My kitten bites hard and plays rough. How can I stop him?

Keeping your kitten's nails trimmed in case he does attack your hand can help reduce the scratches and bleeding, however there are a few other things you can do. One is to stop play completely when he gets too rambunctious and to simply get up and walk away. Once he has calmed down, play can resume. This can help teach him that getting too excited stops the fun. You can also start playing with toys such as a feather on a string that allow you to interact from a distance. if he focuses on and plays with those, tossing a treat and praising him can help him learn that this is a good thing to take his energy out on. At times when he is calm and sits nicely for petting, be sure to offer lots of praise and a few treats. It will take some time, but hopefully this will help teach him what you do and don't want him to do.

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.

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!

if you play rough games with Fuji, he will continue to play rough. As a kitten this is cute but as an adult, this could hurt. I recommend to stop all games that encourage him to bite or scratch humans (even in play). Satisfy his desire to play with more constructive games and really get him moving. He wants to wrestle, encourage him to do so with a large stuffed animal. I hope this helps.

Always play with a toy, never with your hand. When he starts to get too wound up then I would put him in a dark room with no interaction for 30 minutes or so until he calms down. It will take repitition and time but eventually he will learn to not be as aggressive. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

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.

It's hard to know why pets develop certain behaviors. It's possible he thinks this is some sort of game. Try to identify any type of a pattern so you can predict what is going to do. You may certainly try distracting him as soon as you notice the rough behavior. Try to direct him to play in a different fashion. It's possible he is bored and so is inventing his own games. Try meeting his instinctual needs and providing some new stimulation. 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 (really get him moving) and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. Try feeding him out of a food puzzle. Hide food for him to find. Provide a stand or resting place by a window so he can look outside. You may also try clicker training him for positive behavior. Here is a link about training cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/can-i-train-my-cat/ Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with bad behaviors. He should also be neutered because the testosterone can make pets more aggressive. Feeding meat will not cause aggression. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.