Kitten advice

Wanderer41

I have a 5 month old kitten who I found abandoned when she was around 5 weeks old. She is very lively and has grown so much since then! The main issue I have is that she bites and scratches a lot. She didn't like being lifted that much but now she will let me lift her and hold her for a short while before she squirms and/or bites or scratches. Her teeth and nails are so sharp! I usually blow on her face when she does this but it doesn't stop her at all. She also doesn't like to be petted that much, she sees hands as prey! I don't play with her with my hands but she still likes to attack them. She also growls really loudly when she gets something nice to eat! When she was younger she used to sit on my knees and go to sleep and purr but now she doesn't purr at all
Does anyone have any advice? She is due to be spayed soon. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I know she is young and that it will take time. She just doesn't seem to be learning not to bite or scratch.

Cherry Blossom

It's perfectly normal kitten behaviour OP. My niece's cat didn't settle down till over a year old. Also, some cats just don't like to be picked up or petted, if this is the case I wouldn't force the issue. The food you are feeding, if supermarket brands can also play a part in kitten's being hyper. Is the kitten scratching and biting in play or because it wants to get away?

Nody

Few things come to mind OP; first of all make sure she has plenty of tall scratching poles. The reason for tall is that cats use them to stretch, to sit on etc. and going up and down will help keep those claws in a bit. Secondly you need to to direct more play with her, a tired cat is a cuddly cat so get something like da bird (get a few beacuse those feathers will be flying!) and engage her in chasing it, tagging it etc. Cat food quality has been covered above but if you serve kibble you can turn that into a game as well with various toys (treat toys, interactive boards, etc.) to make her work for it.

The fact she lets you lift her up is progress and the fact she see's hands as prey is because she's most likely bored . Another option as well would be to get her another cat to help her boredom as if she grew up alone she'll never have learned how not to play with claws in etc. which another kitten can help teach her.

aonb

OP, I found a half dead feral kitten
She too was a horror for biting/scratching
I wore gloves when handling her. (it worked!)
When she bit or scratched me, a LOUD "NO! and a little tap with a finger on the forehead, and I walked away
I used a largeish stuffed toy when handling her too - if she started biting/scratching, I would 'stuff' the toy between the her claws, as a 'barrier', and play with her - as a distraction
I had lots of little toys/balls, when she started biting/scratching I would roll a balls/little toy across the floor to distract her again
I had a few sticks with a piece of string attached, to which I tied a few little bits of things - like tissues, cottonwool balls etc - and swung it like a pendulum to distract herwhen she started biting/scratching
Distraction is great - oh and find where she likes to be scratched - my popsy loves to be scratched under her chin and between her eyes!

Wanderer41

Thank you for the replies! I did know that it takes a while for kittens to calm down and I do know she's just a baby so of course she will scratch etc! She is just so cute I wish I could cuddle her all the time!
She is fed Applaws for kittens (based on a recommendation here). She will be getting spayed in the next month or so too. I'll get some more toys too, although her number one favourite since I found her has been playing with my feet.. it's an obsession at this stage!
Thanks again for the advice!

Speedwell

My kitten, adopted at seven weeks, is now seven months old. He was neutered at fourteen weeks. He stopped biting and scratching at about five months. I think the best thing we did was just to stop, say "NO", and ignore him for a bit. He learned that biting and scratching play was unacceptable. Now he'll only go after shoes, and only during his most high-energy playtime in the evening.

One thing that works well is to have a sturdy toy handy (like a soft dog toy) and, when kitty tries to bite and scratch, redirect immediately by putting the toy in the way so the kitten can take out its aggression on the toy instead. Make sure you play with the kitten enough, too. Play is important in a kitten's development.