Did you adopt a new kitten over the holidays? It never fails when a new kitten arrives. We oooooh and ahhh and the lil’ snuggle baby seduces us with purrs and sweet whisker kisses and looks so darned innocent when she falls asleep on our lap. But all of that pet play antics means kitten play aggression is on the horizon.
Yep, that wide-eyed wonder turns into the DEVIL CAT with claws out ambushing ankles and launching from hidden spots. Sorry to tell you, but kitten play aggression is normal feline behavior. Karma-Kat as a kitten used my legs as move-able scratching posts. Now Trinity-Kitten does the same thing, Ouch!
We’re fortunate that Trinity-Kitten has two very good teachers to help curb the hijinks. Karma-Kat really puts her in her place if Trinity over-does it with the bity-clawing-play. And Shadow-Pup, with his scary barks, keeps her contained, too. Thankfully, both Karma and Shadow adore their youngest sibling mobster!
KITTEN PLAY AGGRESSION
By age five months, singleton kittens increase play aggression games, and the biting attacks become explosive. When kittens have no other playmates, they may go from sweet lap snuggles to biting in seconds. This is one of the most common forms of cat aggression.
Anticipate the attacks. Have a thick towel or blanket handy to drop over top of the kitten mid-attack. That gives your kitten something to grapple with teeth and claws rather than your ankle.
Provide the kitten with legal biting/clawing outlets. A stuffed toy on the end of a long string offers a good option. Toss it away from you to lure the baby away from doorways or stairs, and give yourself safe passage.
Adopting a pair of kittens allows them legal outlets to wear each other out. Kittens outgrow play aggression behavior by about nine to twelve months of age. Learn more about how cats play on this post.
And remember, the way cats play greatly differs from the way puppies and dogs play.
I’ve lots more kitten care tips in the book Complete Kitten Care as well as the ComPETability: Cats behavior book. Your turn. I know a number of very cat-savvy folks follow this blog. What tips can you share about managing the kitten’s juvenile delinquent behavior? Do tell!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter.
Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE! Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
I have an 8 month old kitten who has decided to jump on my back at every chance she gets, whether I’m bending over, standing, or even walking! My first reaction of course is to stand up and rid the demon, but I don’t walk stripes of blood down my back. If I catch her before she jumps, I put my hand out out and tell her, “No”, but I get ambushed a lot!!!! Help!
Hi Janet! I’m sorry you’re going through this. It really does become a management issue and staying aware of the kitten’s location. It WILL get better as kitty matures–but in the meantime, perhaps have a heavy towel or blanket handy in places she’s known to ambush you. Then toss that over the cat before she pounces–it gives her claws something else to do. Or toss a stuffed toy for her to grapple instead. Good luck!
Every cat I’ve ever had was aggressive. Surely, it wasn’t me!
Consistency is, of course, the biggest factor in getting kittens trained. Foot-ounces resulted in him being taken off the bed and placed onto the floor without ceremony. Bite inhibition started early – he learned “owowow” meant he was getting too rough, and “no bite” meant he needed to STOP, because we agreed on those commands early on and stopped the game when he did not comply.
Redirect objects are incredibly useful for the ankle attacks. But sometimes mimicking a good old hiss when they absolutely WILL NOT STOP works well, at least if they were with other kittens long enough – it’s a clear and understandable signal to them, though we always used it as a near-last resort (much like most momma cats I’ve seen).
The tricky part is simply that you have to keep at it, and not let them tire you out to where you just ignore the behavior and let them keep doing it, because it will take a few weeks – sometimes a few months depending on your kitten’s energy levels – to get the message across that yes, this is in fact a no-no every single time. (It’s the same way we teach ours not to get on the counters and tables).
Exactly! If you DO give in, that simply teaches them that the longer they persist, the better the chance they’ll get to continue the game with their own rules. *s*