Why does my cat bite me for attention? How can I stop this behavior?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Coco is adorable! Coco is just a kitten. Puppies and kittens sadly bite a lot. I would discourage play with your hands and only use toys. Also if she is sitting on your lap and you are petting her watch for signs that she is becoming annoyed with what you are doing (tail starts to flick, ears turning, turning her head towards your hand) and stop petting her. Most cats only like to be scratched or pet on their head and not past their shoulder blades. When she allows you to pet her without biting offer her treats. Refrain from chasing her, picking her up suddenly, rough housing with her as that can agitate cats then they become anticipatory for only negative interactions with you. When she is around you and not biting offer treats. Again she is very young and will likely grow out of a significant amount of this biting behavior. I wish you all the best!

Thanks for using PetCoach. This is a normal play behavior. (So is reaching out to claw your pants as you walk by or trying to catch your hands with her claws while you pet her.) There are two ways I handle this. One is to stop petting and leave so that she knows play time is over. Honestly it hasn’t really worked yet (she still does it sometimes) and my cat is now 18 mos. What seems to work better is to get up and grab her favorite toy and start playing with that. That is something she CAN bite and claw at and get those natural play behaviors out- without chomping my hands. My girl is OBSESSED with one very similar to the one in the link below. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/leaps-and-bounds-caterpillar-cat-teaser?rrec=true Hope this helps and best wishes to you and Raven!

I'd recommend stopping any attention as soon as Lizzie starts to exhibit any biting or pre-biting behavior (like rubbing against your hand). Immediately stand up and walk away if any aggressive play or biting occurs. Withdrawal of social contact with be a powerful learning tool for Lizzie. Also get plenty of new toys and rotate their use so Lizzie has appropriate things to play with and does not get bored. A Feliway Diffuser may be used to help reduce biting behavior and anxiety for Lizzie. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck!

I recommend you put some Feliway diffusers in your house and do some environmental enrichment for her. Usually these two things help. ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser ) ( thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely just a way of getting your attention. However, this is certainly dangerous and could result in an injury to you. I would recommend you consider keeping him separate in a different room or just in a crate while you sleep to avoid this. Hopefully, this behavior will improve on its own. Good luck!

Great question! Firmly tell her "no" and move the object away, or you move away. Ignorance can be seen as a type of punishment, it should only take 15 or so seconds for her to feel the lack of attention. If she is doing something bad across the room, you can use a spray bottle to spray her. Make sure to reinforce good behaviors with positive attention and a treat every now and then.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You are likely describing teething which is basically a normal type of behavior when kittens are growing up and it is secondary to mouth discomfort as teeth are growing. I recommend that you get Callie teething type toys which you can get at your local pet store or online. Anytime that she tries to nibble at you, you say no and give her the toy. This is likely going to resolve the issue. Good luck and have a great day!