Conference misery::feline_v1

    When you play with him, hold a stuffed mousie in your hand and when
    he goes for your hand, give him the mousie - sort of gently push
    it at him. I have two biters - every time they do bite my arm or
    hand, I say, in the same tone of voice, NO BITE, NO BITE.  They
    learned to recognize the tone.  A little tap on the nose, with one
    finger, at the same time saying no bite, may help.  If you struggle,
    he may bite harder thinking it's a game.  Relax and don't pull, if you  
    can stand the pain!  
    
    He may be cutting teeth - around 5 - 6 months you may notice him chewing
    again and finding baby teeth around on the floor - he will be
    getting his second teeth.  When you find the first one, save it
    and put it under his pillow for the Kitty Tooth Fairy to come and
    give him his treat!                             
    
    Mittens sounds like a doll!  Enjoy!
    
    E.T.

Re: .1
    
    It's okay then to give him a little tap on the nose?  I've been
    told never to hit with the hand you love them with - it confuses
    the kitten.  So, I should relax my hand and push at him until he
    lets go and say NO BITE MITTENS....  I'll try it!   What do I do
    whan I see him getting in his pounce stance - ready to attack? 
    
    So many questions - I know - I'm just so excited having my own pet
    and want to do what's right for him.  
    
    I love your comment on the kitty tooth fairy - this is so much fun!
    
    Excited, Judy
    

    Yes, kittens are so much fun... DejaVu is two years old and still
    acting like a kitten.  Lightning, who is seven years old still likes
    to attack my hand when I put it in the `attack' mode.  Otherwise
    she is gentle as a lamb (kitten).
    
    Enjoy your new baby.
    
    Sandi  (Lightning's & DejaVu's mom)
    
    
    
    

    I've found that pressing down gently on kitty's tongue with my finger
    while saying "NO" has worked.  Kitty generally is surprised by the
    motion and wants that object out of his/her mouth.  This should
    be repeated each time kitty tries to bite.
    
    Worked for me with Bailey and Amelia (although Amelia sometimes
    gets carried away with her love bites and has to be reminded).
    
    Jan
    
    [Just another piece of information the beginning cat owner (me)
     picked up from the expert in the family (Jo Ann)]
                         

    Trade him a toy for your hand - like you would do with a child
    when you say, "No, you can't have the matches to play with, but
    you can have this stuffed mousie.  Tapping with one finger is
    almost like patting (to distract) - it shouldn't hurt him.
    If you see him ready to pounce, go to him so he won't go to
    you first.  It will confuse him and he may forget he was going
    to pounce.  Maybe pick him up and cuddle him and then put him
    down.  As he grows, you will develop your own way of dealing
    with his very own special personality, and you will know what
    will work best for him.  Lots of love will work every time!
    Have fun!

When I first got Hannah, she was a real biter (she still occasionally goes
for my big toe in the morning after a shower).  My technique for dealing
with this was to get the tip of my finger wet and then pat the end of
her nose with the wet finger...it felt so WIERD that she forgot she was
biting and stopped.  As I pat her nose, I say, "NO, Hannah".  Now, I
usually only have to say NO and she immediately stops and looks up at
me.....and then, SOMETIMES she keeps nibbling on my toe anyway so I just
pick her up and tickle her tummy (she HATES that - something about her
dignity - but she doesn't hate it THAT much)

    Hmm, wet nost trick, huh?  I'll have to try that - they probably
    get so busy licking their wet noses that they forget that they
    were biting!  Great idea.
    
    E.T.

    
    RE:  .6  .7
    
    That's exactly the right idea.  Some people seem to think that you
    have to cause the cat some sort of discomfort as punishment for
    misbehavure.  The fact is that distraction from the bad behavure
    will work _much_ better.  If it is done consistently enough, the
    bad behavure will disappear.
    
    Marion

    Well, I've got so many techniques to try, ONE of them must work
    eventually!  He just doesn't seem to know that when you reach for
    him to pet him, he thinks it's play time.  I try cooing and saying
    "nicy Mittens", but his mind is elsewhere - he must being thinking...
    "the hand is coming in for attack - grab it and kill!"   
    
    I'll keep trying and let you know which one works the best.  He's
    such a terror (said loveingly) - he was pouncing around the living
    room from the lap to lap and managed to land one paw in my mother's
    coffee cup!  Thankfully the cup was almost empty and the coffee was
    cold.  He made one heck of scene with shaking that damp paw! 
    
    tee hee hee , Judy
    
                                                       

    My new Kitten Pippin-tat is a biter, she is a TAZMANIAN DEVIL she
    doesn't walk - she bounces. Off walls. Off Chairs. Off people.
    and does she attack hands!  I am currently using thr "tapping method:"
    but it's not working. What worries me is the determination in that
    bite! Arms. Knees. Elbows. Hands. and a few times My FACE! I'm
    glad I ran into these replies!! the water method sounds good. 
    I love having her, and playing but this is a problem I hop she'll
    outgrow!!! I bought every kind of kitten toy out. The scented toys
    ( cat attraction scent ) just fuel her fire and she comes out of
    nowhere....ouch! 
    Thanks for the replies ...
    Nancy & Pippin

    My trick for stopping clawing and biting from kittens is the
    "little-cry" sound.  When they sink in with teeth or claws
    I give a little high-pitched hurt cry and hold my body very 
    still.  This has always been effective for me (sorry I can't 
    reproduce the sound here :>).  

    For this to work, do not use the water spray, no rough housing
    with hands -- just very gentle handling in all cases.  Use the
    kitty tease and rolled up paper balls for vigorous play. 

    I suspect that they interpret the cry as a human child sound --
    and you know how gentle they are with kids. 

    Good luck,
				Julie


    P.S. Nancy, For a strong kitten like Pippin-tat, might the tapping be
         interpreted as more play?

    The hand-biting I can live with, it's that strangle-hold where
    Aja holds my arm close to her chest with her front paws (with claws
    fully extended) and kicks the daylights out of it with the rear!!!
    
    I always wondered why cats do that. Apparently it's an instinctive
    maneuver designed to disembowel prey... seems like it would work!!!
    
    Edd

    I think silver confuses biting with affection.  a few days ago,
    I was laying on my bed petting her and she was purring away!  All
    of the sudden she very nicely turned her head and bit my hand. 
    I froze and gave her a bit of a dirty look.  She looked at me (with
    my hand still in her mouth), saw that I was not happy, and then
    let go of my hand.  I then started to pet her again and everything
    was fine.
    
    Holly
    
    

    Milo bites.  He thinks it's affection.  As long as it's nibbles
    or just holding gently between the teeth, I don't react.  At all.
    
    Rougher treatment results in my making some variation on the
    'Ouch-noise' -- from whispering "ouch" to more forceful/pained
    inflections.  Milo HATES the 'Ouch-noise' -- in any form -- and
    retreats.
    
      Ann

    Re: .12
    
    Are you maybe touching aja's tummy just before this?  That really
    triggers the "I'll just disembowel this object" for some cats.
    

    Its funny how some of you said that you make a crying sound or and
    "ouch!" sound and the kitten stops.  The very first thing I taught
    Al was the meaning of the word no.  I was so impressed that he learned
    it in 3 days!  However, just in the past couple of days I have noticed
    that whenever I say "Ouch!" he backs off.  Its funny because I was
    just reacting normally (I bet the whole neighborhood could hear
    some of those Ouch!'s!!!) but he has caught on to what it means!
    Anyone who has ever said that cats are dumb has obviously never
    had a cat!!!
    
    But then again, I sometimes wonder when I see Al repeatedly taking
    impromtu bathes with me!!!  Is it really the same cat????????
    
    Lesa

    re: .15
    
    Yep, usually it's after I rub her tummy. I never get mad at her
    when she does it, after all, I brought it on myself...
    
    Edd

    Yes indeed, Pippin could be considering the tapping as provoking
    more play....this is why I have stopped.  My husband came up with
    an interesting idea...and it works good for him.  When Pippintat
    bugs Yaddie ( the other beloved beast - who never bit this much!)
    she casts a low growel. Pippin turns right off.  Last
    night the Pip was in our bed and in rare biting form.  My husband
    gave a low growl and she backed Off!!! course I was dozing and
    woke up thinking there was a bear in my bed!!! 
                                                                     
    Thanks so much for the help! - Yaddie-Yat, Pippin-Tat, and me!

    
    Suggestion:
    
    Wear a rough textured glove when petting kitty.  Biting into such
    texture ain't much fun!  He'll soon learn to be gentle. (:
    
    
    'Deen.