My 6-month-old kitten bites my fingers during play. Should I stop?

It sounds like Gatsby is playing and some cats do like to play very rough. Try to think of other ways to give him that wild play he desires. Try to set aside at least 30 minutes a day to play hard with Gatsby so that he is running around being crazy! You can also try to use something like a large stuffed animal to see if he will wrestle with it (with you holding it obviously) instead of your hand. Provide a cat tree or other climbing opportunities as this helps to satisfy his instinctual needs. Lastly, when he starts to play to hard, stop the play and ignore him. You can give him attention again when he calms down. You could try a pheromone diffuser as well like Feliway. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any additional questions!

Huey is not mean. Normally kittens should be with their siblings and mommy until they are about three months old. During that time they play with their siblings and learn to hunt, use their muscles properly and get experience play fighting. Since he has no siblings in your house, he is now doing what all kittens need to do to grow up and he is choosing the only companion he has, which is you. You will need to play a lot with him now, Make toys like a paper on a string and let him hunt that, play little wrestling games and do not think he is mean when he bites. This is all normal behavior. Should he bite a little bit too hard, say "owie" and don't move. He will let go. He has to learn even how hard he can and needs to bite. Do not spray him with a bottle. He is only doing what is normal and natural.

Kittens are very playful at Jasper's age, and are often either teething or learning about the rules of play with humans. Shouting when he nips is not the way to go as it can cause him to become fearful of you and may increase his bad behavior rather than teaching him better ones. If gets playful and nippy when being petted, offering him a toy to chew on while you pet him can help him aim his energy to the toy rather than your hand. If he becomes too energetic, simply getting up and walking away until he calms down can teach him that being too rough ends the fun. You can also try to tire him out with a toy such as a feather on a string/pole to allow him to play and bite while keeping your fingers safe. Once he is tired, he may be more open to gentle petting.

Ouch! This can be tough. Try not to get him wound up during play, and check out this great behavior website for more info on how to curb his excessive play behavior: drsophiayin.com and search "cat behavior issues and aggression." Hope that helps!

The best thing to do is to allow the kittens to play together but when the play is begins to turn rough immediately separate them. This way your cat will begin to understand that this particular behavior (rough play) will result in a negative outcome (not getting to play). It will probably take several times of doing this for him to understand but he should get the hang of it soon enough. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

It can be difficult to stop this behavior! Make sure you never use your hands during play - toys only. If she begins to play using her claws or biting you should try offering an appropriate toy to play with. If she still tries to bite at you play time should stop, and you may even need to remove your attention or confine her somewhere alone until she’s able to calm down. Be persistent and with time she should realize that this is not an appropriate way to play.

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!