CAPITAL HUMANE SOCIETY
2320
Managing Your Kitten’s Rough Play
Copyright Denver Dumb Friends League and
Humane Society of the
Play-motivated
aggressive behaviors are common in young, active cats less than two years of
age, and in cats that live in one-cat households. When cats play they
incorporate a variety of behaviors into their play, such as exploratory,
investigative and predatory behaviors. Play provides young cats with
opportunities to practice skills they would normally need for survival. Kittens
like to explore new areas and investigate anything that moves, and may bat at,
pounce on and bite objects that resemble prey.
Kittens
learn how to inhibit their bite from their littermates and their mother. A
kitten that is separated from her family too early may play more roughly than a
kitten that has had more valuable family time. In addition, if humans play with
a young kitten using their hands and/or feet instead of toys, the kitten is
liable to learn that rough play with people is okay. In most cases, it’s
possible to teach your kitten or young adult cat that rough play isn’t
acceptable behavior.
Encourage
Acceptable Behavior
Redirect
your kitten’s aggressive behavior onto acceptable objects like toys (see our
handout: “Cat Toys and How To Use Them”).
Drag a toy along the floor to encourage your kitten to pounce on it, or throw a
toy away from your kitten to give her even more exercise chasing the toy down.
Some kittens will even bring the toy back to be thrown again! Another good toy
is one that your kitten can wrestle with, like a soft stuffed toy that’s about
the size of your kitten, so she can grab it with both front feet, bite it, and
kick it with her back feet. This is one of the ways kittens play with each
other, especially when they’re young. It’s also one of the ways they try to
play with human feet and hands, so it’s important to provide this type of
alternative play target. Encourage play with a “wrestling toy” by rubbing it
against your kitten’s belly when she wants to play roughly - be sure to get
your hand out of the way as soon as she accepts the toy.
Since
kittens need a lot of playtime, try to set up three or four consistent times
during the day to initiate play with your kitten. This will help her understand
that she doesn’t have to be the one to initiate play by pouncing on you.
Discourage
Unacceptable Behavior
You
need to set the rules for your kitten’s behavior, and every person your cat
comes in contact with should reinforce these rules. Your kitten can’t be
expected to learn that it’s okay to play rough with Dad, but not with the baby.
·
Use aversives to
discourage your kitten from nipping. You can
either use a squirt bottle filled with water and a small amount of vinegar or a
can of pressurized air to squirt your kitten with when she becomes too rough. To
use this technique effectively, you’ll always need to have the spray bottle or
can handy. You can either place one in each room, or carry one with you as you
move around the house. In some cases, you may want to apply taste aversives to
your hands. If you have sensitive skin you may want to wear gloves and put the
aversive on the gloves. The possible disadvantage to this method is that your
kitten may learn that “hands with gloves taste bad and those without gloves
don’t.” For more information on aversives, see our handout: “Aversives for Cats.” Remember that
aversives will work only if you offer your kitten acceptable alternatives.
·
Redirect the behavior
after using the aversive. After you startle your
kitten with the aversive, IMMEDIATELY
offer her a toy to wrestle with or to chase. This will encourage her to direct
her rough play onto a toy instead of a person. We recommend that you keep a
stash of toys hidden in each room specifically for this purpose.
·
Withdraw attention when
your kitten starts to play too roughly. If the
distraction and redirection techniques don’t seem to be working, the most
drastic thing you can do to discourage your cat from her rough play is to
withdraw all attention when she starts playing too roughly. She wants to play
with you, so eventually she’ll figure out how far she can go if you keep this
limit consistent. The best way to withdraw your attention is to walk away to
another room, and close the door long enough for her to calm down. If you pick
her up to put her in another room, then you’re rewarding her by touching her.
You should be the one to leave the room.
Please
Note: None of these methods will be very effective unless you also give your
kitten acceptable outlets for her energy, by playing with her regularly using
appropriate toys.
What
Not To Do
·
Attempts to tap, flick or hit your
kitten for rough play are almost guaranteed to backfire. Your kitten could become
afraid of your hands, or she could interpret those flicks as playful moves by
you and play even more roughly as a result.
·
·
Picking up your kitten to put her into a
“timeout” could reinforce her behavior because she probably enjoys the physical
contact of being picked up. By the time you get her to the timeout room and
close the door, she has probably already forgotten what she did to be put in
that situation.
Aggression:
Kittens can bite or scratch through the
skin. In these cases it’s best to seek help from a behavior specialist to work
with your kitten’s behavior. Be sure to keep your kitten confined until you can
get professional help. Also, be sure to thoroughly clean all bites and
scratches and consult your physician, as cat scratches and bites can easily
become infected (see our handouts: “When
the Behavior Helpline Can’t Help” and “Understanding
Cat Aggression Towards People.”