7 Week Old Kitten Biting!!!

I just got a 7 week old kitten, and shes kind of rough. She bites a lot I'm not really sure what to do about it. I don't want her biting anymore . It Hurts! I understand shes still a baby, but My 3 yr old cat didn't do that when she was a Kitten so I'm concerned. Any help would be great.

Where did you get the kitten from? Can you take her back to her mom and siblings so she can learn bite inhibition from them, amongst other very important social skills? 7 weeks is way to young to be taken from her family.

Yup as far as i know 10-12 weeks is best as per SCM's post.

Just curious SCM if the OP cannot return the kitten for a few weeks, what would you recommend?

I know that using your hands as toys for the cat is a MAJOR MAJOR no-no....

anyone else?

Distraction. Learn to tell when the kitten is getting ready to bite and distract her with a toy. Also, saying a firm "NO" or a hissing noise every time she bites. You have to time it so your sound comes immediately after she bites so she knows why you are upset. And stop playing/petting/ whatever you were doing when she bit so she knows biting loses her the attention and playtime she wants. (You don't have to stop for very long, just a minute, so she gets the message, then you can start again.)

Another reason she could be so rough is because of the way she was handled before you got her. Those owners could have rough played with her. So she thinks it's ok. What toys do you have for her to play with?

I agree with the distraction. Have a toy with you. She starts biting, take it and move it around in front of her. Then throw it and let her chase it. Praise her also. She will eventually get the drift.:)

I can honestly say that the cats I have owned past/present have come to me at about 7/8 weeks. Only one was a biter. And that's my current one. He is my deaf special needs cat. He went from a biter to an attacker. He was 8 weeks when I adopted him. My other current one was 8 weeks. I don't think she knows how to bite. LOL

@ sugarcatmom- No I am not able to bring her back to where I got her from. I think she was handled roughly with the past owner. The fact I have of that is when i got her she had a big bump with hair missing above her eye. I will try to use a toy for distraction and see how that work .. Thanks to everyone who has helped me. @ Mona- I have toy mice,balls, mouse on a string etc. I don't think she knows shes doing anything wrong. She does it more when its time for bed. when she is really tired she will bite me and keep biting me, even if I ignore her bites then she lays down once shes worn herself out and falls asleep. I have tried the hissing and firm NO but I think she is "CRAZY" lol because she puffs her tail up and hops side ways and tries to attack. I'm hoping she breaks this habit . :fingerscr

my mom rescued her kitten at roughly 3-4 weeks old, he bit a lot also, we tried everything, he's now 8 months, a very large cat, 18 pounds and not an ounce of fat, and the only one he does not bite is my mom, he attacks poor Brina (65 pound lab/shepherd) and now Brina is terrified of him, we can't let the kids near him either. but....he makes her happy and is now gentle with her.

Biting at a young age is always tough because it is very difficult to flip this behavior around. In all honesty, if you don't want to torment the cat you might want to give it away to a situation where it could live outdoors, in a barn, or something to that effect. Mean cats are hard to fix.

Sorry, I don't think the only answer is to give away the kitten. It's just a baby and needs some direction not banishment. If the kitten is biting at bedtime perhaps it could be crated with a few toys and treats before the overtired naughty behaviour starts. Kitty could certainly cuddle up in a crate at night until she learns to behave. Distraction is your best course of action. Trying to redirect any unwanted rough behaviour and reward her good behaviours. If you know exactly when this is going to happen you need to stop it before it starts. Stay the course, in all likelyhood you will be able to correct this rough behaviour.

Biting at a young age is always tough because it is very difficult to flip this behavior around. In all honesty, if you don't want to torment the cat you might want to give it away to a situation where it could live outdoors, in a barn, or something to that effect. Mean cats are hard to fix.

?????????? Really? Now would you do the same with a 7 week old puppy as well? I mean puppies bite all the time. Would you just take the puppy to a barn and leave it? Cats, no matter what age, can be turned around with a lot of patience and learning. Just like dogs. Love goes a long way.

Mommyof2 - you have been given some good advice from folks who know what they are talking about. The thing is to never ever start playing with him with the toys after he has started to bite. When he bites say a firm NO and put him down. Ignore him for a minute or two no matter how hard it is. Don't give in. It is important for you to be consistent in order for him to learn. When he realizes he is not going to get what he wants, your attention, by biting he will slowly come around to your way of thinking. Hissing may not do the job because he was taken away from mom and siblings so early. He may not know what you want when you hiss.
When you play with the toys with him try the wand type or a string he can follow around. Make sure you play with the toy the way he would learn to hunt if it were real prey. That means if you have a wand type bird let the bird "land". Move the toy fast at times, other times slowly. Hold it perfectly still at other times. This mimics the motions of "real" hunting. When he catches it let him have it for a minute so he can enjoy the catch. Then you can slowly start the game over again.
With time and patience he will come around. I'm sure he will get it. Just give him lots of love and play time.

Biting at a young age is always tough because it is very difficult to flip this behavior around. In all honesty, if you don't want to torment the cat you might want to give it away to a situation where it could live outdoors, in a barn, or something to that effect. Mean cats are hard to fix.

Would you throw a bratty child out in the barn and allow them to fend for themselves? Of course not (or at least one would hope). You teach them manners and how to respect others. It's no different with an aniimal. This is a sweet little baby who is just starting it's life. It's not the kitties fault that it was obviously in the hands of irresponsible people. You can tell that just by the age it was taken away from it's mother. Cats/dogs with behavioural problems... are they hard to fix? Sure... but they can be taught and be perfectly happy, loving family members. You don't throw them away because they may mean a little (or a lot) more work. If someone doesn't have the time or patience, they should not get the animal in the first place. I don't know a lot about kitties because I have had mostly dogs throughout my life, but I'm sure it's no different.

For the OP, it looks as though you have been given great advice by some knowledgeable kitty people here. I hope you use it :)
14+ has over 50 kitties in her care.

Noella liked to chew too..I did the same thing with her as I did with Bayley..you bite, I go away. Funny, she still likes to do it, but she doesn't bite hard. So she has good bite inhibition as well! Patience, don't use your hands to play with them, she learned not to bite hard cause her big brothers won't tolerate it. Having an older cat really helps a kitten learn manners!