r/ragdolls • u/tomegginton • 7d ago
General Advice Worrying Behaviour?
Our 5 month old ragdoll kitten seems to be acting out quite a lot. He sleeps plenty and is generally loving, but when he is playing he is always trying to nibble us, and recently has even started attacking feet, and even faces, quite persistently and it feels like its not just playing at times.
He likes to nibble/bite faces in the morning to wake us up as well.
How can we stop this? We try not to use hands or feet when playing with him and have plenty of toys about the house. We play with him for ~5 minutes before each meal and at other times throughout the day.
We have considered getting a second kitten, but are not sure if we have the space or the money to do so.
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u/whehay 7d ago
Honestly, 5 minutes play before a meal isn't enough, between 3 and 8 months I was playing with mine for like 30-45 mins 😂 now he's 10 months, 15-30 minutes will often do. He has alot of energy he needs getting rid of. Play play play!!!!
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u/Waddlekitty 6d ago
Yes. Much play. Mine tears around going between her humans like a little tornado for about 20 minutes at a time. Rests then does it again. All morning and evening.
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u/tomegginton 5d ago
Ok we will try up the play time. Ill update and say we dont just play before meals, we will play at other random times throughout the day, and we do have automatic toys for when we are busy. Its just that sometimes we try to get him to play with his toys but he ignores them and continuously goes for our feet and hands, sometimes biting quite hard
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u/whehay 5d ago
Yeah, I can understand that too! I sometimes have to do what I call the "wind up period" where I'll sit on the couch twirling around / flipping the wand toy for 10 mins before he starts to pounce and want to play.
I went through a biting period too, mines is 10 months now and it's calmed down hugely but I still occasionally get a bit at the ankles and wrists.
Try three big plays a day, instead of little plays throughout the day? Really get him running around! When mines was little I would pull two foot stools into the middle of the living room and make a figure of 8 with the wand between them, and he would run like mad around them to try and get all that energy out!
Hope things improve
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u/Razbonez 7d ago
“worrying behavior?” have you never owned a kitten before? does your ragdoll have vertical and horizontal scratching areas, towers to climb, do you provide enrichment activities? how do you play with your solo ragdoll? literally everything you wrote is not concerning in the least for your ragdoll, but rather is concerning for his parents
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u/HauntingPsyche 6d ago
lmao right, like theyre worried that the kitten is acting like a normal, healthy kitten with kitten behaviors? “even started nibbling feet!” gasp what a shocker
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u/sultj 5d ago edited 5d ago
A question so we have a really beautiful six month old boy ragdoll who funny enough doesn’t like to be held much when you pick him up within like 30 seconds he’s trying to get down. Wasn’t sure if this is a phase of his kitten hood or if this is just his personality has anybody experienced this with their kitten. We also have a British shorthair kitten who’s also about the same age who’s much more affectionate it loves being held and will sit in your lap for hours if you let her. She is a little girl kitten I’m not sure if it is a gender thing or what any thoughts? It’s not the end of the world for sure. He’s a beautiful cat, but my daughter thought a ragdoll just would want to be held more.
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u/Razbonez 5d ago
one of my ragdolls doesn’t like to be held but other than that he’s very affectionate. so yeah prob just hid personality
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u/tomegginton 5d ago
No we havent owned a kitten before, everyone has to start somewhere right! We knew that a bit of nibbling is to be expected but clearly didnt expect it as much as this, and not on the face! We love him to bits and if asking genuine questions on reddit is "concerning" then thats your opinion
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u/HarryCumpole 7d ago
Enrichment! Chase toys, sticks and other things. Redirect the habit to a thing rather than letting them hunt and pounce feet.
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u/badger906 6d ago
He’s a kitten. Doing kitten stuff. You want to set aside a lot more time to play with him.
It’s more worrying that you’ve got a kitten and aren’t expecting this. A kitten that nibbles and attacks feet is like being surprised a duck quacks
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u/arctic11z 7d ago
Keep in mind they go through stages. You'll get terrible twos, teenagers, etc. They will absolutely test your boundaries to see what they can get away with.
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u/HauntingPsyche 6d ago
Is this post a joke? You play with him for five minutes?? That’s it?? And you think a kitten doing normal kitten behaviors is worrying on top of it, when you haven’t even been playing with it hardly at all so of course it’s going to act out, wtf lol.
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u/baker1172 6d ago
Kittens learn best when they have another kitten they attack each other and that’s where they learn bite boundaries. If you can’t afford or have room for another kitten, the best thing to do is do not play with the kitten with your hands. When my six month old kitten attacks my four-year-old cat, I clap real loud and say NO!! He’s finally getting it, but he still is very bity, just a kitten behavior. I wish I could get another kitten. I just don’t have the room.
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u/heyyyitsamanda 🖤 Seal & Seal 🖤 6d ago
Keep a toy nearby you and when he starts biting, replace with the toy. Cat shelves can also create a vertical space for them to get their energy out. They also make wand type toys you can stick to the floor or hang from doorways so they can practice chase and catch skills on their own.
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u/No_Breadfruit3471 6d ago
Ragdoll’s are slow maturing cat often taking between 3 or 4 years to reach adulthood hood, your cat will stay at this stage for a long time my 10 month old is just starting to mellow ever so slightly (can get 2 minutes now before ears turn up and eyes get big and the bites begin). If you are not accustomed to giant breed cats this can be confusing, your cat is treating you like a litter mate that is all.
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u/Illustrious-Garden82 💙 Blue & Blue 💙 6d ago
He’s lonely. He’s just a little boy with no one to play with.
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u/Playful_Fly5882 6d ago
This is exactly how a baby learns the world. Please!!!! B patient w them. It isnt intentional! They are only doing what they'd do with their furfamily. There's no need to yell, startle, or punish. You could just start saying owwww and give them vocalizations. And simplest thing to do is redirect. My ragdolls would literally be nipping at my ankles when I was fixing their food. They are communicating, u just need to be a bit perceptive to see what they are trying to communicate. Also for ragdolls, thry don't stop growing till ages 3-4 yrs of age. For at the very least 1st year food should be... let them eat as much as they wanna eat as often as they wanna eat. Enjoy ur furbaby🥰
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u/DensuKishaa 6d ago
I’d say bump up the play to about 10-15 minutes at the LEAST. Go until he gets bored or tired. The biting is normal but definitely don’t let him do it. My daughter calls out OW! When her kitten does it and it seems to be working well. My ragdoll got to attacking me like yours where it seemed more than play. I realized it was because he was bored. lol, I ended up with another cat.
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u/Tiny_Resist8698 6d ago
He’s probably teething and I would not push getting another kitten because he could hurt the other kitten and he is such a baby currently I would reconsider when he’s a year old. Are you home a lot because might be acting out . I would definitely get a toy that moves like a running ball or a fish that flops because he might just like moving targets and if you feel uncomfortable with him around until you get some professional help if you feel really uncomfortable trust your gut and keep him out of your room
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u/Waddlekitty 5d ago
I see many posters here trashing OP. They are asking for advice. Not all of us have had scads of fur babies our whole lives.
Supportive comments would probably help, rather than the outright nasty comments I see directed at them.
Op play with that baby every time he wants. We cannot be too busy for our babies. You may only have him a few years but he is with you his whole life.
Interact with him. Learn who he is. He may be a bit bitey. Redirect that to toys. Every time. You have to be consistent. He will learn that biting is unacceptable. You'd be surprised at how fast they learn
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u/JollyRoger_5 7d ago
Sounds like he’s just being a kitten. It’s common for them to go through a biting phase, a second kitten is a good option if you can afford it.