New baby Ferret and my cats

Question
2 days ago I lost my mind and fell in love with a 7 week old altered male ferret. I bought him with my families approval and we headed home. Since then my little darling, nicknamed spawn of hell by my 15 year old daughter has taken to trying to eat my fingers off. I am using the bitter apple but Sammy my baby ferret is a very stubborn boy. Tonight during one of our social times with sammy we were letting him and our eldest cat meet under supervision. Sammy tried to bite my oldest cat's nose. How do I break him of biting? The cat by the way was the victim in this. He was not showing any agression or hunting signs. I am very open to any suggestions. Sammy is wonderful I just wish to teach him some better manners and retain the use of my fingers.

Signed..

Sarah

Answer
hello,
thanks for your question. Nipping is the most common problem with young ferrets .Your ferret is showing typical behavior. They test their boundaries with you by nipping at your fingers etc. He is playing but nipping is not to be tolerated. It is the same as a puppy nipping, if uncorrected, will turn to biting. Nipping is an extremely common behavior among baby ferrets, and usually can be corrected. I have a couple of suggestions:
Buy "BITTER APPLE" OR
"BITTER LIME" spray at your local petstore. This comes in a green/white bottle, and is probably in the "dog training" section, as it is also used to keep dogs from chewing.
If you are already using it (which I think you said you were), use it as a training tool:
Spray it on your hands and fingers, and let it dry. When he bites you stick you finger in her mouth, and say "NO BITE!!!" ( Say it FIRMLY) ... he will get a couple of tastes of the bitter, and a couple of head shakes and he will think twice. Keep this up every day until he turns away when you offer your finger, then PRAISE :
"GOOD BOY!!!"
(Also, use this spray when you play with him, or "wrestle" with him ... do not allow biting even in play)
Play with him, wrestle, and if he bites, stop the play immediately, and say "NO BITE!"and start the process over.
Ferrets are very intelligent animals, and he should learn quickly with patience.
You can also use bitter apple on your toes and shoes  too, for toe nippers. Don't spray it at or on your ferret. Your cat and ferret should eventually get along well. They are very similair creatures. Ferrets are not "prey" animals to cats, so there won't be any fear of your cat attempting to hurt the ferret. But your little ferret needs to learn to play nice with the cat. Also, since this is your first ferret,   A very good book is
"Ferrets for Dummies" by Kim Shilling. I highly recommend you read it, because it will help you with nip training, and litter training, and the like.Good luck with your new baby!
amy