Hands Are Not Toys: Stopping Kitten Bites and Scratches in Play

Your kitten isn't being mean when she latches onto your hand. She's rehearsing a hunt — and your flinch is the most convincing mouse impression she's ever seen. 🐾

The fix starts with one unglamorous rule: hands are never a toy. No wiggling fingers under the duvet, no wrestling, no letting her chase your feet down the hall. If hands are sometimes prey, she'll test it forever.

When teeth do land, go still instead of yanking away. A fast retreat is exactly what prey does, so it rewards the bite. Freeze, stand up, walk off without a word, then come back with a wand toy. Teeth are allowed there.

And finish playtime properly. Let her catch the toy, bunny-kick it, then feed a few biscuits. Hunt, catch, kill, eat, sleep — a session that ends mid-chase leaves her wound up and shopping for ankles.

Full guide below: reading the wind-up signals, how long consistency takes to work, and how to tell play biting from pain.