Most people recognize the importance of training when they bring home a new puppy, but few give the same consideration to a kitten. Somewhere along the way, cats managed to start the rumor that they are untrainable, so we would leave them alone. Yet I challenge you to watch a lion tamer at work for a few minutes, and then tell me that your little tabby is more difficult to train.
With consistency and regular reminders, cats can be trained not to bite or scratch. They can accept handling and grooming. You should never be afraid of your kitten.
Kittens, just like puppies, naturally play rough with their littermates. Mock fights and mini wrestling matches are one of a kitten’s favorite pastimes. However, we don’t have fur to protect us from scratches or bites, and we don’t usually bite back to let the kitten know when he’s crossed a line the way another cat would. Allowing a kitten to attack your hand in play, while it may be cute, is asking for more of the same aggression when the kitten grows into an adult cat.
Luckily, bite inhibition is just as easy to teach to kittens as to puppies. The first rule is to absolutely never allow rough play with your hands. If you enjoy the rough play, use a stuffed animal or other toy as your kitten’s opponent. Never human hands or flesh. If the kitten does happen to sneak in an accidental (or not-so-accidental) bite or scratch while playing, in a firm voice tell them, “NO!” and refuse to play anymore for several minutes. Let the kitten calm down. If the aggression continues when you begin again, then again you need to reprimand, and stop playing. You’ll have to take a break if the kitten doesn’t want to follow the rules.
Trying to stroke, or cuddle a wound up kitten to get it to relax if it’s getting aggressive in it’s play almost never works, and is a good way to continue to get bitten. You should ignore a kitten that is refusing to play nice.
Teaching a kitten to accept regular handling is also important. Puppy owners are frequently advised to play with their dog’s ears and feet, to get the puppy used to these areas’s being touched. It helps them understand that having people touch their ears, feet, or other parts is normal and nothing to be concerned about. Dogs that have become accustom to this kind of handling tolerate exams and nail trimming much easier. The same is true for kittens.
There is no reason that owners shouldn’t be able to trim their cat’s nails, or give a cat a pill by themselves. The problem is that most people live under the illusion that cats are difficult, and so they never try. They never work with their kitten to teach them how they will be handled, and what kind of behavior is expected of them. Cats still have a mystic aura about them, and they boast enough attitude to propagate the idea that cats in general are above mundane things like behavior training.
Cat bites and scratches can be a real health concern, even for a healthy adult. There is absolutely no reason that the basic pet manners we expect every puppy to master can’t also be taught to kittens.
