My kitten attacks legs and scratches. How can I stop this behavior?

I see that Missy is 2 months old now. The activities that Missy is doing sound normal, but their teeth and nails are certainly sharp at that age. First, I would make sure to learn how to trim her nails and keep them short. I normally recommend trimming kittens' nails weekly because they grow so quickly. That will help quite a bit. Next, I would work on environmental enrichment for her to keep her mentally and physically busy. This website has a number of good ideas for that. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats One of my favorite things for cats is a no bowl feeding system like Doc & Phoebe ( https://docandphoebe.com/ ) that requires them to "hunt" for their food. You could also try a feeding ball. I also recommend using laser pointers and interactive cat toys like a Cat Dancer ( http://www.catdancer.com/ ) to get cats to play with you more appropriately. They key is to teach Missy new ways of playing with you that get her energy out, but do not hurt you! Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Sometimes this behavior can be related to boredom, anxiety or a desire to play roughly. There are a few things you can do which may help. Try enriching her environment. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. During the play time, if she seems like she wants to play rough, try to encourage her to wrestle with a stuffed animal. You may also try feeding her from a food puzzle and/or hiding food around the house for him to find. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with behavior. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I am so sorry that you are experiencing these problems with biting with Baxster. I am sure it is very upsetting for you. First of all rest assured that this is a very normal kitten behaviour. Kittens learn through play biting and it is part of our role as pet parents to help them learn limits. I would not attempt negative reinforcement such as striking Baxster or speaking harshly as this will potentially create more serious behaviour issues such as anxiety and fear-aggression. Try some calm corrections and positive reinforcement. If Baxster bites you, simply say in a calm voice "no" and stop interacting with him for a few moments. This over time will teach him that biting is not a desired form of play. Also try reinforcing him as he starts to play in a good way by not biting, and giver her a small training treat. If Baxster does manage to bite hard enough to break the skin be careful of a possible infection. Monitor your wound for heat. Swelling, or discharge. Make an appointment with your doctor if this occurs. If you are struggling with the biting after a couple of weeks of the above suggested training methods, potentially a few sessions with a behaviourist. Though these behaviours usually diminish naturally as kittens age. Other games which may be fun with Baxster, and can be used to deflect unwanted behaviours are, hide and go seek either with you and another person, or you hide his toys and she has to find them. Or classic fetch is surprisingly fun for cats too! I hope this was helpful!

I don't have a simple answer for you, but since Kumo is so active, I think the key will be to tire him out more, so he is not as frantic in his play interactions. First, I would work on environmental enrichment for Kumo. This website has a number of good ideas for that. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats One of my favorite things for cats is a no bowl feeding system like Doc & Phoebe ( https://docandphoebe.com/ ) that requires them to "hunt" for their food. You could also try a feeding ball. The goals with having Kumo have to "hunt" for his food is that he will use more energy doing that than just eating out of a bowl. I also recommend using laser pointers and interactive cat toys like a Cat Dancer ( http://www.catdancer.com/ ) to get cats to play with you more appropriately. That will hopefully give them a way to play with you that does not involve biting and scratching you or your family. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

In reality, unless what you are describing is truly a vicious attack (obviously I am not there to see it), a young cat exhibiting this kind of behavior is simply trying to play. When Abigail attempts to engage in this type of activity, you have a couple of different choices on how to address it. You can simply get up and walk away completely disengaging from the activity. Do not try to punish or reprimand as this sort of training method simply doesn't work at all in cats. The other thing you can try is instead of walking away, you can try to play with your cat in another way. Use toys, strings, balls, whatever makes Abigail the happiest. Hopefully this takes her mind off of your arms and feet and on the item you are wielding. If you truly feel there is an actual behavior problem that is continuing as she gets older, this would be something to address with positive reinforcement training and/or assistance of a professional. Hope this helps.

She's just playing but this can get worse if you don't discourage it now. I don't rub their belly as then they will bite and scratch more. Pet her on her head and down her back instead and gently under the chin. You can teach her to fetch or chase a toy or laser light. Keeping her tired with good exercise will calm her also. Playing rough or letting her bite and scratch will make the behavior worse so when she gets too playful just get up and ignore her. She'll learn that when she's calm you pet her and when she's too rough you'll leave. thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

She needs the play fighting to get muscles, strength and coordination. She was separated too young from her siblings and mother, where the kittens play fight wwith each other and learn to hunt. Kittens should stay with their siblings and mother until tey are at least 12 weeks old for that reason. That said. you can throw lots of paper balls for her to chase, make a toy out of a stick with a long string and tie a few feathers at the end of the string. Play with her often until she is tired. Never tussle with your hands. If she attacks your legs, gently take her off and distract her. She will climb curtains and you , and that is part of learning and normal. Do not punish her, because she will not understand. All this will get less over time.