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My 3-month-old kitten bites aggressively. Is it play or serious?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 30 days old | 6 lbs

My cat has been really aggressive lately. I'm just wondering if it's play aggression or if it's a serious problem. He's 3 months old and has yet to be neutered but I'm going to get it done soon. He constantly bites at people's toes and feet when walking barefoot and during play time he seems completely uninterested in his toys and attacks hands and feet terribly. Pinning his ears back, wide eyed, tailed and back puffed out, swatting with claws and attacking randomly too. as well as drawing blood

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 8th, 2018

Playing with feet and hands is playful but attacked with ears back and hair puffed is likely aggression. You can make sure to not play with him with your hands or feet. Only use toys to get him trained to what is acceptable and what is not. You can try feliway spays to help keep him calm. make sure when he acts out and does something wrong tell him no and stop playing with him and ignore him. This will help him do the right thing

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    Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

    Published on July 4th, 2018

    Unfortunately, some cats learn that attacking hands and feet get a significant response out of a person and it makes it into a fun game. This is especially common around Freckle's age right now. I have a few suggestions for you. First, I would recommend using a squirt bottle to squirt her when she attacks your hand and feet. Try not to scream or make any other reaction because your reaction might be part of what makes it fun for her. Next, I would work on environmental enrichment. This website has a number of good ideas for that. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats If you are not already doing it, I always recommend using laser pointers and interactive cat toys like a Cat Dancer ( http://www.catdancer.com/ ) to get cats to play with you more appropriately. The goal is to have her play a distance away from you, so she does not have the opportunity to attack your hands or feed. One of my favorite things for cats is a no bowl feeding system like Doc & Phoebe ( https://docandphoebe.com/ ) that requires them to "hunt" for their food. It is normal for cats and kittens to hunt and play for hours and hours each day, so we need to try to find a way for them to expend that energy. You could also try a feeding ball to feed her meals which will keep her busy for a longer period of time. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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