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My kitten bites too much. What can I do to stop this biting habit?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Siamese | Female | spayed | 3 months and 5 days old

Hey, coco has grown a habit of bitting Me too much. Snoshi used to bite her since coco was 1month old. Still during play Both mother and kitten bite each other. When Snoshi was a kitten she never had any one bitten like coco does. How can i alter Coco's behavior of bitting.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on August 2nd, 2018

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!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on August 5th, 2018
I would guess that Coco may actually be showing signs of play aggression, which is a normal part of development for kittens. It sounds like you're also doing all the right things to discourage the behavior, so I would recommend being persistent with removing your attention (or you could also confine her to an area with toys for her to calm down) and making sure Coco gets plenty of exercise and stimulation in a day. The link below has some information on aggression in cats. If you think Coco may be fearful or painful I would recommend seeing your veterinarian.

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-behavior-issues/aggression-cats
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on October 14th, 2018
Poor you and poor Coco. I definitely hear how frustrated you are, however I think you're placing far to many human emotions/thought processes on Coco. Cats don't hold grudges or suppress anger. I'd recommend reading through this website to work on ways to make Coco's life calmer and more predictable: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats . I'd also recommend stopping anything that you're doing that results in her biting you. Your attempts at corrections are likely scaring her and worsening her relationship with you.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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