biting, unruly etc

Question
joey szasza was left in a field after birth.  i adopted joey.  He fights me when I hold to clip nails..he's little but to strong for me.  He will dive at me and bite me hard.  his nail are so long i have deep gashes all over.  I took him back to shelter, I can't handle him.  BUT, I miss him and want him back.  Can he be socialized?

Answer
Barbara Anne,

Yes, he can be socialized, but it will be a very long process.  The way we socialize little kittens is to hold them, talk to them softly, and stroke them.  If they start the biting, scratching behavior, we stop the holding, talking, stroking game and put the kitten down.  It does not take long for the kitten to figure out that humans are to be treated more gently.  The older the kitten or cat, the longer the socialization will take.

Another option is to try clicker training, a behavioral modification technique that has had good success.  You can look at Karen Pryor's web site (www.clickertraining.com).

Good luck and best regards.... Norm.