I’m so glad I taught my cats from day 1 that hands are not toys. When they were kittens they’d be curious and bat at my hands, but if they did that I would “play dead” and not move my hand at all until they stopped. I also made sure all guests knew that rule. My cats are older now and don’t bite or scratch you to play. They know that only toys are for playing. Best advice I can give to a new cat owner.
Hey, do you mind explain more what to do? I adopted a cat, he is 5 month old and sometimes when he wants pats and rubs he would grab my hand and bite ( not actually biting, just being playful I guess) and grab it with his Claws as well When he does this I tend to remove my hand and just hide it or distance myself for a bit , trying to make him understand that en he does this I won't continue the rubs Don't know if it will work or how long does it take But unfortunately I don't do this when he picks on my leg cause, sometimes I let him cause it's the only way to pick him up after doing a mess and he knows it, so I pick him gently when he picks on my leg and put him in place without mush distraction untill he calms down But I am not sure of i am doing wrong
@@jasmineali7755 Hi there, it's great you want to make sure you're teaching good habits! I can give you my personal advice. I would say that's a good idea what you're doing - remove your hand entirely from the situation. If he bites your hand (even if it doesn't hurt) remove it and give him no reaction. Stop pets entirely. Also try not to temp him with this, especially if he's on his back (prime position for bites). So he gets pets and rubs, but if he bites or claws at all, all attention stops immediately. I would be careful also with letting him scratch at your leg. If he knows it will get your attention, he won't stop, and he might start going for people's feet! That's not great to walk across the room and have a cat attack your feet. Again, no reaction if he bites your hands or feet (don't even say anything just take your hand away and ignore him)! I've also had success replacing my hand with a "kicker" toy instead if he likes playing on his back. I can play with my cat when they are on their back and prime for the "rabbit kick" but move the toy around to have them play with it instead of my hand. Best of luck, it will definitely be worth breaking this habit in the long run!
@@MakeItMagical27 hey thank you so much for replying and giving me advice, it means a lot He is the first cat I have ever had and I don't want the joy of having him blind me from making sure he learns good habits, I am being careful and I am making sure I learn more about their behavior so I can understand him more. I will definitely take notes of your tips and apply them to make sure he learns it, if you don't mind me asking another question,,, I have been trying to make him use the scratching post but haven't been lucky so far, He had already ruined the couch 😅💔 but I am still trying, followed most of the advices online and still no luck, one thing I still need to try is Trying catnip but Idk if it's safe yet, especially for a 5 months old cat, also the scratching post is a board type and idk if maybe I should try the standing stable one so it gives him the illusion of a tree Any tips?? I know there are tons of videos and posts online but I thought I might ask someone directly/ someone who tried stuff and worked for them
@@MakeItMagical27 oh I also forgot to mention that I saw in pet store that they sell some kind of a spray! That apparently you spray on the spots you don't want your cat to approach, I guess it's not a pleasant scent for them... But Idk, it doesn't seem right Idk if I am being paranoid or what
@@jasmineali7755 Oh, if you want to stop scratching of furniture, yes that's a spray you can use. You don't spray it directly on the cat (please don't ever!). In regards to that I would make sure you have lots of places you would like the cat to scratch - scratching posts, mats, etc. Jackson has some other videos on scratching. You can redirect them to that instead of your couch.
This dog mom’s hubby “surprised” me with a kitten. 😖 Knowing absolutely nothing about cats, I have been binge watching ur vids. I have learned sooo much and Mia, our kitten, is perfect and comforts me through my anxiety. Thanks for all the info! Lots of love from this newbie cat mom. 😊🐈
my view You’re right that cats do need their space but cats are great to help people who have anxiety and you can get them legally certified as an emotional support animal like a dog. There’s nothing wrong with having a kitty to help ease anxiety :)
@@tracy3975 Well said. I have couple teens with anxiety and our cats have helped SO MUCH!! They are fantastic for those anxious cuddles. Telling someone not to use their cat for anxiety because they need a life too is assuming a person just sits 24/7 force holding a cat 🤣🤣🤣🤣....NOT LIKELY 🤣. People have lives too!!
Ekari -kun same! My family won’t stop doing it no matter how many times I tell them to stop! My kitten is a good boy and they’re training him to bite! For shame
My cat and my roommates cat love playing with the same thing. My roommate used to buy these expensive toys and they lose interest after a minute. The shoe lace is the constant fav. He has now given up buying toys.
My problem is my husband. For some reason he has the boomer line of thinking that cats are unthinking robots and there’s no such thing as a wrong way to play with them. He’s sweet to our kitty but I can’t get him to stop the rough hand playing 😕
@@FoodiePunk I actually don't like this advice. There are enough people that have it wrong and if you have this attitude when you're wrong.. Well you'll be wrong forever, right? But you're definitely right in a sense as well. Nothing is worse than people thinking they have authority over your pet or children.
My cat loves belly rubs and seems to be irritated when I don’t rub him “aggressively” enough, to the point he headbutts me until I do. He never bites or scratches me, but loves “rough” pets akin to a massage I suppose. Strangest cat in the regard I’ve ever had, but I definitely think this is due to the fact that he sees my hand not as a toy, but as the “petter and massager” and all of his toys are for biting and scratching.
Yeah, they're individuals. Mine essentially grabs me by the shoulders and shoves his face into mine to force affection on me lol. My previous cat preferred to hang out at armslength(I'm fine with that kind of company too).
Rough petting and rough play using hands isn't the same thing in a cat's mind though. The latter really creates the association of hand = prey to bite down on. One of my cats likes rough pating and rubbing and has never ever tried to bite me when doing so.
same! my parents cat Sophie likes to be petted as if she's a large dog. She loves my friend who owns a golden retriever because he rubs her aggressively. But still she knows perfectly well not to play with hands.
I’ve been super strict with my kitten and never ever let him play with any body part. I don’t even let him chase my feet under the covers. My BF fights with him with his hands behind my back so now I have to train my BF and my cat 🤦🏼♀️
Cats are quick learners, but these "BF" animals are usually a bit slow. You can use a combination of tasty snacks and a bullwhip to make your BF animal submit to your will.
I was lucky that my big boy tabby used to play hand-wrestling all the time, but when he stopped being a kitten and it started to hurt, he let the instinct extinct itself.
Oh, yeah, this is true and I've got the scars to prove it! Actually, they are more Mommy heart scars because it's sad to see them confused when they first start learning this painful play is not going to be ok any longer. This video shows how to help them to change to the more advanced and so much less painful for you kind of play. It really works! Have more fun, kiddo, with pain being a distant memory!
I swear whatever cat learns as a kitten itʼll never change 😝 my cat (RIP💔💔) came to us as a toddler and I dunno what he has learnt in the previous home, but he never (!) learnt not to scratch furnitures, not jumping onto tables and not to bite hand. 18 years we told him NO, but nothing happened 😝 miss you baby
I recently adopted a 2 year old cat from a coworker. The cat was her son’s cat who just went into the army. She confided in me that she “hated” this cat and was trying to re-home her. I already had 5 cats, but it hurt my heart to hear that this cat was hated, so my fiancé and I decided to adopt her. It is clear that someone has rough played with her with hands. It has been a struggle to get her to stop attacking our hands. We have kicker toys for her and have tried to show positive reinforcements with treats, but she alternates between being scared of hands and thinking they’re toys. Feet too. We won’t give up on her! We don’t care how long it takes. That said, if anyone has suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
I hiss back and snap my fingers at my cat when he tries to make minced meat out of my hands. Usually I stay with my hand raised and look him in the eyes until he gives up and walks away.
My kitty was very bitey when I first adopted her. Whenever she looks like she's going to bite my finger, I immediately get it out of range and give her something else to gnaw on (she loves to chew on the plastic ends of wand toys)
I fostered a cat that I ended up adopting because she would get “aggressive” with everyone who tried to adopt her. Someone clearly raises her to play with hands because she will pounce at my ankles and takes no time to figure out that my hand is the reason that the toy is moving and goes after the source. What I found ya easiest to start with was removing the bites and claws. The INSTANCE that either of those come out, I give a clear “No biting. We’re done” and walk away or ignore her. I still haven’t figured out how to get her to play with interactive toys, but now at least she keeps her claws and her teeth to herself.
No word of a lie....friend of mine asked me for help today with their cat who’s become aggressive lately, and this comment came up. “They got him as a kitten and always played kinda rough but now he's getting aggressive.” In other words, purrfect timing for me to send this video, along with a few others.
It'll probably be much less severe when they start playing with him often, with appropriate toys. Good thing you can give your friends some guidance, some people don't know how to offer activity to cats in a way that doesn't involve bloodshed lol.
@Dr. Jimmy_Rustle tug-o-war or more hands-on play with dogs is not necessarily a problem(I guess it could be if it's reinforcing an already existing behavioral problem, or if one family member is allowing very rough play and there's small children in the house, that is potentially a recipe for trauma and injury). Cats and dogs are different animals, and what is true for one of them is not necessarily going to be the same for the other. We live in a very dog-centric society, so a big reason why people insist on rough-housing with cats is usually because that kind of play often is completely fine and positive with dogs.
My neighbor adopted a cat who they played roughly with as a kitten, the cat grew up to be very ornery with strangers and even the owners. Whenever I would pet sit, the cat would attack me to the point of bleeding instead of properly playing with toys. Eventually, the cat grew "too wild" for indoor life (their opinion, not mine) and frequently went outdoors. It got hit by a car one day and died. When my sister adopted a kitten, I made her stop using her hand to play immediately and that cat stays indoor as much as possible. The cat is now super chill and puts the frequent foster kittens that come through in their place.
Same here I wonder if it has something to do with getting her as an adult as well? She often just wrestles with my hand softly bites it then turns it into head butts and petting. XD But I accustomed her pretty slowly to this. When I adopted her she was kennel crazy :( It took her a year in the house before she'd come out around other people and I just let her adjust to her space and me so we sort of learned each other and bonded oddly. I also don't go around petting her stomach or anything unless she's up for it. She gets plenty of alone time, or time out if she wants it. And has a ton of toys. I do wonder if it's more if you start them on hand play when they are older, and also just knowing if your cat is super aggressive or not and their moods.
That's so true! I've taught my two male cats from a young age that my hands are for petting. And now, when they've grown up, they let me pet their belly and even when they "play" with my hand, they hide their claws and just cutely paw paw why purring. Grab a toy instead! Great video
@Free in Jesus the names are derived from traditional Japanese and thai names this is a comment about a cat on a video about cats how did it turn into religious rhetoric ?
Free in Jesus dude, I’m a Christian. I hate ouija boards too. Why does this need to come up in this conversation? It just makes people look at us like superstitious hacks and alienates people (like me by the way) who like this show. Name your cat comething weird? Must be satanic. Come on man, be more respectful.
People are just sensitive about a few scratches. Guess what whether you playfight with an animal or with another human, you will be roughed up a little.
When I got my cat, the breeder told us multiple ways we could play with him (with a toy or blanket) so I never did hand-play with him and he never became aggressive about it, hes a very chill lil friend.
I love how she says she doesnt touch the stomach and that he doesnt look frightened or mean but literally shows a video of her and the cat doing the exact opposite
I rough play even wrestle with my cat and pin him down and he's completely fine with it he knows were playing. When he was a kitten the scratches would hurt but now at 2yrs old he knows and never takes his claws out when we play and the bites are always soft play bites. Guess it just depends on the cat like people they all have different personalities.
Completely agree I played with some cats and dogs and bite them and they bite me and know when to stop,with some of them it would be dangerous ,but a some light scratches in the back of the hand when you are playing a bit to excited is not a big problem if we both are having fun and we both can stop when we dont like ,friendly sparring.
I'm on my 94th foster kitten and I can certainly attest to the wisdom of no playing with your hands. I learned the hard way when I was starting out, and now I keep an array of inexpensive crinkle balls, jingle toys, wand feathers, etc. within easy reach. Mom or siblings may have done a good job teaching appropriate play, if your kitten was not brought into the shelter alone (a singleton), but even so, they will test your play skills. You will also need to teach your kids how to safely play with their new cat sibling using toys, not hands. With everyone on the same page, you'll have a companion who will bring you years of joy. And if you are thinking about fostering, do it! You will literally be saving lives, and I can guarantee that you will be having fun too.
We had a cat who used the bathmat as a kicker: she would actually roll it up and go to town on it. We didn't mind because it was a very robust mat, and her razor-sharp claws would have made mincemeat of anyone's arm. The bathmat survived unscathed. Her successor is an adult rescue cat who is very affectionate but her previous owners obviously didn't see this video. She'll gently take my hand and pet or groom it, but occasionally forgets herself and out come the claws and the bunny kicks. Touch wood, she hasn't done that in a while: I've taken to watching for the tipping point and then removing my hand and ignoring her for a minute or two. I don't know if that's the recommended method, but it seems to have worked. Just as well, because I was beginning to look like a clumsy drug addict.
rewboss My cat was kicking old sheets. Regular kickers didn’t seem big enough, so I found one that was cat length and filled with crinkle material. It’s called a Sockitty and he loves it.
i reeeally love how you are not like "NO DONT DO THAT ITS BAD" like most people say, because that just makes the person who did wrong feel super bad what you are saying is like "dont worry too much abt it but here's a cool cat toy that is waay better :D"
I learned this morning not to play with my cat, using my hand under a blanket. She managed to claw the tips of all four right fingers, 3 of which bled :( so *I* learned my lesson, lol! (She's the sweetest cat and normally NEVER claws, but there was a monster under momma's blanket, after all, and she had to kill it.)
Can confirm! I did this with my first couple cats. This time I used a thick coat over my arm and he learned that he can't bunny kick unless the arm is properly covered. I love the idea of kicker toys, I'll have to make him one of those...
In regards to your 2:48 ish remark about rubbing a cats belly. My adopted 4 yr old calico loves stretching out and having her belly and under her chin rubbed/tickled. She'll lay there peacefully with her eyes closed enjoying it. She'll even let me play with foot pads too. She's such a great cat and very vocal/talkative when she has something important to say to me 💕
My aunt was recently visiting from California and she was trying to get my cat to sit for a picture so she was play fighting with the cat. I told her to leave the cat alone and she didn't want to be bothered. She didn't listen so what did my cat do? She hissed at her. hahhahahhah. Loveing your videos!
I always pull my hands away and ignore them for a bit when my kitties bite too hard. They've quickly learned. I also have a boy who absolutely adores long tummy rubs.
My two kittens are almost 4 months old. I got them when they were 7 weeks old. Since bringing them home, there has been no hand or feet playing allowed. I also let everyone who visits know it too. I'm also super conscious of when they start getting over stimulated when petting and cuddling.
i´ve just already made one of these toys that you talked about in this video, for my little kitten Lola, she's 5 months and still learning how to play (the both of us). So, thank you so much Jackson, she loves her new toy. I am learning a lot about cats with your videos and of course by watching Her rising. kisses from Argentina
Jackson's right! Our first kitten was the CUTEST most hyper little guy ever and we just loved it when he played with our hands. We actually knew it wasn't a good idea but did it anyway. Well now he's a whopping 18 pounds not afraid to use those back legs to shred some skin. We had two other kittens after him and learned our lesson. But we're still working with him to stop doing it. We take him outside with a harness if course but once playtime ends we have to pick him up, he won't come in on his own. That's when we have a problem. Don't let that kitty bite those pretty hands. We take our cats outside and run with a stick, they LOVE IT!!!
I’m so glad I found this channel! I just found my kitten this past October, and she’s just started being consistent in play! She’s a very good cat, but my mom has gotten in a bad habit of using her hands to play! I try to use the remote toys, and the feathers, and in turn she doesn’t go for my ankles and hands, but if I rub her tummy the wrong way she’ll close up on me lol! Thanks for the informative video!
When my bengal mix and i "play fight" she does a nip not a whole lot of tooth, front paws grip without claw, and does the kick thing with no claw. If i scratch the belly if her tummy muscles remain uncontracted i am feeling she is ok with it, but if she contracts the muscles i stop. I watch the ears, eyes and tail...from youre earlier video. I know she feel totally safe because she does sleeping otter a lot.
Great video... my brother played with my cat a few times with just his hand and when I would pick her up or play with a wand she began to go right for my hand. Glad you clarified what I researched with this video Jackson!
Love watching your videos! With your advices, I can really see the improvements to my cat every since I adopted her almost a month ago. From a very shy and hidey cat to one who’s so excited to play with us and wants to be near us 💕
Thank you so much for your valuable information. My husband and I are first time great grandparents to my granddaughters sweetheart EV girl. It has helped us all live together as a happy family. Thanks again grandma👵🏻🐈🥰
This video helped answer a lot of questions as do all your other videos. Thank you so much for all the advice. I'm a new cat dad myself only having my first rescue for a month. I watch your videos for the advice I need 👍👍
I used to play like this with my kitten but as she grew up I realized it was teaching her to be rough with arms and hands so when playing with her I would immediately stop get up and leave when she did that. I brought other toys in and slowly she learned we don't bite and kick mama's hand!
Love the term "mean drunk" for the catnip-OD. Going to remember that. I planted catnip in a small patch, it has escaped many years ago. With acres of catnip, it's never in shortage here. I have a mean-drunk. Even the dogs leave the room when the drunken-zoomies begin.
Yay! Congratulations on taking the step to foster. I'm on number 94-it gets in your blood. Have a wonderful time with your babies. What you are doing is making a huge difference in their lives.
So helpful! My sweet four-month-old has just started to become violent with me. And I attributed it to being pre-spay. I didn’t realize that I was encouraging the “bad” behavior. My fault! Thanks for the reminder! (I’ve had cats before, but always older rescues; this is my first kitten.)
I just adopted a 2 month old kitten and i didnt know about this until now, a month agp. Thank you daddy cat for this heads up video. Will turn it around asap!
I've raised two cats. Neither of them were biters or scratchers and they didn't have that defensive thing about tummy touching either. I'm certain this is because I never tolerated or encouraged rough play when they were kittens. They chased strings and torch lights and had toys to play with, but I was never one of those toys haha! Polly and Claude were the most beautiful cats. I miss them all the time.
My cat Mr Onyx Mayhem Spurlock is a rescue from 102 Cat Hoard I in Lexington, Ky.3/17. I adopted him from the shelter 1 yr. Later he is such a sweet boy 🌕 of MOJO. Thanks as always
Def teach them early. I adopted my cat at 3 months and he already learned bad behavior from at his foster home as far as biting and scratching and it was so difficult to break him out of that and at a year old today he still struggles a little but is much better.
Enzo is amazing. And Jackson, you are always right but I almost always ignore your recommendations. Some times my old cat destroy me bu I love him. I hide my scars and bruises like a battered woman. However, my cat is amazing.
One of my cats I do play like that, she's 5 years old and her "biting" and "attacking" is really tender and quickly turns into liking mi hand 😂. I adopted her when she was already an adult and she just have zero violent bones in her tiny body. But I do know that's the exception. Also she's more a dog than a cat, she's beautifully weird 😊🐈
My cat's the same way. He bite's, licks, bunny kicks. every now and then he'll sneak up and bite the back of my arm, it tickles like hell. He follows me like a puppy. He's an inside, outside cat so I never have to clean the litterbox. We put a bell on the door so he can ring it to get back inside. He's a blessing.
I adopted an adult street cat that thankfully mostly knows the boundaries with human bodies. I have gotten scratches only when it's vet time me and the carrier vs cat.
My 8-years-old understood from the beginning that you cannot, never, under any circumstance play using your hands. It is going to hurt. First your hands, then your relationship to your cat.
My cat grew up alone and I loved playing with him using my hands when he was a kitten. Later he started aggressively biting (read: playing) my hands and feet and it really HURTS! I then started to use toys instead of my hands but it was too late. Now I get used to getting bites but it’s so fun playing using my hands and seeing your cat bunny kicking.
When my cat was a kitten, I made the mistake of letting her play with my hand moving under the blanket. Now she wakes me up clawing the blood out of my feet.
Diana Howell Jaxon has this product called kitty krack. It's some kind of powder, not catnip. OMG!!! My cat went from 0-100 instantly after getting a wiff of this stuff! He got very aggressive towards me, attacking me, flopping around on the floor, getting back up and attacking me. I grabbed his fish toy and let him go to town on that. I got up off the floor to get away from him. It was crazy!
This is a good education for me a newbie cat mom! My kitten always bite the older one. I always separate them because I thought that it is bad. And he always bite my fam toes or hands. Turns out, kitten can learn that it hurts from those little fight. Pro tip then thank you so much!
I adore you, piratey dude! My cats love what you've done for us. My scarred hands are looking more refined and less horror show, thank you very much! More fun and less carnage!
Yes, I am the testimonial here, my cat (now 2) still thinks it's ok to play like this, and Jax is right that bunny kick, is something serious, I have the scars to prove it.
My rescue and I didn’t meet til she was almost two and it was clear that someone had already been hand wrestling with her. She loves it so much that I simply taught her the command, “careful” and “no claws”. Now we can bond that way and I never get scratched. I didn’t use a clicker, the only incentive was me taking my hand away. Smart cat.
Good vid. Honestly I’ve been badly reintroducing hand play to my 1 year old, and he’s starting to shred flesh like a cheese grater lol. But he’s totally sweet and cuddly during non playtime, so I thought it was okay. Interestingly enough he seems to be losing interest in the hand play as I think he thinks it’s too rough. I’ll stop and revert back to my plastic wrappers knotted to the end of some butchers twine.
She might as well be training her cat to shred his arm until she bleed to death. The is one of the single worst thing you can do to train you can to treat you as something to damage.
LOL dramatic much? It's certainly good practice not to teach your cats to play with your hands, I'm a bad example and play with my hands with all my cats over the years. I also clip their nails regularly. No shredding, no blood. That said, I would still say "do as I say, not as I do."
I recently took in 2 10 week kittens and at first i used to play w them with my hands but then i watched your vids about this and I stopped completely. And whenever theyd try playing with my hands again id just hiss at them and theyd stop and now theyve gotten the message 😂 they no longer attack my hands
One thing that my cousins did with their dog was they somehow taught the dog to associate a glove with roughhousing play. So when you weren't wearing the special glove, he wouldn't try to roughhouse with you or bite you, but when he brought over the glove and you put it on, then he would go for it! The glove was thick and kept your hand safe from bites or scratches as well. I'm not sure if that could be done with a cat, but it was definitely cool to see!
Totally agree,had to teach our cat this,either by picking him up and putting outside the room,or turning our backs on him.He's learnt now not to engage in this so called playtime.
For anyone in doubt about "playing with hands" we just took in a chipped stray (1-2 years old) that was abandoned after being adopted from a local rescue. Someone taught this poor cat as a kitten to be VERY play aggressive. To the point he bites feet to get food. But we are working tirelessly to fix this behavior- and he's learning quickly. It's not the cats fault and we took him in, got his info updated. Local shelters will not take in strays where we are at & if left out he would have become coyote food. DO NOT PLAY WITH YOUR HANDS. Its not cute because you're teaching a predator you're its playmate & equal. We feel blessed with our new furry room mate and hes lucky to be here. But not every abandoned cat gets that lucky. DONT PLAY WITH YOUR HANDS.
One of my cats, Pepsi (seen on a previous Q&A about play, shameless plug), was about five years old when I adopted him. He was my mum's cat beforehand, and he didn't really get played with (which is why I adopted him), but he did have an owner before that and I heavily suspect this first owner would use their hands as a toy during play, as the first serious issues I started having with Pepsi was that he'd attack my arm for the crime of existing, often grappling onto it while biting down. His grip was so tight that I could literally raise my arm into the air and he'd come with me, only letting go when his feet were about to leave the ground. These are behaviours I now recognise as play, but at the time, I had no idea what was going on and I was genuinely scared to touch my cat for the longest time. Thankfully, simply not reinforcing these behaviours eventually got him to tone down them down and he's become a big snuggle pot since then. That being said, it really does emphasize how important it is to teach your kitten how to play correctly. Yes, it's hilarious when they're young, but as soon as they reach full-size, those teeth leave puncture wounds that almost immediately seal up (trapping whatever nasties were on your cat's teeth inside your flesh), which can cause severe infections that have had some people go to the emergency room (even dying in extreme cases). You might get lucky and have a cat that simply doesn't have teeth big or sharp enough to do any damage (I can literally stick my finger in other cat's mouth to stop her chewing on something she's not meant to) but that's never a guarantee, and I'd dare say an exception to the rule. Pepsi, in particular, has huge, almost vampire-like fangs, so even a soft love bite tends to hurt like hell. So yeah, it might be a parental instinct to tickle your kitties belly, but just remember that they're not human children and you really don't want to be paying the price in the form of hospital bills (and I'm not talking about the vet). Besides, why get them to bite the crap out of you when seeing them do gravity-defying backflips to chase a bird is so much cooler?
i came into this video thinking it was going to be cringy. leaving feeling that its a solid video with good points. for someone like me however playfighting is one of my favorite things about cat-owning and i dont care if i walk away from a play session looking like shredded cheese. =) . keep up the good work.
Thanks for a definative answer on this. I do it, my cat always seemed to like it. Till she didn't. She actually hissed at me. My feelings were hurt for days. I've done it since then and always figured if her claws weren't out, her bites are gentle, no hissing, that she's ok wth it. Now I understand why it's not a good idea. About the laser pointer- I always feel sorry for her not being able to actually catch it. Gotta be frustrating. Follow up with something she can catch! Genious! Why didn't I think of that?
Jackson, thanks for your wise advice! I've had several cats, but had never encountered a grown-up Enzo until we were asked to adopt a cat from a family member. She was adorable as a kitten, but her cat daddy used to play with her by offering his feet as toys (as well as hands). As an adult, she would sometimes attack someone walking away from her and deliver painful bites to the back of your legs. She was unpredictable, and could go from purring to attack without warning. The last straw was when she jumped onto my bed, was startled by an unintentional small movement, and CHOMPED my arm. I had four deep punctures that looked like a snake bite and required a trip to ER and antibiotics. Sadly, her unpredictable behavior made her so dangerous that she had to be euthanized. A tragic ending to kitten training she received from misguided owners.
My cat play with my hand, no other one. Also he only plays with my hand when "I" initiate, and only when I initiate in the right way. He doesn't play fight with my girlfriend even if she tries to make him, he also never attacked any guest hands. Also I taught him from when he was a kitten, that playtime is immediately over once it hurts me, by doing something similar to what a cat mom or sibling might have done. So there are no claws involved at all, and he only grips me with his teeth there is barely any biting, the only thing that might scratch me are his thumb claws which he can't retract further. I haven't had any injuries from this since he was a kitten, and 2 minutes of play fight every day before going to sleep are a ritual now. It can be done, but it takes a lot of purposeful training. If you won't set clear rules for the play, follow Jacksons advice and stay away from this.
In my experience there is a period of transition between kitten and adult where they are learning how much "claw" to apply. For a period there, it hurts and I have to bat at them like a momma cat would while weening them. But I've never had an issue with an adult cat transitioning from play to prey on my hand. They only enjoy this behavior as a kitten/ juvenile. Adults just want me to pet/ defur/ deflea them.
Thank you! I have a 4 month old kitten that won’t stop bitting even though I never use my hands as toys. I’m going to use your tips and see what happens!
I never really thought about this - I guess I've been lucky. My cat has never made me bleed with this play (she's almost 5) and I am the only human she plays with like this. I can see how with a different cat this could be a disaster. Definitely something I'd consider avoiding if I ever get more cats.
Yeah, you do that with some cats but many you can’t. They won’t mean to hurt you. They’re just playing and we don’t have the protective fur like they do
When I volunteer at the animal shelter and do social play with the cats, I do Jackson's Redirective Play. When they want to bite my hand I back off and ignore them for 5 seconds then give them a toy to take that energy out on, then I praise them. Takes time but works!😁
I bought a house and I’m moving out of my parents place so I got a kitten to keep me company. I told them not to encourage scratching and biting but they are not listening and it’s infuriating because after a day with them my kitten spent the entire night biting me. The entire household has to be on board or it will be difficult to train your kitty!
What I learned from this video: roughhousing bad (with kittens especially), and Jackson should never become a doctor because the wrist bone is not connected to the elbow bone which is not connected to the finger bone.
Hey Jackson I have a question u know those feather wands. Yea will anything bad happen if my cat eats a part of the feather will he or she be ok? Please answer
i tied a few 6 inch pieces of ribbon to a long 4 foot string. the ribbons make the tip flow around and look a little alive when you bounce the string, my cat loved it
When the play gets too rough my cat gets "The Fist of Death". No cat can defeat 'The Fist of Death". Making a fist and my cat can't open his mouth enough to get a good bite in on knuckles and of course no exposed fingers to bite.
I...am very bad about not playing with the kitty with my hands. It's a level of interactivity that makes playing with him a lot more fun. But I'm also lucky with my kitty. He is actually quite gentle. He noms and holds and paws, but he doesn't scratch. I have paperthin skin and am very sensitive to pain. When he does get more excited and he starts to hurt me a little, I pull back and let him know it hurts, but I still never have a scratch on my skin. My partner is a little less lucky haha. The kitty plays rougher with him! But he also has a higher pain tolerance and thicker skin.
I made the mistake of hand-wrestling my baby Merlin. Like you said, real cute, until they get bigger.... Even at 3 months, playtime was all the time, biting/tackling my hand was THE BEST game, and it hurt!! So I ended up getting another kitten to wear him out, and it turned out perfect. Hands are no longer toys 😂
Bunny kicking is the cutest deadly attack
When I see big cats up close (lions) I think of that bunny kick and shudder
It's not... I learned the hard way, start cute, end up with scratches
@@nhokonhokopuala my cat grabs my hand with both of her Klaus to lick my hand but the problem is she won't let go
@@seanthesheep3871 same but it’s my sisters cat
@@Zakiour Blow in her face and she'll let go
Lmao
Cat owner: why you do this to me? (Arms all bloody)
Cat: is what we’ve always done!
Cat owner: *pikachu face*
Now time to ask for the pokeball to hide :D
or for another pokemon to end your misery 😝
"Didn't you teach me to do this?"
I’m so glad I taught my cats from day 1 that hands are not toys. When they were kittens they’d be curious and bat at my hands, but if they did that I would “play dead” and not move my hand at all until they stopped. I also made sure all guests knew that rule. My cats are older now and don’t bite or scratch you to play. They know that only toys are for playing. Best advice I can give to a new cat owner.
Hey, do you mind explain more what to do?
I adopted a cat, he is 5 month old and sometimes when he wants pats and rubs he would grab my hand and bite ( not actually biting, just being playful I guess) and grab it with his Claws as well
When he does this I tend to remove my hand and just hide it or distance myself for a bit , trying to make him understand that en he does this I won't continue the rubs
Don't know if it will work or how long does it take
But unfortunately I don't do this when he picks on my leg cause, sometimes I let him cause it's the only way to pick him up after doing a mess and he knows it, so I pick him gently when he picks on my leg and put him in place without mush distraction untill he calms down
But I am not sure of i am doing wrong
@@jasmineali7755 Hi there, it's great you want to make sure you're teaching good habits! I can give you my personal advice. I would say that's a good idea what you're doing - remove your hand entirely from the situation. If he bites your hand (even if it doesn't hurt) remove it and give him no reaction. Stop pets entirely. Also try not to temp him with this, especially if he's on his back (prime position for bites). So he gets pets and rubs, but if he bites or claws at all, all attention stops immediately. I would be careful also with letting him scratch at your leg. If he knows it will get your attention, he won't stop, and he might start going for people's feet! That's not great to walk across the room and have a cat attack your feet. Again, no reaction if he bites your hands or feet (don't even say anything just take your hand away and ignore him)! I've also had success replacing my hand with a "kicker" toy instead if he likes playing on his back. I can play with my cat when they are on their back and prime for the "rabbit kick" but move the toy around to have them play with it instead of my hand. Best of luck, it will definitely be worth breaking this habit in the long run!
@@MakeItMagical27 hey thank you so much for replying and giving me advice, it means a lot
He is the first cat I have ever had and I don't want the joy of having him blind me from making sure he learns good habits, I am being careful and I am making sure I learn more about their behavior so I can understand him more.
I will definitely take notes of your tips and apply them to make sure he learns it, if you don't mind me asking another question,,,
I have been trying to make him use the scratching post but haven't been lucky so far,
He had already ruined the couch 😅💔 but I am still trying, followed most of the advices online and still no luck, one thing I still need to try is Trying catnip but Idk if it's safe yet, especially for a 5 months old cat, also the scratching post is a board type and idk if maybe I should try the standing stable one so it gives him the illusion of a tree
Any tips??
I know there are tons of videos and posts online but I thought I might ask someone directly/ someone who tried stuff and worked for them
@@MakeItMagical27 oh
I also forgot to mention that I saw in pet store that they sell some kind of a spray!
That apparently you spray on the spots you don't want your cat to approach, I guess it's not a pleasant scent for them...
But Idk, it doesn't seem right
Idk if I am being paranoid or what
@@jasmineali7755 Oh, if you want to stop scratching of furniture, yes that's a spray you can use. You don't spray it directly on the cat (please don't ever!).
In regards to that I would make sure you have lots of places you would like the cat to scratch - scratching posts, mats, etc. Jackson has some other videos on scratching. You can redirect them to that instead of your couch.
I am guilty of this one... hand play... wish I never encouraged it
It’s so cute but so bad lol. I’m guilty of it too.
same
same
Me too!!!
Same here 😅
This dog mom’s hubby “surprised” me with a kitten. 😖 Knowing absolutely nothing about cats, I have been binge watching ur vids. I have learned sooo much and Mia, our kitten, is perfect and comforts me through my anxiety. Thanks for all the info! Lots of love from this newbie cat mom. 😊🐈
Don't rely on your cat being your comfort cushion. Cat has a life too
Tons of love from someone whose cat is sleeping on their hand.
my view You’re right that cats do need their space but cats are great to help people who have anxiety and you can get them legally certified as an emotional support animal like a dog. There’s nothing wrong with having a kitty to help ease anxiety :)
@@tracy3975 Well said. I have couple teens with anxiety and our cats have helped SO MUCH!! They are fantastic for those anxious cuddles. Telling someone not to use their cat for anxiety because they need a life too is assuming a person just sits 24/7 force holding a cat 🤣🤣🤣🤣....NOT LIKELY 🤣. People have lives too!!
Gosh when will people learn that animals are not gifts or surprises?
Me: *Doing interactive play with cat.*
Mom: *Uses hand to play.*
We're not getting anywhere with this. -_-
Ekari -kun same! My family won’t stop doing it no matter how many times I tell them to stop! My kitten is a good boy and they’re training him to bite! For shame
😂😂
same it’s frustrating
Omg my mom also 😡😡😡 he didn’t play with hands before and now he does LIKE STOP MOM
so i’m not the only one with a boundary crossing kitten grandma🙄🙄🙄🙄.
When I was a kid, my cat OWNED my brother’s 120 lb Akita with those back-leg “bunny” kicks.
Was the Akita's name Evita?
@@michaelreed7881 to hand-crafted beers made in local breweries
Michael Reed LOL - how high are you?!?
Ha! My Siberian Forest cat used to love hunting my sister's Akita. No bunny kicks, but lots of prowling and pouncing.
@@michaelreed7881 I understood that reference lol
My interactive play is a shoe lace. No idea why it's the preferred toy but it's her favorite.
LOL, mine is a piece of string with a knot at the end.
sameee
Mine is a string that came out of a hoodie lol 🤷🏼♀️ whatever makes them happy! Ha 😻
My cat and my roommates cat love playing with the same thing. My roommate used to buy these expensive toys and they lose interest after a minute. The shoe lace is the constant fav. He has now given up buying toys.
It's always the cheapest toys and never the expensive ones you just wasted money on😁
A friend’s boyfriend was being an ass, encouraging my kittens to bite and scratch. He didn’t get a return invitation
Always keep the ones away who think they know better than you do 👍
My problem is my husband. For some reason he has the boomer line of thinking that cats are unthinking robots and there’s no such thing as a wrong way to play with them. He’s sweet to our kitty but I can’t get him to stop the rough hand playing 😕
As it should be.
@@FoodiePunk I actually don't like this advice. There are enough people that have it wrong and if you have this attitude when you're wrong.. Well you'll be wrong forever, right? But you're definitely right in a sense as well. Nothing is worse than people thinking they have authority over your pet or children.
@@Solno12 Not when the advice is abusive or detrimental to the well-being of your animal. You're right, should have specified!
I got a kitten a week ago and I'm currently binge-watching all your videos and realising all the mistakes I've made already hahaha
My cat loves belly rubs and seems to be irritated when I don’t rub him “aggressively” enough, to the point he headbutts me until I do. He never bites or scratches me, but loves “rough” pets akin to a massage I suppose. Strangest cat in the regard I’ve ever had, but I definitely think this is due to the fact that he sees my hand not as a toy, but as the “petter and massager” and all of his toys are for biting and scratching.
Yeah, they're individuals. Mine essentially grabs me by the shoulders and shoves his face into mine to force affection on me lol. My previous cat preferred to hang out at armslength(I'm fine with that kind of company too).
My cat too. He’s extremely aggressive and I have carpal tunnel so sometimes I have to hide my hands so he doesn’t think it’s petting time.
Rough petting and rough play using hands isn't the same thing in a cat's mind though. The latter really creates the association of hand = prey to bite down on. One of my cats likes rough pating and rubbing and has never ever tried to bite me when doing so.
same! my parents cat Sophie likes to be petted as if she's a large dog. She loves my friend who owns a golden retriever because he rubs her aggressively. But still she knows perfectly well not to play with hands.
I’ve been super strict with my kitten and never ever let him play with any body part. I don’t even let him chase my feet under the covers. My BF fights with him with his hands behind my back so now I have to train my BF and my cat 🤦🏼♀️
Cat will realise who's got a fun hand, an who's got a grumpy hand
Cats are quick learners, but these "BF" animals are usually a bit slow. You can use a combination of tasty snacks and a bullwhip to make your BF animal submit to your will.
lol, train your boyfriend, it's always the boyfriend that needs training.
@@myview5840 no
@@angrysocialjusticewarrior just stubborn
Yep, teach them early. It's easier than having to unlearn in later stages. 😉👍
What cats learn in two week can take four month to unlearn.
I was lucky that my big boy tabby used to play hand-wrestling all the time, but when he stopped being a kitten and it started to hurt, he let the instinct extinct itself.
Oh, yeah, this is true and I've got the scars to prove it! Actually, they are more Mommy heart scars because it's sad to see them confused when they first start learning this painful play is not going to be ok any longer. This video shows how to help them to change to the more advanced and so much less painful for you kind of play. It really works! Have more fun, kiddo, with pain being a distant memory!
I swear whatever cat learns as a kitten itʼll never change 😝 my cat (RIP💔💔) came to us as a toddler and I dunno what he has learnt in the previous home, but he never (!) learnt not to scratch furnitures, not jumping onto tables and not to bite hand. 18 years we told him NO, but nothing happened 😝 miss you baby
Dear Grandpa Mason, an old feral cat adopted by Tiny Kittens turned into their Grandfather.
His "Paw of Nope" was semi favous. Just pushed them down.
"He doesn't show the signs of aggression"
"I try to avoid touching his stomach"
Yet, both things happen in the clip she shared.
I recently adopted a 2 year old cat from a coworker. The cat was her son’s cat who just went into the army. She confided in me that she “hated” this cat and was trying to re-home her. I already had 5 cats, but it hurt my heart to hear that this cat was hated, so my fiancé and I decided to adopt her.
It is clear that someone has rough played with her with hands. It has been a struggle to get her to stop attacking our hands. We have kicker toys for her and have tried to show positive reinforcements with treats, but she alternates between being scared of hands and thinking they’re toys. Feet too. We won’t give up on her! We don’t care how long it takes. That said, if anyone has suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
Clicker training!!!
I hiss back and snap my fingers at my cat when he tries to make minced meat out of my hands. Usually I stay with my hand raised and look him in the eyes until he gives up and walks away.
Giving her a wrestling buddy like a plushie could work. Mine has a stuffed unicorn he bites when he's feeling anxious
My kitty was very bitey when I first adopted her. Whenever she looks like she's going to bite my finger, I immediately get it out of range and give her something else to gnaw on (she loves to chew on the plastic ends of wand toys)
I fostered a cat that I ended up adopting because she would get “aggressive” with everyone who tried to adopt her. Someone clearly raises her to play with hands because she will pounce at my ankles and takes no time to figure out that my hand is the reason that the toy is moving and goes after the source.
What I found ya easiest to start with was removing the bites and claws. The INSTANCE that either of those come out, I give a clear “No biting. We’re done” and walk away or ignore her. I still haven’t figured out how to get her to play with interactive toys, but now at least she keeps her claws and her teeth to herself.
No word of a lie....friend of mine asked me for help today with their cat who’s become aggressive lately, and this comment came up. “They got him as a kitten and always played kinda rough but now he's getting aggressive.”
In other words, purrfect timing for me to send this video, along with a few others.
It'll probably be much less severe when they start playing with him often, with appropriate toys. Good thing you can give your friends some guidance, some people don't know how to offer activity to cats in a way that doesn't involve bloodshed lol.
Cat Tricks Exactly. I’ve learned a lot from Jackson Galaxy and it’s great to share the knowledge with others
@Dr. Jimmy_Rustle tug-o-war or more hands-on play with dogs is not necessarily a problem(I guess it could be if it's reinforcing an already existing behavioral problem, or if one family member is allowing very rough play and there's small children in the house, that is potentially a recipe for trauma and injury).
Cats and dogs are different animals, and what is true for one of them is not necessarily going to be the same for the other. We live in a very dog-centric society, so a big reason why people insist on rough-housing with cats is usually because that kind of play often is completely fine and positive with dogs.
my kitty used to tear me up! she’s a much happier cat after taking the cat daddy’s advice ♥️
cat daddys xd
daddies*
😂
My neighbor adopted a cat who they played roughly with as a kitten, the cat grew up to be very ornery with strangers and even the owners. Whenever I would pet sit, the cat would attack me to the point of bleeding instead of properly playing with toys. Eventually, the cat grew "too wild" for indoor life (their opinion, not mine) and frequently went outdoors. It got hit by a car one day and died.
When my sister adopted a kitten, I made her stop using her hand to play immediately and that cat stays indoor as much as possible. The cat is now super chill and puts the frequent foster kittens that come through in their place.
Same here I wonder if it has something to do with getting her as an adult as well?
She often just wrestles with my hand softly bites it then turns it into head butts and petting. XD But I accustomed her pretty slowly to this. When I adopted her she was kennel crazy :( It took her a year in the house before she'd come out around other people and I just let her adjust to her space and me so we sort of learned each other and bonded oddly. I also don't go around petting her stomach or anything unless she's up for it. She gets plenty of alone time, or time out if she wants it. And has a ton of toys. I do wonder if it's more if you start them on hand play when they are older, and also just knowing if your cat is super aggressive or not and their moods.
Stoopid people, eh?
That's so true! I've taught my two male cats from a young age that my hands are for petting. And now, when they've grown up, they let me pet their belly and even when they "play" with my hand, they hide their claws and just cutely paw paw why purring. Grab a toy instead! Great video
I'd follow this advice cause I didnt and now azulas bites actually hurt like heck
I'd be nervous about a cat named Azula lol
@Free in Jesus lol could be but I was thinking the mentally unstable firebender from Avatar the Last Airbender who would murder anyone without remorse
@Free in Jesus the names are derived from traditional Japanese and thai names this is a comment about a cat on a video about cats how did it turn into religious rhetoric ?
Free in Jesus dude, I’m a Christian. I hate ouija boards too. Why does this need to come up in this conversation?
It just makes people look at us like superstitious hacks and alienates people (like me by the way) who like this show. Name your cat comething weird? Must be satanic. Come on man, be more respectful.
Does she breathe fire too?
Cats and dogs are so different when it comes to this rough play. Thank you for submitting this question and answering!
They are not so different. Victoria Stilwell would also exclude hands from play because it tends to reinforce mousing for dogs.
People are just sensitive about a few scratches. Guess what whether you playfight with an animal or with another human, you will be roughed up a little.
I got a kicker toy yesterday and was worried they wouldn't know what to do with it, but they both immediately started bunny kicking :)
When I got my cat, the breeder told us multiple ways we could play with him (with a toy or blanket) so I never did hand-play with him and he never became aggressive about it, hes a very chill lil friend.
I love how she says she doesnt touch the stomach and that he doesnt look frightened or mean but literally shows a video of her and the cat doing the exact opposite
I rough play even wrestle with my cat and pin him down and he's completely fine with it he knows were playing. When he was a kitten the scratches would hurt but now at 2yrs old he knows and never takes his claws out when we play and the bites are always soft play bites. Guess it just depends on the cat like people they all have different personalities.
Completely agree I played with some cats and dogs and bite them and they bite me and know when to stop,with some of them it would be dangerous ,but a some light scratches in the back of the hand when you are playing a bit to excited is not a big problem if we both are having fun and we both can stop when we dont like ,friendly sparring.
I'm on my 94th foster kitten and I can certainly attest to the wisdom of no playing with your hands. I learned the hard way when I was starting out, and now I keep an array of inexpensive crinkle balls, jingle toys, wand feathers, etc. within easy reach. Mom or siblings may have done a good job teaching appropriate play, if your kitten was not brought into the shelter alone (a singleton), but even so, they will test your play skills. You will also need to teach your kids how to safely play with their new cat sibling using toys, not hands. With everyone on the same page, you'll have a companion who will bring you years of joy. And if you are thinking about fostering, do it! You will literally be saving lives, and I can guarantee that you will be having fun too.
94th!??? Angel.
We had a cat who used the bathmat as a kicker: she would actually roll it up and go to town on it. We didn't mind because it was a very robust mat, and her razor-sharp claws would have made mincemeat of anyone's arm. The bathmat survived unscathed.
Her successor is an adult rescue cat who is very affectionate but her previous owners obviously didn't see this video. She'll gently take my hand and pet or groom it, but occasionally forgets herself and out come the claws and the bunny kicks. Touch wood, she hasn't done that in a while: I've taken to watching for the tipping point and then removing my hand and ignoring her for a minute or two. I don't know if that's the recommended method, but it seems to have worked. Just as well, because I was beginning to look like a clumsy drug addict.
rewboss My cat was kicking old sheets. Regular kickers didn’t seem big enough, so I found one that was cat length and filled with crinkle material. It’s called a Sockitty and he loves it.
Lol I’ll be shopping now for “robust bath mats “
i reeeally love how you are not like "NO DONT DO THAT ITS BAD" like most people say, because that just makes the person who did wrong feel super bad
what you are saying is like "dont worry too much abt it but here's a cool cat toy that is waay better :D"
I learned this morning not to play with my cat, using my hand under a blanket. She managed to claw the tips of all four right fingers, 3 of which bled :( so *I* learned my lesson, lol! (She's the sweetest cat and normally NEVER claws, but there was a monster under momma's blanket, after all, and she had to kill it.)
My cats do the bunny kick on toys and on each other...lol
The kicking bunny is the best so cute
Can confirm! I did this with my first couple cats. This time I used a thick coat over my arm and he learned that he can't bunny kick unless the arm is properly covered. I love the idea of kicker toys, I'll have to make him one of those...
In regards to your 2:48 ish remark about rubbing a cats belly. My adopted 4 yr old calico loves stretching out and having her belly and under her chin rubbed/tickled. She'll lay there peacefully with her eyes closed enjoying it. She'll even let me play with foot pads too. She's such a great cat and very vocal/talkative when she has something important to say to me 💕
My aunt was recently visiting from California and she was trying to get my cat to sit for a picture so she was play fighting with the cat. I told her to leave the cat alone and she didn't want to be bothered. She didn't listen so what did my cat do? She hissed at her. hahhahahhah. Loveing your videos!
I always pull my hands away and ignore them for a bit when my kitties bite too hard. They've quickly learned. I also have a boy who absolutely adores long tummy rubs.
Oh no I been doing that. Just a little play with my hand. I just got a kitten and play with him like he's my dog. Good info. Thanks will correct!
My two kittens are almost 4 months old. I got them when they were 7 weeks old. Since bringing them home, there has been no hand or feet playing allowed. I also let everyone who visits know it too. I'm also super conscious of when they start getting over stimulated when petting and cuddling.
You weren't slow, you were thorough!! "Does this happen every time?" for science!!
i´ve just already made one of these toys that you talked about in this video, for my little kitten Lola, she's 5 months and still learning how to play (the both of us).
So, thank you so much Jackson, she loves her new toy. I am learning a lot about cats with your videos and of course by watching Her rising. kisses from Argentina
Jackson's right! Our first kitten was the CUTEST most hyper little guy ever and we just loved it when he played with our hands. We actually knew it wasn't a good idea but did it anyway. Well now he's a whopping 18 pounds not afraid to use those back legs to shred some skin. We had two other kittens after him and learned our lesson. But we're still working with him to stop doing it. We take him outside with a harness if course but once playtime ends we have to pick him up, he won't come in on his own. That's when we have a problem. Don't let that kitty bite those pretty hands. We take our cats outside and run with a stick, they LOVE IT!!!
I’m so glad I found this channel! I just found my kitten this past October, and she’s just started being consistent in play! She’s a very good cat, but my mom has gotten in a bad habit of using her hands to play! I try to use the remote toys, and the feathers, and in turn she doesn’t go for my ankles and hands, but if I rub her tummy the wrong way she’ll close up on me lol! Thanks for the informative video!
When my bengal mix and i "play fight" she does a nip not a whole lot of tooth, front paws grip without claw, and does the kick thing with no claw. If i scratch the belly if her tummy muscles remain uncontracted i am feeling she is ok with it, but if she contracts the muscles i stop. I watch the ears, eyes and tail...from youre earlier video. I know she feel totally safe because she does sleeping otter a lot.
I just put a sweater on then play so my cat doesn't hurt me. If she goes to far I say stop and she does.
Great video... my brother played with my cat a few times with just his hand and when I would pick her up or play with a wand she began to go right for my hand. Glad you clarified what I researched with this video Jackson!
Love watching your videos! With your advices, I can really see the improvements to my cat every since I adopted her almost a month ago. From a very shy and hidey cat to one who’s so excited to play with us and wants to be near us 💕
Thank you so much for your valuable information. My husband and I are first time great grandparents to my granddaughters sweetheart EV girl. It has helped us all live together as a happy family. Thanks again grandma👵🏻🐈🥰
My cats are so lasers pointer kittties and I've never knew how to end playtime with them but now looks like I have got to buy some kickers! Ty
This video helped answer a lot of questions as do all your other videos. Thank you so much for all the advice. I'm a new cat dad myself only having my first rescue for a month. I watch your videos for the advice I need 👍👍
I used to play like this with my kitten but as she grew up I realized it was teaching her to be rough with arms and hands so when playing with her I would immediately stop get up and leave when she did that. I brought other toys in and slowly she learned we don't bite and kick mama's hand!
Love the term "mean drunk" for the catnip-OD. Going to remember that. I planted catnip in a small patch, it has escaped many years ago. With acres of catnip, it's never in shortage here. I have a mean-drunk. Even the dogs leave the room when the drunken-zoomies begin.
I have just got my first foster kittens!!! They are 6 and a half weeks old!
Awww that was the best age. Mine are 13 weeks now and annoying asf 😂
Play play PLAY is important at that age. Get them used to being held, rubbing tummies, use of TOYS instead of HANDS. 👍🐈❤
Yay! Congratulations on taking the step to foster. I'm on number 94-it gets in your blood. Have a wonderful time with your babies. What you are doing is making a huge difference in their lives.
Congrats! You’re doing a wonderful thing! ❤️
@@thequeerbee2026 You are probably no playing with it enough. I always use want toys.
i love listening to you. it's educational and funny at the same time! :D
So helpful! My sweet four-month-old has just started to become violent with me. And I attributed it to being pre-spay. I didn’t realize that I was encouraging the “bad” behavior. My fault! Thanks for the reminder! (I’ve had cats before, but always older rescues; this is my first kitten.)
I just adopted a 2 month old kitten and i didnt know about this until now, a month agp. Thank you daddy cat for this heads up video. Will turn it around asap!
I've raised two cats. Neither of them were biters or scratchers and they didn't have that defensive thing about tummy touching either.
I'm certain this is because I never tolerated or encouraged rough play when they were kittens. They chased strings and torch lights and had toys to play with, but I was never one of those toys haha!
Polly and Claude were the most beautiful cats. I miss them all the time.
My cat Mr Onyx Mayhem Spurlock is a rescue from 102 Cat Hoard I in Lexington, Ky.3/17. I adopted him from the shelter 1 yr. Later he is such a sweet boy 🌕 of MOJO. Thanks as always
Def teach them early. I adopted my cat at 3 months and he already learned bad behavior from at his foster home as far as biting and scratching and it was so difficult to break him out of that and at a year old today he still struggles a little but is much better.
Enzo is amazing. And Jackson, you are always right but I almost always ignore your recommendations. Some times my old cat destroy me bu I love him. I hide my scars and bruises like a battered woman. However, my cat is amazing.
Love this! it helped a lot cause i j got a kitten and she has been play biting alot
Do not engage. Withdrawal powerful for cats.
Paul ok thx!
Paul she’s sweet otherwise so it’s not aggressive biting
Thx Jackson. I found a stray Kitten (4-5 weeks) and started letting her nibble my hand and play fight with it. Glad I now know the dangers of this.
One of my cats I do play like that, she's 5 years old and her "biting" and "attacking" is really tender and quickly turns into liking mi hand 😂.
I adopted her when she was already an adult and she just have zero violent bones in her tiny body. But I do know that's the exception. Also she's more a dog than a cat, she's beautifully weird 😊🐈
@Mike Schwab Mine roo! She's a maine coon, just like a dog lol
my cat bites and chews on my hand but it doesnt hurt at all(its lowkey ticklish) and never scratches or bunny kicks me
My cat's the same way. He bite's, licks, bunny kicks. every now and then he'll sneak up and bite the back of my arm, it tickles like hell. He follows me like a puppy. He's an inside, outside cat so I never have to clean the litterbox. We put a bell on the door so he can ring it to get back inside. He's a blessing.
I adopted an adult street cat that thankfully mostly knows the boundaries with human bodies. I have gotten scratches only when it's vet time me and the carrier vs cat.
Ask your vet to give your cat something to calm it down.
My 8-years-old understood from the beginning that you cannot, never, under any circumstance play using your hands. It is going to hurt. First your hands, then your relationship to your cat.
My cat grew up alone and I loved playing with him using my hands when he was a kitten. Later he started aggressively biting (read: playing) my hands and feet and it really HURTS! I then started to use toys instead of my hands but it was too late. Now I get used to getting bites but it’s so fun playing using my hands and seeing your cat bunny kicking.
When my cat was a kitten, I made the mistake of letting her play with my hand moving under the blanket. Now she wakes me up clawing the blood out of my feet.
Thanks Jackson, I do this to my cat as well. Now, I should know and tell my cat that my hand is not your toy!
Lol, catnip 'mean drunks' - one of my previous cats turned into a homicidal maniac!
Diana Howell Jaxon has this product called kitty krack. It's some kind of powder, not catnip. OMG!!! My cat went from 0-100 instantly after getting a wiff of this stuff! He got very aggressive towards me, attacking me, flopping around on the floor, getting back up and attacking me. I grabbed his fish toy and let him go to town on that. I got up off the floor to get away from him. It was crazy!
This is a good education for me a newbie cat mom! My kitten always bite the older one. I always separate them because I thought that it is bad. And he always bite my fam toes or hands. Turns out, kitten can learn that it hurts from those little fight. Pro tip then thank you so much!
Great informative and entertaining videos! Shout out to Jules for being brave ans sending in a video question !
I adore you, piratey dude! My cats love what you've done for us. My scarred hands are looking more refined and less horror show, thank you very much! More fun and less carnage!
Yes, I am the testimonial here, my cat (now 2) still thinks it's ok to play like this, and Jax is right that bunny kick, is something serious, I have the scars to prove it.
My rescue and I didn’t meet til she was almost two and it was clear that someone had already been hand wrestling with her. She loves it so much that I simply taught her the command, “careful” and “no claws”. Now we can bond that way and I never get scratched. I didn’t use a clicker, the only incentive was me taking my hand away. Smart cat.
you are genius, new Kitten daddy here with zero experience. Thank YOU for saving me from making rookie mistakes...
Good vid. Honestly I’ve been badly reintroducing hand play to my 1 year old, and he’s starting to shred flesh like a cheese grater lol. But he’s totally sweet and cuddly during non playtime, so I thought it was okay. Interestingly enough he seems to be losing interest in the hand play as I think he thinks it’s too rough. I’ll stop and revert back to my plastic wrappers knotted to the end of some butchers twine.
Thank you🥰🥰 I’m going to show this video to my son!!!
She might as well be training her cat to shred his arm until she bleed to death. The is one of the single worst thing you can do to train you can to treat you as something to damage.
LOL dramatic much? It's certainly good practice not to teach your cats to play with your hands, I'm a bad example and play with my hands with all my cats over the years. I also clip their nails regularly. No shredding, no blood.
That said, I would still say "do as I say, not as I do."
all the toys you mentioned are great. My cats get really excited when chasing ping-pong balls.
I recently took in 2 10 week kittens and at first i used to play w them with my hands but then i watched your vids about this and I stopped completely. And whenever theyd try playing with my hands again id just hiss at them and theyd stop and now theyve gotten the message 😂 they no longer attack my hands
One thing that my cousins did with their dog was they somehow taught the dog to associate a glove with roughhousing play. So when you weren't wearing the special glove, he wouldn't try to roughhouse with you or bite you, but when he brought over the glove and you put it on, then he would go for it! The glove was thick and kept your hand safe from bites or scratches as well. I'm not sure if that could be done with a cat, but it was definitely cool to see!
Totally agree,had to teach our cat this,either by picking him up and putting outside the room,or turning our backs on him.He's learnt now not to engage in this so called playtime.
For anyone in doubt about "playing with hands" we just took in a chipped stray (1-2 years old) that was abandoned after being adopted from a local rescue. Someone taught this poor cat as a kitten to be VERY play aggressive. To the point he bites feet to get food. But we are working tirelessly to fix this behavior- and he's learning quickly. It's not the cats fault and we took him in, got his info updated. Local shelters will not take in strays where we are at & if left out he would have become coyote food. DO NOT PLAY WITH YOUR HANDS. Its not cute because you're teaching a predator you're its playmate & equal. We feel blessed with our new furry room mate and hes lucky to be here. But not every abandoned cat gets that lucky. DONT PLAY WITH YOUR HANDS.
One of my cats, Pepsi (seen on a previous Q&A about play, shameless plug), was about five years old when I adopted him.
He was my mum's cat beforehand, and he didn't really get played with (which is why I adopted him), but he did have an owner before that and I heavily suspect this first owner would use their hands as a toy during play, as the first serious issues I started having with Pepsi was that he'd attack my arm for the crime of existing, often grappling onto it while biting down. His grip was so tight that I could literally raise my arm into the air and he'd come with me, only letting go when his feet were about to leave the ground.
These are behaviours I now recognise as play, but at the time, I had no idea what was going on and I was genuinely scared to touch my cat for the longest time.
Thankfully, simply not reinforcing these behaviours eventually got him to tone down them down and he's become a big snuggle pot since then. That being said, it really does emphasize how important it is to teach your kitten how to play correctly. Yes, it's hilarious when they're young, but as soon as they reach full-size, those teeth leave puncture wounds that almost immediately seal up (trapping whatever nasties were on your cat's teeth inside your flesh), which can cause severe infections that have had some people go to the emergency room (even dying in extreme cases).
You might get lucky and have a cat that simply doesn't have teeth big or sharp enough to do any damage (I can literally stick my finger in other cat's mouth to stop her chewing on something she's not meant to) but that's never a guarantee, and I'd dare say an exception to the rule. Pepsi, in particular, has huge, almost vampire-like fangs, so even a soft love bite tends to hurt like hell. So yeah, it might be a parental instinct to tickle your kitties belly, but just remember that they're not human children and you really don't want to be paying the price in the form of hospital bills (and I'm not talking about the vet).
Besides, why get them to bite the crap out of you when seeing them do gravity-defying backflips to chase a bird is so much cooler?
i came into this video thinking it was going to be cringy. leaving feeling that its a solid video with good points. for someone like me however playfighting is one of my favorite things about cat-owning and i dont care if i walk away from a play session looking like shredded cheese. =) . keep up the good work.
Thanks for a definative answer on this. I do it, my cat always seemed to like it. Till she didn't. She actually hissed at me. My feelings were hurt for days. I've done it since then and always figured if her claws weren't out, her bites are gentle, no hissing, that she's ok wth it. Now I understand why it's not a good idea. About the laser pointer- I always feel sorry for her not being able to actually catch it. Gotta be frustrating. Follow up with something she can catch! Genious! Why didn't I think of that?
Jackson, thanks for your wise advice! I've had several cats, but had never encountered a grown-up Enzo until we were asked to adopt a cat from a family member. She was adorable as a kitten, but her cat daddy used to play with her by offering his feet as toys (as well as hands). As an adult, she would sometimes attack someone walking away from her and deliver painful bites to the back of your legs. She was unpredictable, and could go from purring to attack without warning. The last straw was when she jumped onto my bed, was startled by an unintentional small movement, and CHOMPED my arm. I had four deep punctures that looked like a snake bite and required a trip to ER and antibiotics. Sadly, her unpredictable behavior made her so dangerous that she had to be euthanized. A tragic ending to kitten training she received from misguided owners.
My cat play with my hand, no other one. Also he only plays with my hand when "I" initiate, and only when I initiate in the right way. He doesn't play fight with my girlfriend even if she tries to make him, he also never attacked any guest hands.
Also I taught him from when he was a kitten, that playtime is immediately over once it hurts me, by doing something similar to what a cat mom or sibling might have done. So there are no claws involved at all, and he only grips me with his teeth there is barely any biting, the only thing that might scratch me are his thumb claws which he can't retract further. I haven't had any injuries from this since he was a kitten, and 2 minutes of play fight every day before going to sleep are a ritual now.
It can be done, but it takes a lot of purposeful training. If you won't set clear rules for the play, follow Jacksons advice and stay away from this.
In my experience there is a period of transition between kitten and adult where they are learning how much "claw" to apply. For a period there, it hurts and I have to bat at them like a momma cat would while weening them.
But I've never had an issue with an adult cat transitioning from play to prey on my hand. They only enjoy this behavior as a kitten/ juvenile. Adults just want me to pet/ defur/ deflea them.
Thank you! I have a 4 month old kitten that won’t stop bitting even though I never use my hands as toys. I’m going to use your tips and see what happens!
I never really thought about this - I guess I've been lucky. My cat has never made me bleed with this play (she's almost 5) and I am the only human she plays with like this.
I can see how with a different cat this could be a disaster. Definitely something I'd consider avoiding if I ever get more cats.
Yeah, you do that with some cats but many you can’t. They won’t mean to hurt you. They’re just playing and we don’t have the protective fur like they do
When I volunteer at the animal shelter and do social play with the cats, I do Jackson's Redirective Play. When they want to bite my hand I back off and ignore them for 5 seconds then give them a toy to take that energy out on, then I praise them. Takes time but works!😁
I bought a house and I’m moving out of my parents place so I got a kitten to keep me company. I told them not to encourage scratching and biting but they are not listening and it’s infuriating because after a day with them my kitten spent the entire night biting me. The entire household has to be on board or it will be difficult to train your kitty!
I differently needed to here this!!! 😮
What I learned from this video: roughhousing bad (with kittens especially), and Jackson should never become a doctor because the wrist bone is not connected to the elbow bone which is not connected to the finger bone.
Jackson, I like your beard style. It makes me feel comfortable around you.
When my 4 month old cat started zoomies right after I played with her for an hour...
Yeah. My 6 month old gets all pissy after 20 minutes playtime and picks a fight with my 3 times heavier Norwegian.
My cat was like that too up to 6 months but he calmed down. Now he’s 3.5 and getting lazy lately lol
Thanks for this video! I didn’t understand why he only did this to me and not my husband.
Hey Jackson I have a question u know those feather wands. Yea will anything bad happen if my cat eats a part of the feather will he or she be ok? Please answer
i tied a few 6 inch pieces of ribbon to a long 4 foot string. the ribbons make the tip flow around and look a little alive when you bounce the string, my cat loved it
When the play gets too rough my cat gets "The Fist of Death". No cat can defeat 'The Fist of Death". Making a fist and my cat can't open his mouth enough to get a good bite in on knuckles and of course no exposed fingers to bite.
I...am very bad about not playing with the kitty with my hands. It's a level of interactivity that makes playing with him a lot more fun. But I'm also lucky with my kitty. He is actually quite gentle. He noms and holds and paws, but he doesn't scratch. I have paperthin skin and am very sensitive to pain. When he does get more excited and he starts to hurt me a little, I pull back and let him know it hurts, but I still never have a scratch on my skin.
My partner is a little less lucky haha. The kitty plays rougher with him! But he also has a higher pain tolerance and thicker skin.
I made the mistake of hand-wrestling my baby Merlin. Like you said, real cute, until they get bigger.... Even at 3 months, playtime was all the time, biting/tackling my hand was THE BEST game, and it hurt!!
So I ended up getting another kitten to wear him out, and it turned out perfect. Hands are no longer toys 😂
Thank you for everything Jackson