Effective Techniques to Prevent Kitten Biting – A Guide for Pet Owners

Kittens are so fun to play with, aren’t they? They look so serious when they get excited and bite things. Kitten play biting is very common, and in fact necessary in their growth process. However, sometimes they get too excited and that can lead to a kitten biting your hands too often and too hard. On occasion it may not seem like a big deal, but it can grow into a problem if you aren’t careful.

Fortunately, you can learn how to train a kitten not to bite right here. And to be honest, it actually takes less effort than you think. However, before learning how to train a kitten to stop biting, let’s talk about why kittens bite.

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Why do kittens bite?

Kittens are just like all animals with teeth. They go through a teething phase. For kittens it usually disappears around 18 months of age. Kittens may bite when they have gotten too excited, frightened or in some cases due to pain. You may notice your kitten bites you when you touch it in certain places. (If this happens, please do not hesitate to take your kitten to a veterinarian.)

Kittens learn their hunting skills by playing. This includes stalking, chasing, catching, scratching and biting whatever they can. Generally, this is done with their siblings under the watchful eyes of their mother. A good reason why kittens bite, is because it’s a great way to explore their world, just like with puppies. They learn how far to go and how far not to. When to bite, how hard and when not to bite. What things feel and taste like. It is a learning experience. Unfortunately, kittens are sometimes taken from this environment too early and never learn those important lessons.

When that happens, it is vital that the you, the cat parent teach your kitten not to bite people’s hands. And believe me, training a kitten not to bite, is so much easier than training a cat not to bite because once a bad habit has become ingrained in a cat’s mind, it can be hard to change.

How to get your kitten to stop biting

Training a kitten not to bite, is pretty easy to do, unless you start off with the wrong habits. A woman with scratches all over her hands asked me, “Why is my kitten biting my fingers when we play and how do I make him stop?”

I have to admit, I was a little surprised because the answer is so simple. It’s like, how do I get the blender to stop cutting my fingers? Well, do not put your hand in the blender. It really is not difficult to understand how to get a kitten to stop biting fingers. They are very simple creatures in this aspect. If you use your fingers to play with your kitten they will see them as toys to be used for scratching and biting.

Training kittens not to bite is a very simple process requiring persistence and patience.