HELP!! With my cat

[kimberlyrobin1]

Hi All,

I have a kitten that is 6 months old and she chews on everything! Doors, blankets, the couch ...... I could go on and on. She also thinks that she should bite your hands or feet as well. I think she's just playing, but is this normal?

Does anyone know how I can control this?

[mranderson]

Hi All,

I have a kitten that is 6 months old and she chews on everything! Doors, blankets, the couch ...... I could go on and on. She also thinks that she should bite your hands or feet as well. I think she's just playing, but is this normal?

Does anyone know how I can control this?

Young Dogs and Cats are like infants. They teethe, and this may be your situation. My Dog chewed telephone cords when she was teething.

What I would do is consult a vet to be sure. If it is not teething, you may have a behavioral problem that needs professional attention from a professional trainer. (yes. Cats can be trained)

[escan]

Yes, totally normal. My older cat (she's 8 now) did it when she was younger.....she ate/ripped the edges off of an entire yellow pages book! She grew out of it, though. Now, my young kitten does the same thing. Every single pair (every dang one) of my flip flops have tiny little puncture marks all of the edges. She will also bite my fingers at night until I shove them under the pillow.

Trust me...she'll grow out of it, but it sure is annoying in the meantime.

[kimberlyrobin1]

Thanks for the reassurance. I was mostly concerned about the biting of fingers and toes. I didn't want that to turn into an agressive behavior.

[SoundMind]

Does anyone know how I can control this?

Get rid of the cat.

[Linda]

I don't think that's the answer she was looking for.

[kimberlyrobin1]

Thanks Linda,

I was just concerned because I didn't want her to start biting and becoming aggressive with people. I've had other cats before, but have never had one that has chewed and tried to bite before.

[sweetdaisy]

kimberlyrobin1, I have 2 cats. One of them is a biter when you touch him anywhere but his head. I found out that tends to happen in cats that are declawed. They lose one method of defending themselves, and become more aggressive with their biting.

My other cat chews on stuff sometimes. Mostly it's just paper (and the occasional photograph if it's lying around), but she is in no way aggressive with her biting (unless she's fighting with the other cat). She's also got all her claws.

I would give these words of advice, especially if you're concerned she might become aggressive with the biting, DO NOT DECLAW your kitty.

[mranderson]

kimberlyrobin1, I have 2 cats. One of them is a biter when you touch him anywhere but his head. I found out that tends to happen in cats that are declawed. They lose one method of defending themselves, and become more aggressive with their biting.

My other cat chews on stuff sometimes. Mostly it's just paper (and the occasional photograph if it's lying around), but she is in no way aggressive with her biting (unless she's fighting with the other cat). She's also got all her claws.

I would give these words of advice, especially if you're concerned she might become aggressive with the biting, DO NOT DECLAW your kitty.

Actually, the biting is not always due to declawing. My moms cat is declawed and you can touch him anywhere. My cousin has two cats, both declawed, and they are the same way. Touch them anywhere and you have a friend for life.

[sweetdaisy]

Of course, Mr Anderson, it doesn't always happen. However, I've read numerous times it is more likely to happen in cats that have been declawed. Sorry I didn't add the disclaimer "not applicable in ALL situations".

My suggestion here is based on her conern that the cat will continue biting and become more aggressive. Hence the statement "if you're concerned she might become agressive with the biting, DO NOT DECLAW your kitty".

Think about the point that was being made before you start arguing it.

[kimberlyrobin1]

Thanks for the info. She is actually already declawed, so maybe that does have something to do with it. I have read that as well, but I have also read about the teething thing too. So, maybe it's a combination of both. She's really young still (only 6 months) so hopefully it's something that she'll grow out of.

[sweetdaisy]

She probably is just teething and it's nothing to worry about. Maybe you should just focus on some behavoir modification/training to discourage her from nibbling on body parts. Nothing like a little shot of water to her face!

Before I had problems with my kitty biting, I had never heard of that potential result from declawing, so I feel it's good to pass along that information.

Good luck with her and enjoy her kitten years! They're so much fun!

[dirtrider73068]

Get the cat some toys to play with that in the end she will bite it instead of your stuff. Or even a simple piece of string tied around a ball and have it dangleing somewhere would even work. They have all sorts of toys that would work great at petsmart.