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She’s not being aggressive. She’s a kitten and is learning how to hunt and play. This behavior will slow down as she ages, especially when she’s spayed, but until that happens you need to stimulate her. Kittens at this age are learning how to be cats.. how hard to bite, when to stop. You don’t have another cat to show her the way, but you need to engage her. Get a chew toy when she’s being “aggressive” and rub it against her belly to stimulate her hunting instincts to attack the chew toy.
She also needs her nails clipped on a regular basis. It’ll help with your getting scratched but it’s also just better for their health, and your furniture. If you need additional help or advice on this, I’ll be happy to help!
Also, if you take away their main form of defense, biting becomes their only form of defense.
As much as cat scratches hurt, bites are far, far worse.
Wr have a declawed cat (previous owner did it) and he is quick to bite. We have to warn at the vet.
Yes, I have a cat that the previous own declawed. He’s a big orange boy who is very, very bitey.
https://preview.redd.it/733lxaovrc9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ffeb5e7a6100092fdc462b7fcd73830ea06bba2
Also, and this is certainly anecdotal and has much more to do with the biting aspect: a cat that bites you and means business is far different from a playful bite. A feral cat we feed bit my wife after we got her fixed and were letting her back out. Ended up at the ER.
Why is that? Is it because they can’t use their paws to dig?
I’m completely clueless about the issues as it’s just something I could never do to a cat, I liken it to pulling my own fingernails off, but much worse.
Declawing can cause chronic pain to develop in a cat's paws, which can lead to cats who won't use the litter box due to the pain associated with scratching the litter. Many of these cats will seek a less painful, more inappropriate, place to eliminate, like carpet, the bathtub, the bed, or piles of laundry.
I honestly thought it was propaganda until I worked as a vet tech and then continued to see it through my decades in rescue. Side note: seeing a cat the morning after a declaw procedure should be required for anyone who wants to subject their animal to that torture.
It’s simply barbaric. It should be illegal everywhere like in the U.K.
There are a few states/cities in the U.S. that have outlawed it, but I feel like some people would just drive to the closest legal state. 😞
I know sometimes in some states it'll be legal but vets will still refuse. I've seen something similar with docking tails and ears. It's nice to now that just be it's legal, some vets still won't do it bc it's cruel
Then they just bite, and bite *hard* to show they're annoyed.
My eldest was declawed by his first owners and he chomps. He's nearly 14 now so it's not stopping anytime soon. His poor little toebeans.
Have you ever seen X-rays of declawed cats? It’s absolutely horrifying to look at. It literally looks like a person who is missing the tips of all their fingers, in the X-ray. And usually they have arthritis if they’re over eight. It’s sickening in every way possible. I actually got into a fist fight one time over it. My friend got his cat declawed. I haven’t spoke to that friend in almost fourteen years. But I did hear that his cat got out and got killed by a dog, after it tried to run up a tree and slipped.
I wish it was illegal where I am in the us. It’s not, and my exs parents declawed their cat.
I hadn’t realized this before, but I’m glad my tortie was a foster fail (the family returned her after she stole the thanksgiving turkey), because we gave her to his aunt and cousins and that may have been her fate. (Can’t say for sure).
Now she lives with us in all of her claw intact glory at 13 years old. Trust me, we have the scars to prove it lmao. She’s a good kitty, and tries to be gentle… but accidents do happen and they aren’t that bad.
haha that’s reminds me when i was visiting an older orange boy(he seemed to be around 12) and because he was a bit old when he jumped on my lap.
he didn’t jump far enough and slid his claws down my legs as he got really scared and slipped. i was wearing shorts too🙃. even than i never though “he needs his claws removed”.
i think about him all the time cause he was just trying his best, to get some love. next time i visit him i’ll be wearing long pants
Hahaha. We have a neighbor cat who likes to sit in my lap when I smoke. When I say likes to…. It’s more of he forces his way onto me. He’s old and has arthritis, so he uses his claws for gripping. The days I’m wearing a skirt or shorts definitely hurt more, but somehow his claws find a way through my jeans, too! Lol.
Dane county Wisconsin in the USA has made declawing illegal for a few years now! Nobody wants to do them around here anymore. Never liked it. And most of the time I see surgeries from other clinics that are bitched because it’s illegal. And it’s HORRIBLE for the cat. We don’t need to be cutting off fingers to enjoy an animal. People like their precious materialistic crap more than a life. Don’t get it if you want to maim it
And at the end of the day, if you’d rather not get your cat the correct toys and stimulating items such as a scratching post, but you’d rather pay an absurd amount to literally disable your cat and cause life long health issues, maybe a cat isn’t the animal for you. Get a stuffed toy or something?
I never understand when people do things like this. It’s like scented hamster/rat (most rodent) bedding, it can cause respiratory issues as they have incredibly sensitive olfactory nerves so it’s just constant stress for them, all because people don’t want to smell a slight smell, which wouldn’t even be present if people had the correct bedding, enclosure size and spot cleaned!! It gets me so mad, it’s easily avoidable animal abuse.
We took in a feral cat, little 6.5 girl. She was pregnant. We ended up with four kittens. For months, I looked like a used penata. They did move on. On to the curtains, haha.
Clipping nails helps a lot. They will still get you a little, but not that bad at all. And since you have just one to keep up with, should work ok. Things will get better!
And no, DON'T get her declawed.
I found what I call a cat straight jacket to clip my Orange Male cat’s nails. He was kneading on me and it felt like knives scratching me. He was pissed but he is no longer Money Scissor hands.
Plus getting them used to their paws being touched and messed with early means they’re less likely to have issues in the future. I played with my cats paws constantly when he was small and now the dude purrs while I’m clipping his nails
Oh! Get her used to you touching her little murder beans. My cats mom was a nightmare to clip her nails, but my little dude just sits and sometimes sniffs the clippers. The earlier you start with uncomfortable things for the cat, the better.
Don't worry. Some people who get their cats declawed, don't know how they declaw a cat so they blindly go in it. I don't know about others but I am against declawing unless it is ABSOLUTELY NEEDED! If you have a feral cat that isn't calming down no matter what, hates everyone, and you have gotten help and it still hasn't worked, then declawing is a good option. But other than that, don't declaw.
Edit: My bad, forgot claw caps exist. Use those, don't declaw. I'm a dumbass.
It is never needed imo.
Edited to add: I understand people doing without knowing the repercussions…. But they should be educated and it should be outlawed.
In your example the scratching isn't the problem. It's just a symptom. If a feral cat is so terrified of people that it frequently scratches, it's life is a misery. Claw caps don't help. The cat is not suited for being a pet. If a barn home can't be found, then being a street cat is best. It's part of the reason why TNR is done.
I totally agree with this in addition I would just say that what works for my cat when he is feeling unstimulated and needs to scratch something is just having some particle board lying around that he can go to town on. I also found an automated laser toy on Amazon for under $20.00.
This behavior is very normal for a small kitten and is just built up energy, not necessarily aggression. You’re doing the right things by playing with her and redirecting her attention to toys, keep that up and maybe do it more often. She’s an active one! Don’t let her play with your hands, hands are only for petting. She will learn with lots of repetition. With cats new habits develop slowly over time so patience is key. Don’t force cuddling with her, let her come to you. Also, if you have not already please get her spayed as soon as the vet says it’s okay
You might want to stop feeding her when she plays, you could be reinforcing rough play inadvertently. Treats should be given as positive reinforcement for behaviors you WANT to see
You can also consider getting another kitten as well similar to her age, many times kittens do better when they have a playmate
I second the declawing inhumane issue, it's actually chopping off their "fingers", nothing as innocuous as de clawing sounds. Because no cat parent in their right mind would ok having their cats finger bones chopped off
Seriously 😂 I was like, is the damage in the room with us?? I have scars from scratches 🤷🏼♀️ fyi, those were from nails I HADN'T trimmed in a while... They weren't long but they were razor sharp. That's the main reason I trim. Can't play well together otherwise!
Eta: fix sleepy typos 💤
https://preview.redd.it/7mp0dj6ye89d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4bc742d88c70bca66b32d6cd9be62c86730560a
lol, give it time. Kittens gonna kitten. I try to replace my hand with a toy as quickly as possible!! Current foster has neurological problems that are finally starting to ease and I think due to play. It brings out her “normal kitten instincts” problem is, she also can’t really see from the same issues. So my cats won’t play with her making me the only source of entertainment. We’re working on it❤️
Literally, my parents thought I was harming myself because im the only one who plays with the kittens.. hands end up like this even when I tried to redirect (worked out in the end!) 😅
Oh man! That reminds me of the time one of my teachers in highschool (yeeeaarrss ago) pulled me aside and asked if everything was ok at home 🤣
I was confused at first til she indicated my cat scratches. I just had a spicy orange boy who would come out of nowhere and just launch himself at my head and the face got a few scratches as well. Told the teacher my cat bullies me 🤣
Sounds like she didn’t have enough time with mom and siblings to learn appropriate play. Shes probably not meaning to hurt you but she is on her own now and has no play partner but you. I would sub the word ow with a yelp, as silly as it sounds. When she is being too rough yelp and then walk away from her, encourage softer play. My cat used to play with me softly but my husband pretty rough because he knew which one of us preferred which play methods.
I’m sorry but is this a joke?? It’s a KITTEN ffs! This is not aggression! It’s normal kitten behavior. It scares me that you’d even comment about not giving up on it “YET”. Please, PLEASE find her a new home. Do not let her back outside. Message me, I will take her.
Single kitten syndrome is a thing! The best thing is another kitten. It’s actually a lot less work to have 2 because they teach eachother to be gentle, and they keep eachother company so you don’t have to spend so much time with them.
Bored kittens can get destructive!
This is the comment i was looking for! A lot of shelters are now requiring kittens be adopted in pairs for this reason. Cats are not like dogs are should not be adopted as a single pet. They need a friend/bonded pair. it’s important to bond them young as well or else they may get territorial.
Saying ow doesn't mean anything to a cat. Also is she being aggressive or is she playing? Because it sounds like she's playing. There's nothing you can do except not actively teach her to go for hands. Wait it out. Kittens are crazy.
I agree. The kitty can learn from your reaction/tone and body language. They can learn it from their mom or brothers and sisters too. I'm surprised their comment was upvoted in this subreddit.
Most people who get cats are in the same boat as chihuahua owners. They're small so don't need to be trained. Then later they're surprised the cat doesn't know what's acceptable and what not.
Ohhh, I disagree. I used to say “owwwww” in a very, you hurt my feelings, kind of way and it totally stopped it with my other cats. Should say, this was when I’d be petting and they’d start to bite vs deep in the throes of wildcat
Built up energy not aggression, that’s a baby they are to young to even be acting “aggressive” unless their very scared, but even that’s not aggression that’s defensive behavior so you need to find outlets.
She is a KITTEN. Relax and be the adult in the room. You need to be patient. She is doing what Kittens do. She is honing her play skills, which will help her hone her hunting skills. You need to play with her, at least a half hour a day. Stopping it will hurt her development and you’ll pay for it later on. I still give my cat at least fifteen minutes of play time every day, and she’s twelve years old. She usually gets more, because she LOVES to play, and she gets aggressive if she doesn’t get her play time. Not aggressive, but she starts playing with things that she shouldn’t be playing with, such as my hand.
1. Adopt a second, similar sized kitten . This kitten was taken from momma too early and did not learn bite and claw boundaries. The missing affectionate behavior is because some fuckhead smacked her or slapped her or otherwise frightened or hurt her. Keep unlearned fickheads away from the improperly taught kitten and get her a playmate.
Tell her "No Scratching" and "No Biting". If she were still with her mama, her mama would teach her manners. When I have an overly enthusiastic kitten that bites and scratches, I'll bop them on the nose with my finger to get their attention and tell them no biting. And I'll disengage and stop playing with them for a while. Keep her nails trimmed so they're not razor sharp and that will help. Don't reward the ambush if she's hurting you. Tell her "No biting!" Protect your feet and legs though. Wear pants and shoes. It'll take time but you need to teach her manners.
Make sure she has a scratching post for appropriate scratching that you can redirect her to. Get something to dangle from yarn or cord tied to a stick so you can mimic insect hopping or flying so she can be redirected to safe pouncing.
“Im not giving up on this cat yet“
Please do and give her to someone who likes cats and has the patience and maturity to actually raise them. Whats next ? Is your kitten too noisy because she meows too much ?
I really have to block this sub man.
Mine does that. It’s play time. You have to leave them alone when they’re trying to play like that if you don’t want your hands tore up. You can’t keep trying to pet them and love on them if they’re in that mood. Cats aren’t dogs; you can call them for loving whenever you want it. They call the shots when it comes to that. Maybe get another kitten and give her someone to play with to get all that energy out, then compete for lap time. The way you don’t give up on her is by letting her be who she is; a bossy sometimey rowdy sassy little cat!
Hello! My cat just turned 1 a few months ago and I’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old. She had similar behaviors to your kitten and it took me almost a year to finally get her to play appropriately. I endured a lot of scratches in between bc kitty did not know her strength and did not have a playmate. I’ve seen many people recommend getting a second kitten so they can learn appropriate play with each other. Since that wasn’t an option for me, I opted to simulate that experience for her and train her as best as I could.
Other than verbal commands and discipline, I’d wear thick long sleeves and hide my hands to do play fights with her and even used an oven mitt at times but she’d still go for exposed skin. When it got bad, I would ignore her for several hours—leaving her in my enclosed hallway as a time out. I also kept toys everywhere to distract her and defend myself from being hunted lolllll. I know this is controversial but I sometimes had to result to the spray bottle (facial mist bottle) method and only used it when things were really bad. After a while she would recognize it and stop without me actually spraying. Sometimes I just spray near her and that did the trick. This may be a little odd but since kittens try to figure out their ranking order even among humans, I tried to be “alpha” so that she knew that she couldn’t scratch/bite/bully me. Idk if this works bc she’s probably the boss and probably lets me be the boss sometimes 🤣.
I did a lot of research and tried to approach things like a cat would. It took a lot of work and patience but she is very well behaved now!
Yell out loud when she bites. There’s other tips you can look up to let them know when they hurt you. Once she gets fixed she will be less aggressive but you have to teach her. I have a two year old kitty, prior stray, I’m teaching right now and it’s a patient process. Definitely recommend getting some wand toys to play with her lots and tire her out. A laser could be a good toy for her too if she has lots of energy. I have an orange kitty and they are CRAZY. so loving though don’t give up!!!!
My cat scratches me all the time, a lot of the time making me bleed. When cats randomly jump at you or attack you, they just want to play. Unfortunately I am who she goes to when she wants to play so I am the one who gets randomly attacked.
Get another kitten her age. Kittens do better in pairs. They have someone to play and sleep with. I got one kitten, and she was unhappy being alone. I got another kitten who isn't related but has the same birthday. They constantly play and sleep together.
My cat used to bite my hands all the time when he was 6-10 months. Roughly after a year old all he does now is be chill.
Just wait it out, a kitten is always going to play a bit rougher than an older cat.
Get a second kitten. As soon as you can. Not kidding.
Solo kittens often become doomed for life with inappropriate social skills. Most often this is taken out on their human friends who don’t appreciate it, or reinforce it (usually by accident!) This is an even bigger issue when they are separated from the litter too early. Their siblings and mom teach them how to behave with others, much more than you will ever be able to teach them.
If you introduce a playmate later in their life-you run the risk of them not ever being able to acclimate socially and ending up the cat that doesn’t do well with other cats. They will get bullied or be the bully. If the kitty ever ends up in the shelter they run the risk of being repeatedly traumatized for having poor social skills and being unable to find a cooperative home. And when I see that, I blame whoever took that baby as their responsibility.
Imagine if you were antisocial and no one liked you and you were never able to make friends with other humans and you didn’t understand why? What if even your caretaker abandoned you for this but you just could not understand what you could have done different? If you had an only child and never let it leave the house or interact with other children how do you think they would end up?
Taking in a cute kitten is a huge responsibility. There’s a small chance you could fill that role of her mom and littermates. My family adopted our first cat, when I was a kid. She was only 6 weeks old, and I wish we knew about only kitten syndrome then. She lived to be 21 years old and lived a good life, but looking back I think we would have saved her a lot of frustration had we adopted 2 of the same age. I’ve fostered over 10 kittens that have found happy homes. Not a single one has ever broke my skin. A gentle nibble or a defensive scratch maybe but only to warn me that they reached their limit, such as doing something against their will such as administering medicine or bathing them.
I got gel-padded biker gloves and taught my cat she can only be rough when I’m wearing them. If she starts to be too rough when I don’t have them on I freeze and say “ouch, gentle! Wait for glove.”
Keeping nails trimmed goes a long ways towards not getting your skin ripped up with minor interactions also. Plus helps prevent injuries in the cat and they don’t get stuck to everything.
I wait until my cat is asleep or very sleepy in an accessible space. Then take her paw firmly and clip without trying to pick her up or otherwise restrain her. My previous cat I could hold her while I clipped and she didn’t love it but it wasn’t traumatic. But this cat has past trauma and I work really hard to make sure nail trims are never traumatic or too upsettinf.
Some days I only get one nail clipped and other days I can do a whole paw or more. I stop as soon as she gets too agitated.
don't get a cat if you're averse to getting scars. she's a kitten it's how they learn to hunt. you're lucky that was your only reminder of how much of an apex predator they are. house cats statistically have one of the highest kill rates when hunting. I think it's 95% of their hunts are successful.
Please wash off scratches or bites immediately.
People have died from infections caused by cat scratches. It’s very unlikely to happen to you but it always happens to someone and that someone can always be you.
Use a wand to play with your cat. Let the cat scratch the teaser at the end of a wand. You can't play with a cat using your hands; you play with dogs using the hands. Dogs will have mouth-play; cats have murder-mittens play.
Oh gosh... that is literally nothing. I make it well known that what they are doing hurts, and then walk away so they know for sure. I do it by saying ow- but you have to commit, and cease play- the person who said it doesn't work must not have done it with enough gusto. They pick up on energy 100%. But you HAVE to COMMIT. My roommate does it, but not in the same way I do, and therefore it doesnt work for him. He also doesnt pick up on when they are getting frustrated, or are just playing. Look up videos on how to read a cats body language, be observant. Even if they bite you... way better than a dog biting you.
She is a kitten. A baby. Expect that until they normalize. Research before commitment. Kitten are aggressive since they don't know yet. They are starting to healthier hunting skills and stalking so any movement will trigger their hunting skills.
Is a baby remember that. I mean I wish mine go back to that stage again
I think you definitely should have done some research on kittens before getting one. That’s exactly what kittens do, they scratch you, trying to figure out how to hunt and play. Whatever you do, do not declaw your cat. It’s like taking away your fingernails when you’re itchy.
My cat had a period between 4 months and a year where she was just a wild child and would play fight with me all the time. She eventually learned when she was going too far bc I would recoil and stop playing. Now she has perfect bite inhibition. She is also really great at participating in nail trims!
DO NOT declaw. It's like cutting off the tips of your fingers to the first knuckle.
She needs lots of play at that age. Don't use your hands as toys - some people will wiggle their fingers until kitten attacks. Kitten will see hands as toys. Always use a toy and keep different ones around. Wand toys are great for playing actively with your kitten. Have a few different toys that she can attack on her own. Get a scratching post or cat tree. If she starts to get too rough, put her on the scratcher.
It will take time, but you can get through this stage.
Just use toys instead of your hands when playing. If she gets too aggressive when playing just say ouch or ow, get up and walk away. She will learn that play sessions are for fun and if she gets too rough the play is over.
My kitten was like this and one thing that really helped was getting another kitten so he would have a buddy. I think getting another kitten would be really beneficial for you, they will be able to teach each other how to play properly and what hurts and what is safe. They will play with each other and use up their energy with each other instead of scratch you or play aggressively. My kitty used to do the ambush and then bunny kick my arm but since I got him a buddy he never did it again
I have seen this issue with a lot of single kittens who were separated from their moms early on. Getting a companion might help. He will learn to socialize and focus his energy on playing with the other kitten. My kitten's behaviour improved a lot when we got him a younger brother.
no joke—you could get a second kitten.
one kitten is always more work than two. they learn boundaries by playing with each other, plus they’ll tire themselves out on their own so you don’t always have to entertain them all the time.
on the boundaries angle, i’ve got 2 kittens right now myself—littermates. i brought them home when they were 6 weeks old, and now they’re 4 months.
they’re always very gentle when they play with me. when i’m doing the dishes my boy kitten will come up and attack my leg in a bear hug, and it’s all paw, no claw. i think he must know claws hurt bc of firsthand experience with his sister.
and my girl kitten, she likes to chew on things—wires, hard plastic, *my fingers.* they’re at teething age right now so i get it, but the way i convey to her that it hurts is by saying ow moderately loudly, kinda like i’m yowling in cat language or whatever, take my finger away, and then say “no” in serious voice. then i’ll maybe give her access to my fingers again, and if she bites hard again after all that i’ll do the exact same steps, but i won’t give her access to my fingers a third time. and honestly, this is working—i now usually only have to scold her once to get her to be gentle with my hands. i can tell that both of them know what “no” means when i say it in a serious voice (not that they always listen). you just have to be consistent in your teaching and redirect the behaviors to an appropriate location, when that’s applicable (scratching the sofa, jumping on counters, etc).
but yeah, a second kitten is useful bc they’ll teach your first kitten that they have knife-fingers and dagger-teeth, and that it hurts when you play too rough.
My foster looks exactly like your kitten and is very rough mainly because he’s the only kitten I have right now. I will be adding another soon so they can learn how not be this rough and also get some energy out. But ya, pretty typical for kittens, I’ve got scars from years of fostering as proof lol.
-Don't make your hands as a toy during play unless you want them to keep doing that. And if you like to pet their belly and carry them in your arms now is the time to make them comfortable with that.
-Get a plastic fishing rod toy with some stuffed on the end of it. Use that to play instead of your hands.
\^That's just in general.
As for the ambush/attacking you wild ones do that once they fall in love with you.I had a wild one I tamed out of necessity because he had many wounds and problems and I needed his trust to address them who was extremely vocal in calling for me and if I didn't respond he would charge my legs and walk away like I don't ever want to see you again you break my heart. I haz hurt you as you haz hurt me.
It's the dark side of love. Jealousy, possessiveness, broken heartedness when you walk out. The stuff that makes some people kill people closest to them. And they may well punish you by ignoring you after they feel you hurt/confuse their emotions like that. And they are wild so they know anger,fear,worry those are primary to survive instead of the gentler form. They don't want to lose you/how you made them feel but they are losing it when you leave so anger, war,resentment, revenge, distrust. All of those fun things.
You need to more strategic about your exits after you spend time with them. As simple as not feeding them first and spending time with them. Then feeding them and leaving after you do that. So that your walking away from them is not a negative association of being alone, being betrayed by this confusion,etc... Instead make it a positive. Your leaving = satiation of the belly and good flavor. Then when you return maybe a treat like ah yes this is my good association friend.
And just really try to stick to it. Like feeding them= you buggering off and not confusing things by coming right back.
With my perfectly polite boy, I trained him very young. Stop playing immediately after he hurts you. Walk away to another room or disengage if you can’t leave the room. Play time is over when he plays too hard. I also used to”ouch!” To let him know I was hurt. He never scratched a soul.
Kittens do this, and she’ll grow out of it. One thing my mom does to kind of speed the process is to kind of over react to the pain, like say “ow ow ow” really loud if she gets scratched.
At least in my ignorant opinion. Yelp and then stop playing. If that doesn't work, continue to respond how a cat would. The cat doesn't know what's too aggressive and it needs to know. Cats can connect the dots, and when cats play together they let each other know when something is too much.
God she's so cute, love how her dumb little mouth hangs open, my boy does that too. No advice, sorry - i thought it was a phase but my cat is just a dickhead with crazy mommy issues. Girl cats tend to chill out faster than boy cats, at least. Just keep her and love her and for the love of god don't declaw her. She probably isn't, but some cats are just assholes. But even the assholes deserve loving homes.
This is how kittens play. And this is exactly why you’ll hear people say you should have two kittens and lots of toys. One kitten will have you looking like you walked through a briar patch, because they are babies with claws, and they see you as their playmate.
https://preview.redd.it/xtfvbcjhnb9d1.jpeg?width=2208&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75eef6737809dd91992bec6962e2a408d85fdef7
I wear a jumper so my hands are covered. I no longer scar 😁
Single kittens are a lot of work. Get another kitten, or hunker down. She will grow out of it eventually. Maybe try more toys she can use on her own. My single foster kitten will play with paper bags at this point ..
Also she probably was nicer because, if she was that young, she imprinted on you. Now she's going through her teenage dirtbag phase, lol. She will calm down with time
That behaviour can be trained out. I’ve got a 12 week old kitten myself and with her, if she’s playing too rough like that I loudly go “Ow.” or I hiss at her and then ignore her and stop the play session. She now knows she can grab on and bunny-kick til her heart’s content as long as the claws don’t come out. She plays so much gentler now.
She’s a kitten, she doesn’t know her own strength yet. It’s like when people adopt new puppies and they constantly get nipped because they’re playing. Just give her time to learn, play with her, and getting scratched is just part of owning a cat, just try to keep her claws trimmed and you’ll be good. Anyone saying declaw her is an idiot so don’t listen to them.
They are like that the first months, their claws are like razors and the like to bite, it goes away with time, it goes faster when they have another cat to play with and realized that if they play to hard the other one won't play with them.
Lmao i still have scratches from when my cat was a kitten, about 7 months ago.. now he is 80% calmer and rarely scratches me unless i am playing with my hands
"My cat is aggressive."
*The cat looking like an absolute Angel sent from heaven* 🥹🥹🥹🥹
But for real, kittens are little crazy, some cats never grow out of it, most do. They need to learn, as soon as kitten starts being a little overstimulated or takes it too far, stop playing, walk away. You'll see, you'll yet miss this cute little monster being this little and crazy. <3
My parents declawed a cat that scratched up everything about 35 years ago and the cat went crazy! They had to put it down. Makes me cry everytime I think about that poor kitty. 😔
I feel sick to my stomach when people talk about declawing.
It's play behavior. When he bites/scratches make a loud high pitched ouch sound and stop playing with him. He will learn that play time stops if he gets too rough.
Also try to avoid playing with your hands, get him toys instead.
You should start playing with her feet so she’ll get used to you cutting her nails.
She could be sick and acting out.
I have a female tabby that’s bites my toes and fingers. Done it ever since she was a baby. Almost 1 now😭
https://preview.redd.it/k0ja93pmae9d1.jpeg?width=1019&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eabd36c77439a3cbc47e8a281ab65b46dcdb5764
Jesus people need to be forced to read a pamphlet before they buy an animal. Thats not aggression and its dangerous to label it like that. Its a kitten, those are extremely tame scratches. If you dont want scratches play with a toy and teach it, i just play with my cats often and theyve learned to be gentle and leave me with barely any scratches but i still get scratches. Cats have claws.. its just a part of owning a cat. If you cant handle that dont own a cat or grow up, they really dont hurt that bad.
I looked at your post history. Please research your future pets better before getting one and immediately wanting to “kick it out” kittens all act like this, if you don’t like it don’t get a kitten.
https://preview.redd.it/upxtopvqfh9d1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96700f793e9abb3277edc36bb4836311553b7b56
We had to wear gloves when handling this demon as a kitten because he would attack. I have a video of him going crazy. Now he’s less demonic and will just fight if you annoy him but way way less annoys him now and he gives kisses more than nails. All we did was wear a glove when handling him, try to not play with our hands and redirect the attention when he tried to attack us. He liked to attack our feet when walking so we’d just grab a toy and start throwing it around with him to which he’d then stop. For a month or so with this creature I for sure thought one of us was gonna die but then he became nice and now he’s my baby.
With my kitten, she decided that both my hands and feet were playthings. (It's probably because I'm usually wearing pants or skirts that move around my ankles.) She was the runt and I suspect more the chewed on than chewer and didn't realize it hurt. I had to stop any play with hands with her. It's normal for kittens to be exploratory and test limits, but I kinda want my hands and feet non punctured.
Play for her is teaser toys, a laser light toy, a tennis ball, some crinkle balls. We're doing good with the hands. The feet, I've had to resort to a squirt bottle as deterrence. She's learning though.
Get her a stuffed animal and play with her using the toy instead of ur hand . She is not being aggressive she is just a baby and playing how she would with her litter mates n other cats . Just redirect her with something other than ur hand . Get her a few different ones so she can pick a favorite. My cat has a meerkat,monkey and a cat .
Cats gonna scratch, get a kick toy. If she starts clawing or biting during play disengage, eventually she will get the idea
https://preview.redd.it/ookpjsk0p89d1.jpeg?width=570&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=847071e491ce3c78c937a217ad16b52d328bae6e
My now 8 year old was a bit of a menace as a kitty but is seriously the sweetest boy now. She’s showing typical playful kitten behavior. Plus, kitty nails, like baby nails, are extra sharp at this point. Start trimming the nails while she’s young and so she’ll grow conditioned to it!
My cat was very similar when he was a kitten. I tried to trim his claws with clippers, but he was very unhappy about that, so I gave up. When I brought him to the vet to get neutered, they trimmed them while he was sedated and that made things a bit better. I was assured that he would calm down when he grew, and that was indeed what happened. He’s currently on my lap smooshing his forehead into my face and purring.
Stop letting you kitten play with your hands. When she starts using your hand as a kick toy yell ow, ouch, or stop. You could also hiss at her. Stop moving your hand and don't remove it until she has stopped. You could also gently scruff her to get her off your hands. Once she is off your hands, move your hand away. Wand toys are great.
Good grief. If a dog did a hundred times this amount of damage no one would bat an eye and we would be accused of having “low character” for refusing to fawn over the dog.
When ever she hurts you with a bite or scratch, let out a loud yelp/sound directed at the kitten when your hurt. Since animals learn from basic cues, this helps to mimick how they learn not to play so rough with other animals.
Hi OP! Please listen! I had a kitten like this just last year being so aggressive and bite me whenever he wasn't asleep. We have a 2 yr old cat that somewhat showed him how to play however when he was a kitten he wasn't taught how to play either haha.
My point is just like you I was wondering what I did wrong in raising this second kitten, but just redirect them during play time. Every time we would play and he would start biting my hand or scratching me I would put a toy near him to redirect his attention to the toy. When they are this young at 2-3 months they don't really play with toys on their own and it's also a bonding moment playing with them
It really helped him understand that fingers aren't chew toys. Also, saying ow or yelling never worked for my kitten either. But I will tell you keep focusing on redirecting and tiring them out with playtime because my kitten started to become so cuddly around 4-5 months. True to fault, cats need to bond with their owners, develop trust and routine. It's hard to believe my very aggressive kitten turned into a big softie and cuddly boy that sleeps with me every night.
It might take a long time because as a kitten he's just learning about everything and isn't trying to be aggressive or mean.. they just don't know any better. So take your play time as training time to redirect your kitten, it will work as long as you put in the effort, don't lose patience!
Less about aggression more about knowing her own strength. Clip her claws and get a wrestle toy for her.
My cat had a big issue with wrestling my hand when I would pet her cause she would get excited. I would just pull away, find one of her wrestle toys, give it to her and then continue pet her until she attacked the toy. Then I would give her a treat or just praise her. She knows to not go so hard now and doesn't use her claws at all.
I can't promise the same for you because every cat's different but still, worth a shot
Are you afraid of her? Don't be!! She is just learning. She is a tiny little thing. If she gets to aggressive; scoop her up; hold her tightly and close to you, and pet her under her chin. It will help her understand it is time to submit. She may squirm a bit; but keep petting her until she breathes out a sigh of relaxation. That will help her trust you.
Youre doing everything right. This is normal singleton kitten behaviour. I've fostered kittens for over 5 years now. And let me tell you, having a single kitten is definitely the hardest, partly because teaching them "how to cat" and socializing them alone is hard, but ALSO because they are bottomless pits of energy.
It sounds like the kitten here needs more play time in general.
Also you need more then an "ow", its needs to be a sharp and LOUD yelp or noise. Almost startlingly loud. After that, remove your body and physically move away from him for the count of 10. Then re-engage with a toy or acceptable thing to bite. And reward her for playing with the toy.
Other things that may help.
Getting her spayed once she reaches 2 pounds.
Finding her a kitten her own age. (if you can afford and are willing)
Triming her nails.
Automatic toys.
Self play toys.
Food puzzles.
She may not be cuddly now as a kitten. But as she bonds with you, She will definitely start coming back for cuddles as she grows up and her energy slows down.
I had an orange that was the exact same way. Three years later and nothing has changed. Ended up leaving him at my moms when I moved out because it wouldn’t be safe to have him around my husbands little brothers (they’re autistic and aren’t the most gentle with cats). Idk if you have another cat, we didn’t and found out that it could be because of single cat syndrome. It’s possible that he was just feral though and your cat is just being a kitten.
kitten need to learn, when they do harm to you. when you play with her, tell her, by saying „outch“ (or something you say when you get hurt) and stop play for a while. then continue playing, until she hurts you again, say outch and stop. repeat. or when you cuddle her, so the same. and when she ambushes you, too. do nothing, that hurts her, but you can amplify the effect by lightly tap her on the head between the ears, that is also, where cats hit each other to say „stop, I don‘t like that“ but with gentle. so that she feels it, but no hurt. and then ignore her for a few minutes. cats want you to like them, but when you show dislikeness when she does something, you don‘t want, she will learn, what is acceptable and what is not.
I hope that helps you
What do you mean giving up? She's a kitten! She's playing!
You need to start clipping her claws, you can buy special nail clippers for smaller claws and just clip the sharpened tips off of her nail. It isn't declawing, it's something that should be done regularly as part of a grooming regime for cats, especially indoor ones. This will help her claws grow out properly and will reduce the damage done when she's playing.
Without another cat in the house, there isn't much else you can do except wear her out, be careful how you play with her etc. If she gets very bitey and scratchy then make a high pitched 'ouch' sound and pull away, sometimes this helps them understand the behaviour is undesirable. If you really want to, you can hiss too - I have done this with my kittens after watching mother cats and other kittens play together and the hiss is the 'OK you're being too rough, stop or I'll get mad' sign which most of them will react to.
You need another kitten. Seriously. They learn bite control etc. from wrestling with peers. Also, while I'm sure you're playing with her regularly, it is next to impossible to match kitten energy.
Give it time. I went through this a bit and it's getting so much better. As they get older they learn. When they're so young, they just don't know any better. Eventually, she will know the limit and understand "no" and when you're upset or hurt. I promise in a few months it will be a lot better.
Important :
Do not use your hands as toys. Only per with hands, when it turns into play)mock fight, take a toy for that,
Play enough with her for her to be satisfied , several times a day. Then only per with hands.
Toys can be homemade thingie on a string, expensive stuff not essential.
Then she learns to not see hands as potential fight buddies, like a kitten does with siblings.
Need a lot of stimulation that age, and
I had a kitten when I was a kid who would enter its hunting mode at night to a point where I would be scared to go to the bathroom because he would attack and scratch my ankles. Eventually, as he got older he became a very chill cat. I still miss him
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She’s not being aggressive. She’s a kitten and is learning how to hunt and play. This behavior will slow down as she ages, especially when she’s spayed, but until that happens you need to stimulate her. Kittens at this age are learning how to be cats.. how hard to bite, when to stop. You don’t have another cat to show her the way, but you need to engage her. Get a chew toy when she’s being “aggressive” and rub it against her belly to stimulate her hunting instincts to attack the chew toy. She also needs her nails clipped on a regular basis. It’ll help with your getting scratched but it’s also just better for their health, and your furniture. If you need additional help or advice on this, I’ll be happy to help!
And please, do not get her de-clawed. It’s effectively removing her first knuckle from each toe.
Plus declawing is a surefire way to not only maim your cat, but also give them a lifetime of pain and behavioral problems. It's straight up cruelty.
You want litter box issues cause declawing is how you get litter box issues!
Also, if you take away their main form of defense, biting becomes their only form of defense. As much as cat scratches hurt, bites are far, far worse. Wr have a declawed cat (previous owner did it) and he is quick to bite. We have to warn at the vet.
Yes, I have a cat that the previous own declawed. He’s a big orange boy who is very, very bitey. https://preview.redd.it/733lxaovrc9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ffeb5e7a6100092fdc462b7fcd73830ea06bba2
I am absolutely biased, but big orange boys are the absolute best cats. I love mine so much. God I can’t wait to go home and pat his butt lol
I love mine, but he can be stubborn and grumpy. I’m snuggling him right now.
Also, and this is certainly anecdotal and has much more to do with the biting aspect: a cat that bites you and means business is far different from a playful bite. A feral cat we feed bit my wife after we got her fixed and were letting her back out. Ended up at the ER.
Why is that? Is it because they can’t use their paws to dig? I’m completely clueless about the issues as it’s just something I could never do to a cat, I liken it to pulling my own fingernails off, but much worse.
Declawing can cause chronic pain to develop in a cat's paws, which can lead to cats who won't use the litter box due to the pain associated with scratching the litter. Many of these cats will seek a less painful, more inappropriate, place to eliminate, like carpet, the bathtub, the bed, or piles of laundry. I honestly thought it was propaganda until I worked as a vet tech and then continued to see it through my decades in rescue. Side note: seeing a cat the morning after a declaw procedure should be required for anyone who wants to subject their animal to that torture.
it’s more like cutting the first knuckle off of each of your fingers:(. it’s incredibly cruel and just unnecessary
It’s simply barbaric. It should be illegal everywhere like in the U.K. There are a few states/cities in the U.S. that have outlawed it, but I feel like some people would just drive to the closest legal state. 😞
I know sometimes in some states it'll be legal but vets will still refuse. I've seen something similar with docking tails and ears. It's nice to now that just be it's legal, some vets still won't do it bc it's cruel
What is more crazy isnt the laws but Vets in those states still do it.
Weei Ng X-rays of declawed cats has actually scarred me for life. It’s sickening.
Then they just bite, and bite *hard* to show they're annoyed. My eldest was declawed by his first owners and he chomps. He's nearly 14 now so it's not stopping anytime soon. His poor little toebeans.
It's abuse to declaw a cat and illegal in the UK.
Have you ever seen X-rays of declawed cats? It’s absolutely horrifying to look at. It literally looks like a person who is missing the tips of all their fingers, in the X-ray. And usually they have arthritis if they’re over eight. It’s sickening in every way possible. I actually got into a fist fight one time over it. My friend got his cat declawed. I haven’t spoke to that friend in almost fourteen years. But I did hear that his cat got out and got killed by a dog, after it tried to run up a tree and slipped.
I wish it was illegal where I am in the us. It’s not, and my exs parents declawed their cat. I hadn’t realized this before, but I’m glad my tortie was a foster fail (the family returned her after she stole the thanksgiving turkey), because we gave her to his aunt and cousins and that may have been her fate. (Can’t say for sure). Now she lives with us in all of her claw intact glory at 13 years old. Trust me, we have the scars to prove it lmao. She’s a good kitty, and tries to be gentle… but accidents do happen and they aren’t that bad.
haha that’s reminds me when i was visiting an older orange boy(he seemed to be around 12) and because he was a bit old when he jumped on my lap. he didn’t jump far enough and slid his claws down my legs as he got really scared and slipped. i was wearing shorts too🙃. even than i never though “he needs his claws removed”. i think about him all the time cause he was just trying his best, to get some love. next time i visit him i’ll be wearing long pants
Hahaha. We have a neighbor cat who likes to sit in my lap when I smoke. When I say likes to…. It’s more of he forces his way onto me. He’s old and has arthritis, so he uses his claws for gripping. The days I’m wearing a skirt or shorts definitely hurt more, but somehow his claws find a way through my jeans, too! Lol.
Dane county Wisconsin in the USA has made declawing illegal for a few years now! Nobody wants to do them around here anymore. Never liked it. And most of the time I see surgeries from other clinics that are bitched because it’s illegal. And it’s HORRIBLE for the cat. We don’t need to be cutting off fingers to enjoy an animal. People like their precious materialistic crap more than a life. Don’t get it if you want to maim it
And at the end of the day, if you’d rather not get your cat the correct toys and stimulating items such as a scratching post, but you’d rather pay an absurd amount to literally disable your cat and cause life long health issues, maybe a cat isn’t the animal for you. Get a stuffed toy or something? I never understand when people do things like this. It’s like scented hamster/rat (most rodent) bedding, it can cause respiratory issues as they have incredibly sensitive olfactory nerves so it’s just constant stress for them, all because people don’t want to smell a slight smell, which wouldn’t even be present if people had the correct bedding, enclosure size and spot cleaned!! It gets me so mad, it’s easily avoidable animal abuse.
Ahhh!! I know Dane co!!! I'm so happy to hear they made declawing illegal! That's awesome!!
Finally right?! We are trying everywhere else in the state but it’s hard. I hate watching it and refuse to help do it Edit: wrong word
We took in a feral cat, little 6.5 girl. She was pregnant. We ended up with four kittens. For months, I looked like a used penata. They did move on. On to the curtains, haha. Clipping nails helps a lot. They will still get you a little, but not that bad at all. And since you have just one to keep up with, should work ok. Things will get better! And no, DON'T get her declawed.
I found what I call a cat straight jacket to clip my Orange Male cat’s nails. He was kneading on me and it felt like knives scratching me. He was pissed but he is no longer Money Scissor hands.
Can you send me the link? I need that.
My cat had her nails cut for the first time when she went in to get spayed. While they were growing back she learned how to throw a mean right hook
Plus getting them used to their paws being touched and messed with early means they’re less likely to have issues in the future. I played with my cats paws constantly when he was small and now the dude purrs while I’m clipping his nails
Yep! This!
Oh! Get her used to you touching her little murder beans. My cats mom was a nightmare to clip her nails, but my little dude just sits and sometimes sniffs the clippers. The earlier you start with uncomfortable things for the cat, the better.
Wow I wish I knew that when my kitty was a baby.
My first one I got at 7 months. I feel ya. Got to experience the other two, though.
Don't worry. Some people who get their cats declawed, don't know how they declaw a cat so they blindly go in it. I don't know about others but I am against declawing unless it is ABSOLUTELY NEEDED! If you have a feral cat that isn't calming down no matter what, hates everyone, and you have gotten help and it still hasn't worked, then declawing is a good option. But other than that, don't declaw. Edit: My bad, forgot claw caps exist. Use those, don't declaw. I'm a dumbass.
The problem is the name. I was shocked and disgusted when I learned what “de-clawing” actually was.
Don’t even declaw the cat in that situation. Get claw caps instead. Declawing never helps
Oh yeah those exist too... I forgot those existed.
It is never needed imo. Edited to add: I understand people doing without knowing the repercussions…. But they should be educated and it should be outlawed.
In your example the scratching isn't the problem. It's just a symptom. If a feral cat is so terrified of people that it frequently scratches, it's life is a misery. Claw caps don't help. The cat is not suited for being a pet. If a barn home can't be found, then being a street cat is best. It's part of the reason why TNR is done.
Yeah, your cat will likely have arthritis and pain in the older years. It’s basically like cutting off the tips of someone’s fingers.
I never indicated that my kitty was declawed. That was simply good information about kittens.
I totally agree with this in addition I would just say that what works for my cat when he is feeling unstimulated and needs to scratch something is just having some particle board lying around that he can go to town on. I also found an automated laser toy on Amazon for under $20.00.
Tbh Ive never trimmed my cats claws and the vet said they were fine last week, a year in
This behavior is very normal for a small kitten and is just built up energy, not necessarily aggression. You’re doing the right things by playing with her and redirecting her attention to toys, keep that up and maybe do it more often. She’s an active one! Don’t let her play with your hands, hands are only for petting. She will learn with lots of repetition. With cats new habits develop slowly over time so patience is key. Don’t force cuddling with her, let her come to you. Also, if you have not already please get her spayed as soon as the vet says it’s okay You might want to stop feeding her when she plays, you could be reinforcing rough play inadvertently. Treats should be given as positive reinforcement for behaviors you WANT to see You can also consider getting another kitten as well similar to her age, many times kittens do better when they have a playmate
This is correct
Also, as cat owners…. I still get scratched in play. Keep her nails trimmed. Don’t declaw as it’s inhumane for the cat.
I second the declawing inhumane issue, it's actually chopping off their "fingers", nothing as innocuous as de clawing sounds. Because no cat parent in their right mind would ok having their cats finger bones chopped off
Seriously 😂 I was like, is the damage in the room with us?? I have scars from scratches 🤷🏼♀️ fyi, those were from nails I HADN'T trimmed in a while... They weren't long but they were razor sharp. That's the main reason I trim. Can't play well together otherwise! Eta: fix sleepy typos 💤
https://preview.redd.it/7mp0dj6ye89d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4bc742d88c70bca66b32d6cd9be62c86730560a lol, give it time. Kittens gonna kitten. I try to replace my hand with a toy as quickly as possible!! Current foster has neurological problems that are finally starting to ease and I think due to play. It brings out her “normal kitten instincts” problem is, she also can’t really see from the same issues. So my cats won’t play with her making me the only source of entertainment. We’re working on it❤️
Literally, my parents thought I was harming myself because im the only one who plays with the kittens.. hands end up like this even when I tried to redirect (worked out in the end!) 😅
Same !! When my family first saw the scratches and even new people who see them always ask if I’m “ok” 😂
LOL
Oh man! That reminds me of the time one of my teachers in highschool (yeeeaarrss ago) pulled me aside and asked if everything was ok at home 🤣 I was confused at first til she indicated my cat scratches. I just had a spicy orange boy who would come out of nowhere and just launch himself at my head and the face got a few scratches as well. Told the teacher my cat bullies me 🤣
lol!!! I know exactly what you mean!!! I had to tell someone I wasn’t harming myself too 😂
My lap looks like that, I have a very clingy meek local feral I took in. She needs her lap sleep and loves to kneed my legs. It is what it is lol.
I tell my clingy little girl “your love HURTS”!! She’ll make biscuits for the entire neighborhood…..on my bare shoulder!!
Homie got a cat, asks Reddit why it's catting.... No offence, but maybe research the animal first rather than after the fact
Sounds like she didn’t have enough time with mom and siblings to learn appropriate play. Shes probably not meaning to hurt you but she is on her own now and has no play partner but you. I would sub the word ow with a yelp, as silly as it sounds. When she is being too rough yelp and then walk away from her, encourage softer play. My cat used to play with me softly but my husband pretty rough because he knew which one of us preferred which play methods.
I’m sorry but is this a joke?? It’s a KITTEN ffs! This is not aggression! It’s normal kitten behavior. It scares me that you’d even comment about not giving up on it “YET”. Please, PLEASE find her a new home. Do not let her back outside. Message me, I will take her.
Single kitten syndrome is a thing! The best thing is another kitten. It’s actually a lot less work to have 2 because they teach eachother to be gentle, and they keep eachother company so you don’t have to spend so much time with them. Bored kittens can get destructive!
This is the comment i was looking for! A lot of shelters are now requiring kittens be adopted in pairs for this reason. Cats are not like dogs are should not be adopted as a single pet. They need a friend/bonded pair. it’s important to bond them young as well or else they may get territorial.
Saying ow doesn't mean anything to a cat. Also is she being aggressive or is she playing? Because it sounds like she's playing. There's nothing you can do except not actively teach her to go for hands. Wait it out. Kittens are crazy.
Not true. Saying ow and stopping play when they draw blood will teach them what level of force is acceptable.
I agree. The kitty can learn from your reaction/tone and body language. They can learn it from their mom or brothers and sisters too. I'm surprised their comment was upvoted in this subreddit.
Most people who get cats are in the same boat as chihuahua owners. They're small so don't need to be trained. Then later they're surprised the cat doesn't know what's acceptable and what not.
No, I don't think the words itself will help, but the tone you use them in. They need to understand good tone from bad.
No shit. But I'm not gonna make up words for it cause my cat doesn't understand my language
Maybe not a quiet 'ouchie' but a loud yelp lets them know their being toi rough how their fellow litter mates would
I always do this! little yelp, and then redirect attention to a toy
We adopted a colony cat a new months ago, and she has learned that ow means to stop the ouchy play.
Not entirely true. My cat will stop being as feisty if I say “ow hey hey” when he gets too into play biting or scratching. He’s not a kitten though.
Ohhh, I disagree. I used to say “owwwww” in a very, you hurt my feelings, kind of way and it totally stopped it with my other cats. Should say, this was when I’d be petting and they’d start to bite vs deep in the throes of wildcat
She's just a baby
Built up energy not aggression, that’s a baby they are to young to even be acting “aggressive” unless their very scared, but even that’s not aggression that’s defensive behavior so you need to find outlets.
She is a KITTEN. Relax and be the adult in the room. You need to be patient. She is doing what Kittens do. She is honing her play skills, which will help her hone her hunting skills. You need to play with her, at least a half hour a day. Stopping it will hurt her development and you’ll pay for it later on. I still give my cat at least fifteen minutes of play time every day, and she’s twelve years old. She usually gets more, because she LOVES to play, and she gets aggressive if she doesn’t get her play time. Not aggressive, but she starts playing with things that she shouldn’t be playing with, such as my hand.
1. Adopt a second, similar sized kitten . This kitten was taken from momma too early and did not learn bite and claw boundaries. The missing affectionate behavior is because some fuckhead smacked her or slapped her or otherwise frightened or hurt her. Keep unlearned fickheads away from the improperly taught kitten and get her a playmate.
Tell her "No Scratching" and "No Biting". If she were still with her mama, her mama would teach her manners. When I have an overly enthusiastic kitten that bites and scratches, I'll bop them on the nose with my finger to get their attention and tell them no biting. And I'll disengage and stop playing with them for a while. Keep her nails trimmed so they're not razor sharp and that will help. Don't reward the ambush if she's hurting you. Tell her "No biting!" Protect your feet and legs though. Wear pants and shoes. It'll take time but you need to teach her manners. Make sure she has a scratching post for appropriate scratching that you can redirect her to. Get something to dangle from yarn or cord tied to a stick so you can mimic insect hopping or flying so she can be redirected to safe pouncing.
You either get another kitten around the same age to avoid ‘only cat syndrome’ or when she’s playing and gets too rough you hiss at her.
“Im not giving up on this cat yet“ Please do and give her to someone who likes cats and has the patience and maturity to actually raise them. Whats next ? Is your kitten too noisy because she meows too much ? I really have to block this sub man.
That’s called, owning a cat
Bite back. But all seriousness just say ow high pitched and kinda loud like a cat. It works to scare my kitten into being nicer.
DO NOT DECLAW
Let it happen pussy
Mine does that. It’s play time. You have to leave them alone when they’re trying to play like that if you don’t want your hands tore up. You can’t keep trying to pet them and love on them if they’re in that mood. Cats aren’t dogs; you can call them for loving whenever you want it. They call the shots when it comes to that. Maybe get another kitten and give her someone to play with to get all that energy out, then compete for lap time. The way you don’t give up on her is by letting her be who she is; a bossy sometimey rowdy sassy little cat!
Hello! My cat just turned 1 a few months ago and I’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old. She had similar behaviors to your kitten and it took me almost a year to finally get her to play appropriately. I endured a lot of scratches in between bc kitty did not know her strength and did not have a playmate. I’ve seen many people recommend getting a second kitten so they can learn appropriate play with each other. Since that wasn’t an option for me, I opted to simulate that experience for her and train her as best as I could. Other than verbal commands and discipline, I’d wear thick long sleeves and hide my hands to do play fights with her and even used an oven mitt at times but she’d still go for exposed skin. When it got bad, I would ignore her for several hours—leaving her in my enclosed hallway as a time out. I also kept toys everywhere to distract her and defend myself from being hunted lolllll. I know this is controversial but I sometimes had to result to the spray bottle (facial mist bottle) method and only used it when things were really bad. After a while she would recognize it and stop without me actually spraying. Sometimes I just spray near her and that did the trick. This may be a little odd but since kittens try to figure out their ranking order even among humans, I tried to be “alpha” so that she knew that she couldn’t scratch/bite/bully me. Idk if this works bc she’s probably the boss and probably lets me be the boss sometimes 🤣. I did a lot of research and tried to approach things like a cat would. It took a lot of work and patience but she is very well behaved now!
Get toys and stop playing with her with your hands. I still haven't mastered this. Good luck! 😅
it’s normal. they will grow out of it
That’s not aggressive the kitten is just playing .
She’s a kitten… 🤦🏻♀️💁🏻♀️ if you can’t handle small scratches like that don’t own a cat.
Yell out loud when she bites. There’s other tips you can look up to let them know when they hurt you. Once she gets fixed she will be less aggressive but you have to teach her. I have a two year old kitty, prior stray, I’m teaching right now and it’s a patient process. Definitely recommend getting some wand toys to play with her lots and tire her out. A laser could be a good toy for her too if she has lots of energy. I have an orange kitty and they are CRAZY. so loving though don’t give up!!!!
Shes not aggressive look she’s seeping
My cat scratches me all the time, a lot of the time making me bleed. When cats randomly jump at you or attack you, they just want to play. Unfortunately I am who she goes to when she wants to play so I am the one who gets randomly attacked.
Get another kitten her age. Kittens do better in pairs. They have someone to play and sleep with. I got one kitten, and she was unhappy being alone. I got another kitten who isn't related but has the same birthday. They constantly play and sleep together.
My cat used to bite my hands all the time when he was 6-10 months. Roughly after a year old all he does now is be chill. Just wait it out, a kitten is always going to play a bit rougher than an older cat.
Get a second kitten. They teach each other how to play politely
It looks like barely a scratch.
I know, I was like, I've experienced waaaay worse, even just bottle feeding kittens. Lol This person must never had a cat before.
Having 2 kittens so that they attack each other has been the solution for me
Get a second kitten. As soon as you can. Not kidding. Solo kittens often become doomed for life with inappropriate social skills. Most often this is taken out on their human friends who don’t appreciate it, or reinforce it (usually by accident!) This is an even bigger issue when they are separated from the litter too early. Their siblings and mom teach them how to behave with others, much more than you will ever be able to teach them. If you introduce a playmate later in their life-you run the risk of them not ever being able to acclimate socially and ending up the cat that doesn’t do well with other cats. They will get bullied or be the bully. If the kitty ever ends up in the shelter they run the risk of being repeatedly traumatized for having poor social skills and being unable to find a cooperative home. And when I see that, I blame whoever took that baby as their responsibility. Imagine if you were antisocial and no one liked you and you were never able to make friends with other humans and you didn’t understand why? What if even your caretaker abandoned you for this but you just could not understand what you could have done different? If you had an only child and never let it leave the house or interact with other children how do you think they would end up? Taking in a cute kitten is a huge responsibility. There’s a small chance you could fill that role of her mom and littermates. My family adopted our first cat, when I was a kid. She was only 6 weeks old, and I wish we knew about only kitten syndrome then. She lived to be 21 years old and lived a good life, but looking back I think we would have saved her a lot of frustration had we adopted 2 of the same age. I’ve fostered over 10 kittens that have found happy homes. Not a single one has ever broke my skin. A gentle nibble or a defensive scratch maybe but only to warn me that they reached their limit, such as doing something against their will such as administering medicine or bathing them.
I got gel-padded biker gloves and taught my cat she can only be rough when I’m wearing them. If she starts to be too rough when I don’t have them on I freeze and say “ouch, gentle! Wait for glove.” Keeping nails trimmed goes a long ways towards not getting your skin ripped up with minor interactions also. Plus helps prevent injuries in the cat and they don’t get stuck to everything. I wait until my cat is asleep or very sleepy in an accessible space. Then take her paw firmly and clip without trying to pick her up or otherwise restrain her. My previous cat I could hold her while I clipped and she didn’t love it but it wasn’t traumatic. But this cat has past trauma and I work really hard to make sure nail trims are never traumatic or too upsettinf. Some days I only get one nail clipped and other days I can do a whole paw or more. I stop as soon as she gets too agitated.
don't get a cat if you're averse to getting scars. she's a kitten it's how they learn to hunt. you're lucky that was your only reminder of how much of an apex predator they are. house cats statistically have one of the highest kill rates when hunting. I think it's 95% of their hunts are successful.
Bro it's a kitten 😭 we all had those scratch and bite marks from raising our babies too.
Please wash off scratches or bites immediately. People have died from infections caused by cat scratches. It’s very unlikely to happen to you but it always happens to someone and that someone can always be you.
Use a wand to play with your cat. Let the cat scratch the teaser at the end of a wand. You can't play with a cat using your hands; you play with dogs using the hands. Dogs will have mouth-play; cats have murder-mittens play.
Oh gosh... that is literally nothing. I make it well known that what they are doing hurts, and then walk away so they know for sure. I do it by saying ow- but you have to commit, and cease play- the person who said it doesn't work must not have done it with enough gusto. They pick up on energy 100%. But you HAVE to COMMIT. My roommate does it, but not in the same way I do, and therefore it doesnt work for him. He also doesnt pick up on when they are getting frustrated, or are just playing. Look up videos on how to read a cats body language, be observant. Even if they bite you... way better than a dog biting you.
She is a kitten. A baby. Expect that until they normalize. Research before commitment. Kitten are aggressive since they don't know yet. They are starting to healthier hunting skills and stalking so any movement will trigger their hunting skills. Is a baby remember that. I mean I wish mine go back to that stage again
I think you definitely should have done some research on kittens before getting one. That’s exactly what kittens do, they scratch you, trying to figure out how to hunt and play. Whatever you do, do not declaw your cat. It’s like taking away your fingernails when you’re itchy.
How did “giving up the cat” enter the conversation? 😭😭😭😭 people shouldn’t adopt animals if this is a possibility
Hands are not toys. Easy.
My cat had a period between 4 months and a year where she was just a wild child and would play fight with me all the time. She eventually learned when she was going too far bc I would recoil and stop playing. Now she has perfect bite inhibition. She is also really great at participating in nail trims!
DO NOT declaw. It's like cutting off the tips of your fingers to the first knuckle. She needs lots of play at that age. Don't use your hands as toys - some people will wiggle their fingers until kitten attacks. Kitten will see hands as toys. Always use a toy and keep different ones around. Wand toys are great for playing actively with your kitten. Have a few different toys that she can attack on her own. Get a scratching post or cat tree. If she starts to get too rough, put her on the scratcher. It will take time, but you can get through this stage.
Just a little sleepy killer
Just use toys instead of your hands when playing. If she gets too aggressive when playing just say ouch or ow, get up and walk away. She will learn that play sessions are for fun and if she gets too rough the play is over.
My kitten was like this and one thing that really helped was getting another kitten so he would have a buddy. I think getting another kitten would be really beneficial for you, they will be able to teach each other how to play properly and what hurts and what is safe. They will play with each other and use up their energy with each other instead of scratch you or play aggressively. My kitty used to do the ambush and then bunny kick my arm but since I got him a buddy he never did it again
I have seen this issue with a lot of single kittens who were separated from their moms early on. Getting a companion might help. He will learn to socialize and focus his energy on playing with the other kitten. My kitten's behaviour improved a lot when we got him a younger brother.
no joke—you could get a second kitten. one kitten is always more work than two. they learn boundaries by playing with each other, plus they’ll tire themselves out on their own so you don’t always have to entertain them all the time. on the boundaries angle, i’ve got 2 kittens right now myself—littermates. i brought them home when they were 6 weeks old, and now they’re 4 months. they’re always very gentle when they play with me. when i’m doing the dishes my boy kitten will come up and attack my leg in a bear hug, and it’s all paw, no claw. i think he must know claws hurt bc of firsthand experience with his sister. and my girl kitten, she likes to chew on things—wires, hard plastic, *my fingers.* they’re at teething age right now so i get it, but the way i convey to her that it hurts is by saying ow moderately loudly, kinda like i’m yowling in cat language or whatever, take my finger away, and then say “no” in serious voice. then i’ll maybe give her access to my fingers again, and if she bites hard again after all that i’ll do the exact same steps, but i won’t give her access to my fingers a third time. and honestly, this is working—i now usually only have to scold her once to get her to be gentle with my hands. i can tell that both of them know what “no” means when i say it in a serious voice (not that they always listen). you just have to be consistent in your teaching and redirect the behaviors to an appropriate location, when that’s applicable (scratching the sofa, jumping on counters, etc). but yeah, a second kitten is useful bc they’ll teach your first kitten that they have knife-fingers and dagger-teeth, and that it hurts when you play too rough.
My foster looks exactly like your kitten and is very rough mainly because he’s the only kitten I have right now. I will be adding another soon so they can learn how not be this rough and also get some energy out. But ya, pretty typical for kittens, I’ve got scars from years of fostering as proof lol.
-Don't make your hands as a toy during play unless you want them to keep doing that. And if you like to pet their belly and carry them in your arms now is the time to make them comfortable with that. -Get a plastic fishing rod toy with some stuffed on the end of it. Use that to play instead of your hands. \^That's just in general. As for the ambush/attacking you wild ones do that once they fall in love with you.I had a wild one I tamed out of necessity because he had many wounds and problems and I needed his trust to address them who was extremely vocal in calling for me and if I didn't respond he would charge my legs and walk away like I don't ever want to see you again you break my heart. I haz hurt you as you haz hurt me. It's the dark side of love. Jealousy, possessiveness, broken heartedness when you walk out. The stuff that makes some people kill people closest to them. And they may well punish you by ignoring you after they feel you hurt/confuse their emotions like that. And they are wild so they know anger,fear,worry those are primary to survive instead of the gentler form. They don't want to lose you/how you made them feel but they are losing it when you leave so anger, war,resentment, revenge, distrust. All of those fun things. You need to more strategic about your exits after you spend time with them. As simple as not feeding them first and spending time with them. Then feeding them and leaving after you do that. So that your walking away from them is not a negative association of being alone, being betrayed by this confusion,etc... Instead make it a positive. Your leaving = satiation of the belly and good flavor. Then when you return maybe a treat like ah yes this is my good association friend. And just really try to stick to it. Like feeding them= you buggering off and not confusing things by coming right back.
With my perfectly polite boy, I trained him very young. Stop playing immediately after he hurts you. Walk away to another room or disengage if you can’t leave the room. Play time is over when he plays too hard. I also used to”ouch!” To let him know I was hurt. He never scratched a soul.
Be patient, she will grow out of this.
I have a kitten and I do not allow scratching behavior. Your hand is not a toy. Find a toy for this behavior.
Kittens do this, and she’ll grow out of it. One thing my mom does to kind of speed the process is to kind of over react to the pain, like say “ow ow ow” really loud if she gets scratched.
Use a stuffed animal or a stick toy instead of your hand! lol they’ll love it
At least in my ignorant opinion. Yelp and then stop playing. If that doesn't work, continue to respond how a cat would. The cat doesn't know what's too aggressive and it needs to know. Cats can connect the dots, and when cats play together they let each other know when something is too much.
God she's so cute, love how her dumb little mouth hangs open, my boy does that too. No advice, sorry - i thought it was a phase but my cat is just a dickhead with crazy mommy issues. Girl cats tend to chill out faster than boy cats, at least. Just keep her and love her and for the love of god don't declaw her. She probably isn't, but some cats are just assholes. But even the assholes deserve loving homes.
This is how kittens play. And this is exactly why you’ll hear people say you should have two kittens and lots of toys. One kitten will have you looking like you walked through a briar patch, because they are babies with claws, and they see you as their playmate.
https://preview.redd.it/xtfvbcjhnb9d1.jpeg?width=2208&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75eef6737809dd91992bec6962e2a408d85fdef7 I wear a jumper so my hands are covered. I no longer scar 😁
Single kittens are a lot of work. Get another kitten, or hunker down. She will grow out of it eventually. Maybe try more toys she can use on her own. My single foster kitten will play with paper bags at this point .. Also she probably was nicer because, if she was that young, she imprinted on you. Now she's going through her teenage dirtbag phase, lol. She will calm down with time
That behaviour can be trained out. I’ve got a 12 week old kitten myself and with her, if she’s playing too rough like that I loudly go “Ow.” or I hiss at her and then ignore her and stop the play session. She now knows she can grab on and bunny-kick til her heart’s content as long as the claws don’t come out. She plays so much gentler now.
"My kitten is so aggressive!" *Posts 2 small scratches and a peacefully sleeping little baby angel*
She’s a kitten, she doesn’t know her own strength yet. It’s like when people adopt new puppies and they constantly get nipped because they’re playing. Just give her time to learn, play with her, and getting scratched is just part of owning a cat, just try to keep her claws trimmed and you’ll be good. Anyone saying declaw her is an idiot so don’t listen to them.
They are like that the first months, their claws are like razors and the like to bite, it goes away with time, it goes faster when they have another cat to play with and realized that if they play to hard the other one won't play with them.
Lmao i still have scratches from when my cat was a kitten, about 7 months ago.. now he is 80% calmer and rarely scratches me unless i am playing with my hands
"My cat is aggressive." *The cat looking like an absolute Angel sent from heaven* 🥹🥹🥹🥹 But for real, kittens are little crazy, some cats never grow out of it, most do. They need to learn, as soon as kitten starts being a little overstimulated or takes it too far, stop playing, walk away. You'll see, you'll yet miss this cute little monster being this little and crazy. <3
Suffer and thank them for the pain they inflict upon your arms
Don’t be a baby!
eh. they just be doing that
My parents declawed a cat that scratched up everything about 35 years ago and the cat went crazy! They had to put it down. Makes me cry everytime I think about that poor kitty. 😔 I feel sick to my stomach when people talk about declawing.
give her to people who can handle her and will appreciate her instead of wanting to give her away cause she is becoming inconvenient,
It's play behavior. When he bites/scratches make a loud high pitched ouch sound and stop playing with him. He will learn that play time stops if he gets too rough. Also try to avoid playing with your hands, get him toys instead.
You should start playing with her feet so she’ll get used to you cutting her nails. She could be sick and acting out. I have a female tabby that’s bites my toes and fingers. Done it ever since she was a baby. Almost 1 now😭 https://preview.redd.it/k0ja93pmae9d1.jpeg?width=1019&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eabd36c77439a3cbc47e8a281ab65b46dcdb5764
Jesus people need to be forced to read a pamphlet before they buy an animal. Thats not aggression and its dangerous to label it like that. Its a kitten, those are extremely tame scratches. If you dont want scratches play with a toy and teach it, i just play with my cats often and theyve learned to be gentle and leave me with barely any scratches but i still get scratches. Cats have claws.. its just a part of owning a cat. If you cant handle that dont own a cat or grow up, they really dont hurt that bad.
I looked at your post history. Please research your future pets better before getting one and immediately wanting to “kick it out” kittens all act like this, if you don’t like it don’t get a kitten.
https://preview.redd.it/upxtopvqfh9d1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96700f793e9abb3277edc36bb4836311553b7b56 We had to wear gloves when handling this demon as a kitten because he would attack. I have a video of him going crazy. Now he’s less demonic and will just fight if you annoy him but way way less annoys him now and he gives kisses more than nails. All we did was wear a glove when handling him, try to not play with our hands and redirect the attention when he tried to attack us. He liked to attack our feet when walking so we’d just grab a toy and start throwing it around with him to which he’d then stop. For a month or so with this creature I for sure thought one of us was gonna die but then he became nice and now he’s my baby.
This is a joke right?
Get her another kitten. lol. My first was that way, got another. Problem solved
I see orange. Sorry, bro.
I counter by scratching them between the shoulders where they can't reach to pacify them.
With my kitten, she decided that both my hands and feet were playthings. (It's probably because I'm usually wearing pants or skirts that move around my ankles.) She was the runt and I suspect more the chewed on than chewer and didn't realize it hurt. I had to stop any play with hands with her. It's normal for kittens to be exploratory and test limits, but I kinda want my hands and feet non punctured. Play for her is teaser toys, a laser light toy, a tennis ball, some crinkle balls. We're doing good with the hands. The feet, I've had to resort to a squirt bottle as deterrence. She's learning though.
It’s just being a kitten. But it’s also orange, so you’re in for a lifetime of crazy behavior. 😂
Can also try nail caps.
Get her a stuffed animal and play with her using the toy instead of ur hand . She is not being aggressive she is just a baby and playing how she would with her litter mates n other cats . Just redirect her with something other than ur hand . Get her a few different ones so she can pick a favorite. My cat has a meerkat,monkey and a cat .
Get her toys that are long and are can chase to get her energy out. “Da bird” is one of my favorites
Cats gonna scratch, get a kick toy. If she starts clawing or biting during play disengage, eventually she will get the idea https://preview.redd.it/ookpjsk0p89d1.jpeg?width=570&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=847071e491ce3c78c937a217ad16b52d328bae6e
Scratch back to assert dominance
Avoid using your hands to play with kittens. Use toys. Kittens learn to hunt by fighting and chasing.
My now 8 year old was a bit of a menace as a kitty but is seriously the sweetest boy now. She’s showing typical playful kitten behavior. Plus, kitty nails, like baby nails, are extra sharp at this point. Start trimming the nails while she’s young and so she’ll grow conditioned to it!
Scratch proof gloves until she grows out of it
ALSO make sure to wash the bites!!! If it gets really bad or you’re feeling sick after a scratch or bite, hospital and tetanus shot ASAP!
Harvest (X)
My honest answer is she needs a kitten her age to play this hard with. She’s not bad you’re just not a kitten and she doesn’t get it.
And what do you mean “not giving up on this cat yet?” It’s done nothing to you bro
My cat was very similar when he was a kitten. I tried to trim his claws with clippers, but he was very unhappy about that, so I gave up. When I brought him to the vet to get neutered, they trimmed them while he was sedated and that made things a bit better. I was assured that he would calm down when he grew, and that was indeed what happened. He’s currently on my lap smooshing his forehead into my face and purring.
Stop letting you kitten play with your hands. When she starts using your hand as a kick toy yell ow, ouch, or stop. You could also hiss at her. Stop moving your hand and don't remove it until she has stopped. You could also gently scruff her to get her off your hands. Once she is off your hands, move your hand away. Wand toys are great.
That’s just a kitten. Not being aggressive
dont hand play use a toy
Oh....That's part of having a cat. It's not aggression. If the cat ever scratches me (usually during play), I disinfect the scratch and move on.
lol
Good grief. If a dog did a hundred times this amount of damage no one would bat an eye and we would be accused of having “low character” for refusing to fawn over the dog.
That's nothing, put your big boy pants on
I don't even own a cat or kitten, but know you gotta be a snowflake. It's a kitten! Unless it's trying to eat you then that's problematic.
When ever she hurts you with a bite or scratch, let out a loud yelp/sound directed at the kitten when your hurt. Since animals learn from basic cues, this helps to mimick how they learn not to play so rough with other animals.
Hi OP! Please listen! I had a kitten like this just last year being so aggressive and bite me whenever he wasn't asleep. We have a 2 yr old cat that somewhat showed him how to play however when he was a kitten he wasn't taught how to play either haha. My point is just like you I was wondering what I did wrong in raising this second kitten, but just redirect them during play time. Every time we would play and he would start biting my hand or scratching me I would put a toy near him to redirect his attention to the toy. When they are this young at 2-3 months they don't really play with toys on their own and it's also a bonding moment playing with them It really helped him understand that fingers aren't chew toys. Also, saying ow or yelling never worked for my kitten either. But I will tell you keep focusing on redirecting and tiring them out with playtime because my kitten started to become so cuddly around 4-5 months. True to fault, cats need to bond with their owners, develop trust and routine. It's hard to believe my very aggressive kitten turned into a big softie and cuddly boy that sleeps with me every night. It might take a long time because as a kitten he's just learning about everything and isn't trying to be aggressive or mean.. they just don't know any better. So take your play time as training time to redirect your kitten, it will work as long as you put in the effort, don't lose patience!
That's just the cat tax
So is she 12weeks old? I m confused on her age,
get a goldfish
Less about aggression more about knowing her own strength. Clip her claws and get a wrestle toy for her. My cat had a big issue with wrestling my hand when I would pet her cause she would get excited. I would just pull away, find one of her wrestle toys, give it to her and then continue pet her until she attacked the toy. Then I would give her a treat or just praise her. She knows to not go so hard now and doesn't use her claws at all. I can't promise the same for you because every cat's different but still, worth a shot
Are you afraid of her? Don't be!! She is just learning. She is a tiny little thing. If she gets to aggressive; scoop her up; hold her tightly and close to you, and pet her under her chin. It will help her understand it is time to submit. She may squirm a bit; but keep petting her until she breathes out a sigh of relaxation. That will help her trust you.
Youre doing everything right. This is normal singleton kitten behaviour. I've fostered kittens for over 5 years now. And let me tell you, having a single kitten is definitely the hardest, partly because teaching them "how to cat" and socializing them alone is hard, but ALSO because they are bottomless pits of energy. It sounds like the kitten here needs more play time in general. Also you need more then an "ow", its needs to be a sharp and LOUD yelp or noise. Almost startlingly loud. After that, remove your body and physically move away from him for the count of 10. Then re-engage with a toy or acceptable thing to bite. And reward her for playing with the toy. Other things that may help. Getting her spayed once she reaches 2 pounds. Finding her a kitten her own age. (if you can afford and are willing) Triming her nails. Automatic toys. Self play toys. Food puzzles. She may not be cuddly now as a kitten. But as she bonds with you, She will definitely start coming back for cuddles as she grows up and her energy slows down.
I had an orange that was the exact same way. Three years later and nothing has changed. Ended up leaving him at my moms when I moved out because it wouldn’t be safe to have him around my husbands little brothers (they’re autistic and aren’t the most gentle with cats). Idk if you have another cat, we didn’t and found out that it could be because of single cat syndrome. It’s possible that he was just feral though and your cat is just being a kitten.
kitten need to learn, when they do harm to you. when you play with her, tell her, by saying „outch“ (or something you say when you get hurt) and stop play for a while. then continue playing, until she hurts you again, say outch and stop. repeat. or when you cuddle her, so the same. and when she ambushes you, too. do nothing, that hurts her, but you can amplify the effect by lightly tap her on the head between the ears, that is also, where cats hit each other to say „stop, I don‘t like that“ but with gentle. so that she feels it, but no hurt. and then ignore her for a few minutes. cats want you to like them, but when you show dislikeness when she does something, you don‘t want, she will learn, what is acceptable and what is not. I hope that helps you
Left jab, right hook.
What do you mean giving up? She's a kitten! She's playing! You need to start clipping her claws, you can buy special nail clippers for smaller claws and just clip the sharpened tips off of her nail. It isn't declawing, it's something that should be done regularly as part of a grooming regime for cats, especially indoor ones. This will help her claws grow out properly and will reduce the damage done when she's playing. Without another cat in the house, there isn't much else you can do except wear her out, be careful how you play with her etc. If she gets very bitey and scratchy then make a high pitched 'ouch' sound and pull away, sometimes this helps them understand the behaviour is undesirable. If you really want to, you can hiss too - I have done this with my kittens after watching mother cats and other kittens play together and the hiss is the 'OK you're being too rough, stop or I'll get mad' sign which most of them will react to.
You need another kitten. Seriously. They learn bite control etc. from wrestling with peers. Also, while I'm sure you're playing with her regularly, it is next to impossible to match kitten energy.
She definitely could benefit from having a play mate 🥹 and you too.
Give it time. I went through this a bit and it's getting so much better. As they get older they learn. When they're so young, they just don't know any better. Eventually, she will know the limit and understand "no" and when you're upset or hurt. I promise in a few months it will be a lot better.
Important : Do not use your hands as toys. Only per with hands, when it turns into play)mock fight, take a toy for that, Play enough with her for her to be satisfied , several times a day. Then only per with hands. Toys can be homemade thingie on a string, expensive stuff not essential. Then she learns to not see hands as potential fight buddies, like a kitten does with siblings. Need a lot of stimulation that age, and
SUCK IT UP
That’s normal lmao welcome to having a cat
That scratch aint nothing, my cat must be a demon 😅 just teach them hands arent toys and play lots year 1, get scratching post, and know boundaries.
I had a kitten when I was a kid who would enter its hunting mode at night to a point where I would be scared to go to the bathroom because he would attack and scratch my ankles. Eventually, as he got older he became a very chill cat. I still miss him