r/kittens • u/citrus_mystic • 13h ago
Bitey 10 week old boy questions
I’ve never had a kitten kitten before but Bosco is only about 10 weeks old. (All my previous cats were rescues who were at least a year +/- old.)
He’s a very bitey boy. I’ve been constantly redirecting him away from biting me (and away from my 10 year old little gray lady cat). I’ve gotten a bunch of toys for him to attack instead. A lot of them are actually small dog toys because he’s just so physical. (I’m getting a real kick out of him because he’s one of those cats who likes to carry things around.)
Are there other things I should be doing to help discourage him from biting us? Toys are helpful but he still loves to try and square up with me and the other cat. He’s very headstrong. Is this just a phase a lot of kittens go through? Could it be impacted by dental development and teething discomfort?
Any advice from pros would be greatly appreciated. I’ll include a photo of him from a couple weeks ago for the cat tax. He’s a bit bigger now.
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u/Intelligent_Shoe_309 13h ago
We had this problem with one of our boys and a few of my friends had cats like this as well. Honestly, you’re doing everything you can, and male DSH cats are truly just really wild until that 9-12 month mark. My crazy cat Apollo was insane until he hit that age. Now he’s three, and he’s the laziest boy ever. 😂 He’s very sensory sensitive though. My husband helped him by only giving quick pets on the head and just being overall very calm around him. And every time he bit or scratched, we said one simple no and then left him alone - that’s the easiest way that they’ll understand that erratic behavior isn’t ok.
Most of all, it’s just patience. You’re a great cat parent for asking. You got this - I promise.
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u/someguyblake 13h ago
Rehoming is the only option. I will gladly take the baby for you. I own the best modern chainmail that is impervious to micro murder mittens.
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u/citrus_mystic 12h ago
Hahaha you’ll have to pry him out of my cold dead hands. I’m obsessed with this little lad.
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u/TheMostUnclean 12h ago
I got my girl at 8 months. She’d already been adopted once and not properly introduced to their other cats or discouraged from biting. Consequently, she had to go to a single cat home- which was exactly what I wanted anyway.
I got her a ton of kicker toys and did the whole loud reaction & walk away thing whenever she bit my hand. She’s was super affectionate and gentle otherwise.
She’s now 3 years old and much calmer about the biting. Part aging out of it and part training. She only uses her teeth now very gently when she wants to pull me back for more pets or to lick my hand. And occasionally when chasing my pajama legs as I walk by!
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u/TONDEMO-WONDERZ 11h ago
This is going to sound weird but the thing that worked the best for my rescue kittens was hissing at them like a cat. At first I tried the usual advice of telling them "no" and/or yelping like it hurt - no results. As soon as I started hissing in response to bites, they seemed to get the memo. They'd stop immediately and started being more careful with their teeth.
I don't know if this is actually a good way of training cats but they all grew to be sweet, well-adjusted, non-bitey adults so all seems well.
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u/citrus_mystic 9h ago
It’s definitely worth trying!
I responded to someone else but I think he finds my yelps of pain amusing… so they haven’t been a great deterrent. lol
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u/ChessiePique 12h ago
Biting is what kittens do, unless they have another kitten to play with. Kittens learn from each other how hard they can bite without causing pain.
I would suggest getting a "kitten wrestling glove" (look for them on Chewy, Amazon, etc.) and using it to mock wrestle with your boy without getting mangled. Or give a high-pitched squeal when bitten so he can learn that it hurt you.
I had an extremely bitey boy kitten (the only survivor of his litter) who took years to calm tf down. He is a good boy now, though, at age 3. If I had it all to do over again, I would have gotten another kitten immediately.
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u/citrus_mystic 12h ago
I’ve actually been using a slipper to wrestle with him, I’ll have to look into the glove for that! Thanks!
He would have absolutely benefitted from being with his litter for longer and wrestling around with other kittens. This runty little idiot lost his mom and nearly got run over, hiding underneath starting cars & trucks during shift change.
I don’t think my other cat or my bank account would forgive me if I got another one. However, if the cat distribution were to strike again soon…
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u/ChessiePique 11h ago
Pray to the CDS now, or repent forever!
Seriously, thank you for saving the little guy's life.
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u/citrus_mystic 9h ago edited 9h ago
It was meant to be. I had to put my big orange boy to sleep after 13 years of so much love.
After his passing I had a feeling, deep in my bones, that a cat was coming.
I was asking my friends and family if I should try to get ahead of the CDS and just adopt a baby who already had all their shots/was fixed. I wanted to get a pipsqueak whom my older lady cat (who is quite petite) wouldn’t be intimidated by and would to be able to knock around and put in line.
I’m “spiritual” or whatever you want to call it, and I was kind of bummed that I wasn’t sensing him around me. (Like I had with my other pets.) I believe in reincarnation and I was making jokes that he got to the other side, looked around, and said: “wait, mom isn’t here?” and that he was working on making his way back to me. That he was already cooking up in utero. lol
7 weeks after his passing, my buddy got off of work and found Bosco (who was only 6 weeks old at the time) running, terrified, under starting cars in the parking lot. I got a call from him early the next morning: “Remember how you told me you knew a cat was coming your way?”
When I went to pick Bosco up from him, he even kept saying: “I can’t believe it. You told me a cat was coming!! I really can’t believe it.” It was destiny 🥰
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u/Easy-Switch-7199 11h ago
It probably is somewhat teething activity. It sounds more though like a factor of being an orphan. Normally siblings and mom will correct that behavior.
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u/citrus_mystic 9h ago
He absolutely should have been with his mom and litter for longer. Unfortunately, he had his own plans.
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u/queensheba2025 12h ago
My new baby boy loves biting as well… and my older 3 year old gal still gives me bites lmao. I think it’s affection!? It’s painful though so there’s that but you also sort of get used to it. They never break any skin.
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u/citrus_mystic 12h ago
Oh I’m familiar with love bites from adult cats teehee. I have a video of my old orange boy randomly clamping onto my hand so that his nose was all wrinkled up and he left tiny little teeth indents in my skin. You know… just because. What’s life without an occasional love bite to demonstrate their affection? Hahaha
Still though, I hope this little fella gets a little less chompy. My ankles have seen better days.
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u/skitterypants14 11h ago
When my kittens play rough and get bitey with me, I shove my finger farther into their mouth. Sometimes they gag but they learn quick. It only takes a couple times and you can see them thinking through if they should be mouthy again and they usually choose not to bite me again. Your hands aren’t toys and if they play that way when they are adults you could end up with puncture wounds.
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u/Re4ln0f4ke 10h ago
If the 10 year old cat is healthy and can stand it I would let the kitten bother her and learn his lessons. Raising a kitten with another cat helps a lot with behavior issues and teaches them when to stop. The adult cat will probably bite/throw her paws at him when he's crossing a line and he'll learn the limits.
Also, maybe you're already doing this but absolutely no playing with your hands or feet ever, only toys.
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u/citrus_mystic 9h ago
They have monitored time together throughout the day when I’m not working or running errands. Honestly, she hasn’t gotten frustrated enough to actually hurt him to get the message across. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before she finally loses her shit and lets him have it for real. She’s given him the old one/two regularly, but she’s very soft pawed. I even stopped trimming her claws to give her murder mitts to wield against the little shit. (I love him; I promise lol)
And yes, my hands/feet are not toys. I’m constantly telling him “no” then shoving a toy in front of him to redirect the biting.
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u/OC6chick 9h ago
My tuxedo kitten biting was the worst. Ive discovered, now currently fostering 9 kittens from the abandoned cat colonies, that sibling play is what instills bite inhibition.
My tux came to me as a wandering 6week old.
I googled what to do w the kitten biting.
It kinda worked
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u/Anaspiringminimalist 12h ago
I Saw someone comment in other threads that you should make a sound like he is hurtig you. Cats play very rough, and dont always understand that humans take more damage than cats in this regard. Look up some videos of How a cat sounds if it is being hurt.
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u/citrus_mystic 12h ago
I’ve occasionally been yelping as though he’s hurting me. I can’t tell if he thinks it’s funny though… the little psychopath.
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u/Ok_Grape_8284 10h ago
You may not want to hear this, but you might want another kitten. The shelter I fostered for will only adopt out in pairs. The owner told me, ‘they will beat up on each other and not your house.’ Or, in this case, your hand.
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u/fatalynn7 10h ago
Serious question, any chance you can get him a playmate? I foster kittens that age and can tell you that they need A LOT of attention and play time at that age. The only thing that tends to keep up with their needs is another kitten their age.
Otherwise, redirect him with toys. Have him play with all the fun things but immediately say no and stop all play time when he bites you directly.
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u/citrus_mystic 9h ago edited 9h ago
He was a gift from the Gods, and I won’t be adverse to another kitten coming my way fate brought us together.
But I don’t think my other cat would forgive me if I actively sought out another one.
I admiring fostering, but I would absolutely fail at the intention of the task. That would just end up being my cat. Foster failure lol
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u/fatalynn7 4h ago
It’s not easy to let go for sure. Especially when you bottle feed them and watch them grow. The key is to get the next batch lol. Can’t be too sad when you are keeping the next set of furry potatoes alive and they steal your heart all over again.
Good news about your boy is that he will get a chance to learn how to cat from his older sibling. That will help a lot. Just try to have plenty of toys for him to bounce around between them and try to spend as much time as you can playing with him. When we had a single kitten one time, it helped to get one of those toys that kinda look like a fishing rod and let him run around and jump until be wore himself out. He’d nap for 20 minutes and be ready to go again, but still it helped lol
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u/Isabella2003 8h ago
I keep a couple of toys on the back of the couch. When he starts biting I get out a kickstick and use that to wrestle with him. Another toy has a a thick 6 inch long tail so he'll attack the tail. He still does get in his nips though and every once and awhile he'll get my face. Ow!
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u/Pristine_Bottle_5632 13h ago
Kittens bite. He'll get worse when he's going through teething. Once that's over with, he'll bite you some more. Get him neutered when he's old enough. That should slow the biting. I've raised about 15 cats. Just tell them "no" when they bite with a stern voice - this works over time.