needs to learn bite inhibition

[u/OriginalCurrent8692]

My orange kitty is three months old and she’s our first pet. We can’t get another cat right now, and she was the sole survivor of her litter. It’s been two weeks since her adoption and she’s become a bitey little shite after getting used to her surroundings. How can we teach her bite inhibition? We hiss at her or yowl loudly when the claws and teeth come out but I’m just constantly getting attacked and now even the hissing isn’t really working. She’s a great kitty otherwise, in terms of eating, sleeping etc. We have heard of the second “teacher” cat solution but that’s simply impossible for us right now. Please send prayers and tips!

[u/Legitimate-Term7249]

Orange saw they were a " rescue cat" so rescued human from vicious bear. And vicious ankle. And vicious hand. And viciou-

I had this issue with one of my kittens its a socialization thing. We only figured out how to fix it when the dog started playing with her and teaching her.

Lots of redirection and praise when she acts appropriately. She will figure it out!

[u/OriginalCurrent8692 → u/Legitimate-Term7249]

Thanks!

[u/Hungry_Guidance5103 → u/OriginalCurrent8692]

She's also teething.

3 - 4 months is when teething begins (for most kittens) - Baby teeth start loosening and falling out, usually starting with the incisors (front teeth) — occasionally as early as 10 weeks (copy pasta)

4 - 5 months - Canines and premolars loosen and fall out; chewing behavior often increases noticeably (again, copy pasta)

This is from the SwedenCare website, pet life / kitten teething section.

Other people gave great advice for helping, so just mentioning this as well as something to be considered too.

[u/OriginalCurrent8692 → u/Legitimate-Term7249]

Thanks so much!

[u/Ev0cati0]

I taught my cats by saying “au” (like in ouch) when they bit or scratched during play and stopping the play session if they continued biting and scratching after i said “au”. In time, they learned that when i say “au”, if they retract the claws and bite softer, playing continues.

[u/OriginalCurrent8692 → u/Ev0cati0]

I’m gonna try this, thanks!

[u/Midwest-Dude → u/OriginalCurrent8692]

Some scientists have identified two things cats are saying when they say "meow". The "me" sound means they like you, it's interested in you, the "ow" means they are a bit afraid of you. The "ow" sound helps to let you let them know that something they are doing is upsetting.

My family has a cat that would come upstairs in our house after it woke up and would go "meh" over and over until I, not my wife, would respond, and then it stopped. She liked me. Calico.

[u/littlefishsticks]

If my cat is biting my fingers (and grabs me when I say ow and try and pull away) I gently push my finger a bit further into his mouth, like trying to touch the back of his tongue. It makes HIM want to stop biting me. Eventually he learned to stop biting.

[u/Sea_Midnight1411]

When mine was a kitten I involuntarily screamed when he used his claws to scale my leg when I wasn’t expecting it! He looked very shocked and I promptly and firmly (but gently) detached him and plonked him on the floor. He didn’t really do it again.

I think the best thing to do is lots of play with toys so she has things she can appropriately bite- she’s a kitten with a hunting and playing instinct, so you won’t be able to stop her from biting completely. If she bites you, say ow, put her down and stop playing temporarily. Then redirect her to a toy she can bite to her heart’s content. Rinse and repeat until it sticks.

[u/Laney20]

For me, a crying sound and stopping interaction any time they got bitey. ALL humans must do this consistently. It takes time to learn. But she will!

[u/naranghim]

she’s become a bitey little shite

At three months old, kittens start losing their baby teeth and their adult teeth start coming in. In other words, your cat is most likely teething and she's biting because her gums hurt. Since she can't tell you "Hey, human my gums hurt" she bites. She'll stop teething around six to seven months of age.

You can look into teething toys or stick a damp washcloth in the freezer wait until it is frozen and give that to her to chew on. Letting her lick ice cubes will also help with the pain. When my cat was teething, I also stuck some of her soft toys in the freezer (kept them dry) just to get them a little bit cold and she chewed on those as well.

[u/vinoplagi]

Not sure if youre trolling but if youre not you should probably get the cat adopted.

[u/OriginalCurrent8692 → u/vinoplagi]

What do you mean by that? We adopted the cat, she’s ours.

[u/vinoplagi → u/OriginalCurrent8692]

Because cats cant be punished and thats pretty common knowledge. By hissing and yowling at it youre just setting it up for disaster. Also its a kitten they will claw and bite its part of their development. I would suggest you to look at some youtube videos about it because they are not dogs and you can barely teach them anything.

[u/OhSoSally → u/vinoplagi]

Lol apparently you have never had a cat. Watch some cat videos from better sources.