Hi all,
New to posting on here but have been reading up for the past few weeks. I'm in need of advice please!
I have a 16 week old male kitten, Jub Jub, who has been with us for a month.
He's a beautiful kitten who loves snuggling on my lap and enjoys playing but is not as energetic as I thought he would be.
But he's also very confusing!! He has taken to biting me (not my husband) at times and today he drew blood for the first time. I am not sure what the difference is between play fighting and him meaning to hurt me - if that's even in his mind??!! When he bites, scratches or latches on I gently take him off, say no, blow on his nose and then put him next to a toy. But he usually comes back at me several times before he stops. Today I put him in another room. I have an abundance of toys for him and we play with him lots but he seems intent on coming at me at random times.
I'm also really confused about tail watching!! He can rub against me, purring but with his tail wagging!! He's giving such mixed signals and I think I've read so much about using the tail as a sign for moods that I'm always looking. So confused!!
I've been at home most of the time since we got him but I'll be back at work full time in 2 weeks so we are considering getting a playmate for him. His brother and sister are available at the moment.
If anyone has any advice on what to do with the biting or whether a playmate would be good, I'd be most appreciative.
Many thanks! :)

Welcome to the forum! You kitty is doing what kitties do! The easiest thing is to redirect his attention to a toy! Bengal kittens have a lot of energy and want to play all the time. As for getting a sibling for him -- it's been four weeks and any scent of his siblings would be gone and forgotten. In other words, your boy is not going to remember the new cat is a brother or sister -- it's just another cat. However, adding another kitten at this stage is the perfect time to do it. A safe room is necessary and proper, slow introduction is going to have to take place. However, you will now have two kittens who may enjoy biting you! Biting is natural for a cat. You can probably train them to understand the word "NO." Or yell "Ouch." In some way letting him know it's not acceptable. Every kitten owner ends up with scratches and bites. Just the nature of the cat. There are chew toys for cats and your kitty may be content to gnaw on that.

I would not worry about the tail thing. I think bengals are just different in the tail department. Oscar's tail twitches and thrashes even when he is happy and fast asleep. When he is on my lap I often get wacked around the face continually, even though he is purring with his eyes closed! As for the biting, he is still very young. If he comes at you, have a big stuffed toy handy to fend him off with. When he bites, say a very loud OW and then walk away. Don't play with him until he has calmed down. Don't let him learn that biting you = play! Let him know if he bites, he gets a loud NO and you walk away and ignore him

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Yea, my bengals, Gaga in particular, uses her tail differently than any other cat I've seen. But at 16 weeks, you kitten is still a "cat in training". He's practicing all the skills he needs to be the little hunter that he will become, and sometimes in practicing those things, he'll use them a little out of context. Kind of like a human child "pretending".

As far as the biting goes, I think the important things are:

* make sure he knows that it upsets you and it isn't acceptable
* make sure his needs are being met (the need to play/hunt interactive prey is a biggie, just having a pile of toys lying around doesn't really do much for him)
* whatever you do to try to get your point across, just keep in the back of your mind that you DON'T ever want the lesson to be that you are "mean" to him and don't want him around. So you have to be careful there.

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The little monsters 3

I agree with the above posters about the ideas to curb the biting habit. My girl really was very playful when I got her and when she started biting me (sometimes vicisously) I made sure she knew it hurt me and that she ended up in time out (in my spare bathroom) and away from any stimulation. She hated it. I don't know if I can say it was the most effective way to deal with it though because she was biting me even as old as 1-1.5 yrs old. There is some solace though, she's a true pussy cat now and I don't think she would bite me under any circumstances so there is hope!