hi all i am new here. i signed up in hope of getting some realistic and factual advice. i got a new kitten. my first ever. he is amazing. little black cat with big green eyes. always active. runs jumps plays all the time. i have no doubt that he is a healthy kitten. enjoys fish and his meat pouches. the only concern is my cat bites. i know he is a kitten and it is part of play i am cool with that but he is not nibbling he is bitting. i actually thought he made me bleed the other day. i often scream he is biting me that hard. how do i stop him form doing it so hard or teach him how to be gentle. i dont know if it is something to do with being taken from his mother or what??..... any advice would be greatly recieved. thank you adam

DOn't let him bite you - don't play with your hands with him and encourage fighting games use pole toys - your hands are for stroking. Every time he goes to bite you blow gently on his face and take your hand away (or whatever else he is biting) that should stop him - it may take a few times.

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lol ok. i have never had a cat befor not even as a child. we had dogs. but blowing in his face and refusing to play with hands got it. thank you for ur fast reply most appreciated.......

I have a new kitten too, who is a real biter - however I have noticed that now at 17 weeks, as his teeth get sharper, he is actually getting a lot more gentle! Teething is a big part of it. I am sure yours will be fine when he's older!

A short, sharp hiss sometimes helps too!! And giving them a toy instead of a hand!!

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RIP Charcoal my shy girl 1987-2000, Patch the wanderer 1987-?, Tabby my darling fluffball 1988-2002 & Panda the rascal 1988-2008

Personally whenever I have kittens in that I hand rear, I scream out really loud and then just get up and ignore the kitten doing it, they soon realise that biting won't get them the attention they want and stop it, now some cats will give you a love bite type thing which is slightly different it doesn't hurt at all when they do it, my Teddy birman when you are cuddling will suddenly give you a little bite but it doesn't hurt and some cats do that its kind of I love you bite if there is such a thing lol. The advise Spid has given about not playing with hands is very good advise and that is often how people go wrong, you have to try to nip this sort of behaviour in the bud now as it is far harder to stop unwanted behaviour when your kitten grows into an adult cat.

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Mine will both play bite me where they sort of scrape me with their teeth but it doesn't hurt at all. It's so different than a proper bite that I don't mind that although I did wonder if I should discourage it/ I really think they think I'm a big cat.

Of course they do, they think you're their mum!

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RIP Charcoal my shy girl 1987-2000, Patch the wanderer 1987-?, Tabby my darling fluffball 1988-2002 & Panda the rascal 1988-2008