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How to stop my young rescue kitten from aggressive play with kids?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 1.764 lbs

I have a rescue kitten adopted over a week ago now. She can't be any more than 6 weeks and has been weaned far too early. I haven't had any issues with her other than play aggression. However, I have two young children and although she hasn't scratched or bitten either of them just yet. I fear she may in the future. I've tried distracting her with toys, hissing and ignoring her but nothing seems to deter her. Can you give me any advice?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on March 19th, 2018

What you are describing may just be normal kitten behavior, but Luna no longer has the other kittens in her litter to play with. The key will likely be a large amount of stimulation that is varied. First, I would work on environmental enrichment for Luna. This website has a number of good ideas for that. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats 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. You could also try a feeding ball. I also 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. These toys keep her away from your hands while you are playing which is important. Kittens have a lot of energy and are meant to practice "hunting" multiple times a day, so she will need multiple sessions of stimulation daily to keep her satisfied. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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