Biting and Clawing

Question
Hey Jessica:
It's me again.  I have a couple of  concerns.  I have been reading up on your previous answers from your web site but I am still having problems with my feral kitten.  He still loves to use his claws and play bite a alot.  It is actually getiing outn of hand.  I tried using a straw with toys, timeouts and he still persists on the play biting and clawing.  He is about 10-12 weeks old now.  I am afraid this will continue in adulthood.  Will it get better?  Is there soemthing else I can do?  It is getting to the point I am giving up and taking a "Timeout" myself.  He is very lovable and follows me everywhere.  I mean even to the bathroom and wants to sit on my lap while I am in there.  Secondly, I want to know is it okay at this early age to give treats from the table.  He is still picky but loves turkey and chicken, but   will not eat salmon which I find a bit odd.  Anything you can help out with will be great.  Thanks alot.

Answer
Hi Diane.  He's still very young.  I know it's frustrating, but he will still need more time to train not to bite and scratch.  You will have to continue with the time-outs.  It can take a couple of months with some stubborn kitties.  The behavior does usually die down a little as they get older, but it's still important to try to train him.

The ideal solution to this problem would be to get him a playmate about his age.  He's still young enough that he will learn very quickly not to bite through wrestling with other kitties.  This is something I highly recommend if at all possible in your situation.

To reduce injury from scratching, you should trim the kitten's claws about once a week.  Just take a pair of nail clippers, or buy a special pair of scissors available at pet stores for trimming nails, and cut the very tip of the nail to make the tip flat.  This makes the nails less likely to break the skin if he does scratch.

You can also apply a product called Soft Claws.  These are rounded vinyl tips that you glue over the kitten's nails to prevent injury from scratching.  They come in a kitten size, but you may need to trim the tops down to fit your kitten's tiny nails.  You can buy them at pet stores or order at www.softclaws.com.

As far as the table scraps, he's old enough for them, but be sure to limit them to 10% of his diet.  Meat is fine, whatever he chooses to eat (if you are feeding him non-meat items, like bread, limit it to 5% or less of his diet).  Just be sure they have not been cooked with onion or garlic, as both can be toxic if eaten.  Also, don't offer him any dairy items, because these usually contain lactose, which gives most cats diarrhea.  And be on the lookout for gas, diarrhea, and skin problems.  These can signal he's allergic to something he's eating.  If any of these come to pass, you should stop feeding him table scraps.