| Have you ever heard the expression, "Nip the | | | | you have a cat with a major behavior problem. |
| problem in the bud?" Simply put, it means; "Stop the | | | | Needless to say, you do not want your cat to bite |
| problem before it starts". The same can be said for | | | | people! Therefore, it is important to remember some |
| raising a problem free cat. Bad behaviors are usually | | | | rules for play when they are young. When your |
| learned as kittens and develop into larger problems as | | | | kitten bites it is not usually necessary to scold, |
| they grow up. When aggressive behavior such as | | | | however you should stop playing with them |
| biting and scratching is nipped in the bud, training | | | | immediately. When your kitten bites or claws your |
| kittens to become well-behaved cats is much easier. | | | | hands, take a "time out", and let them know that |
| Playful kittens can be so cute; it's hard to see their | | | | playtime is over. |
| biting and clawing as much of a threat. It hurts a little, | | | | Alternatively, you can divert a biting kittens attention |
| but not that bad so why not let them bite, scratch, | | | | from your hands by using a piece of string, yarn or |
| and play with your hands? The reason is simple, you | | | | some other cat toy. Distraction is a good way to |
| do not want this behavior to continue when they | | | | keep playing with your kitten if you don't want to |
| develop sharp claws and teeth; That's when it really | | | | take a time out. If they continue to go after your |
| does hurt! | | | | hands, scolding may be necessary. |
| Consider that cats in the wild learn to hunt through | | | | The right type of human contact is essential to a |
| playful behavior when they are young. This natural | | | | domestic cats development. If your kitten learns that |
| tendency is carried over to domestic cats when they | | | | your hands are play toys at a young age, they will |
| learn how to use their teeth and claws through | | | | naturally revert back to this behavior as an adult cat. |
| playful behavior. Allowing a cute little kitten to bite | | | | This is the last thing you want if you're trying to raise |
| and scratch your hands teaches them to use their | | | | a well-behaved cat! Training kittens not to bite is a |
| hunting skills on you! The behavior continues as they | | | | must if you want to keep your cat from biting. |
| develop into full-grown cats and before you know it, | | | | |