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My 6-month-old kitten nurses and bites me aggressively. How to stop?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 6 months and 3 days old | 5 lbs

Hello - we adopted a kitten two months ago who is now 6 months old. He and his littermates were found in a dumpster, only hours old, so no mother. My question is, how to stop him from trying to nurse on me. This past week, in the early a.m. he gets in bed with me and not only tries to nurse but gets bitey and almost aggressive about it. Any advice on how to stop or deter him?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Sara Farmer, DVM

Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 4th, 2017

This behavior is relatively common in kittens separated from their mother at a young age. I don't know that you could stop this behavior now that it is ingrained - you may want to restrict access to your bedroom in the morning instead. If Biff tries to nurse or bite at other times, you should give him something like a stuffed animal to play with and should remove yourself or him from the room.

This website has some general information on aggression in cats:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-behavior-issues/aggression-cats
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