How Keep Kitten From Bitting & Scratching My Child & To Calm An Active Kitten Down?

I Have A 9 Week Old Kitten And She's Super Active. When She Gets Around My 17 Month Old Daughter, She Attacks Her And Always Tries To Bit & Scratch Her Face Or Arms..... She's Alwayz Trying To Run Super Fast Around The Room N She's Alwayz Trying To Bit. Please Help Me!!! i Want To Keep Her But If She Doesnt Quit This Behavior Or Calms down I'm Going to Get Rid Of Her....I've Only Had Her 3 Weeks!!! I'm also Pregnant & Wants To Know how Will The Kitten React To A newborn?

Answer by KAte
Hi
What can i say. She is a 9 week old kitten, being super active is what they do. Also the biting and scratching is her playing, usually kittens learn about acceptable behaviour from their mother and other siblings and so it is recommended that kittens are kept with their mother etc for at least two to three months to learn this behaviour. unfortunately your kitten has not learnt that biting etc is not acceptable in play.

I would normally say that to try and train your kitten you would have to go through a period of what is known as negative and positive responses. this teaches the kitten that when they bite they get a negative response and so eventually learn to stop the behaviour. unfortunately this is not a quick process and with a young child around the home it will be difficult to enforce, also with a another baby on the way it could be difficult for you too to manage your new baby, your existing child and the kitten.

here is the page about negative and positive response training
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-discipline.html

You could try and give it a go but a kitten can be quite a handful at 9 weeks old. Kittens need lots of stimulation to keep them entertained and to also burn off all that kitten energy. they will need lots of space to play etc and lots of things to allow them to explore being a kitten (jumping, chasing, hunting etc) please also see my web page about this here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/indoor-cats.html

Basically you have taken a lot on your plate all at the same time. I wish you lots of luck (and energy) and best wishes for the future with your new family.

kate

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