Remember to Redirect - Redirect any biting behaviors towards an appropriate target. This tells the kitten that she’s a great hunter! Let the kitten know she did a great job by rewarding her after playtime with a treat or meal. Reward Good Behavior - Allow the kitten to catch the toy, then give an opportunity for biting and bunny kicking. Don’t expect the kitten to play all alone! If you never make toys move and entice them to hunt, then the only moving targets the kitten has to practice hunting on are your hands and feet. You can even make your own toys at home!ĭaily Play - Actively play with the kitten multiple times a day using toys you can make wiggle and flutter. Offer a variety of toys that mimic different types of prey. Plenty of Stimulation - Make sure your kitten has plush toys, wand toys, crinkle balls, tunnels, and other enrichment items to play with. When a kitten attacks your hands or feet when you move, simply disengage and redirect them to a more suitable object. There’s nothing cute about a 12 pound tabby stalking your ankle! Kitten caregivers therefore have a responsibility to help kittens establish good biting behaviors from a young age, as it’s easier to build a good habit than it is to break a bad one. Even if you don’t mind the playful attacks, prospective adopters may - especially as the kittens get bigger. When the play session has ended, reward the kitten with a treat or meal to simulate the satisfying experience of eating after a kill.Īs tempting as it is to wiggle your fingers or tickle their bellies, this teaches them that it’s okay to practice their hunt on your skin. Once the kitten catches the toy, let her bite and bunny kick it before moving it again.
First Step, Reward Good Behaviorįirst, move the toys in an engaging fashion, encouraging them to stalk, chase, pounce, and catch.
In fact, kittens are biologically wired to attack an object that moves, so it’s important to teach them how to play with toys-not fingers or feet-from a young age. Actively playing multiple times a day before meals is a great way to help kittens develop their motor skills, learn appropriate habits, and get out pent up energy. The reason kittens bite us is simple: they’re natural predators and they want to practice their attack on a moving object. Fortunately, kittens are very adaptive and can learn quickly with a little assistance. Biting is a totally acceptable behavior for a kitten, but that doesn’t mean we want them attacking our hands or bare feet! Instead, we want to encourage kittens to practice these behaviors on an appropriate target. Beginning around 4 weeks of age, kittens will start visually track objects that look like prey, and practice their pounce. Cats are a predator species, so it’s perfectly normal for kittens to express their natural instinct to attack, chomp, and gnaw.