That kitten needs another kitten! He is doing what comes naturally - trying to learn to fight. It's a deep instinct and the cat can't help doing it. Kittens do this by playing with each other, very hard and wildly. They leap on each other, chase, nip, and claw. Then they fall asleep and then they awaken and do it all over again. Is there any chance that your parents would adopt another kitten, preferably a bit younger?

I've had cats all my life, almost always just one at a time, or at least adopted at intervals. Then four years ago we adopted two ten-week old kittens from the SPCA. It was a revelation in raising cats. They took out all their aggression on each other. With DH and me they are the essence of gentleness, cuddliness and purrs. They are also tightly bonded to each other, they sleep together, groom each other, follow each other around, etc. They have NEVER bitten, scratched, attacked or hissed at us, NEVER. That's because they learned to fight with each other, as nature intended.

Except for a year or so of disorder in certain parts of the house, two cats are really not much more work than one. You need at least two litter boxes (we just have two), and two feeding bowls, a few toys, and a few large, soft pillows and throws. That's it.

If you can add another kitten, and soon, there will be a bit of hissing and growling when they first meet. That will pass quickly, when each one discovers that it finally has a playmate! The sooner the better, while both are still kittens and willing to accept each other quickly.

IMO taking the kitten to visit the other cat, or vice-versa, won't work, as it will be a territorial intrusion, and there is likely to be much hissing and very little acceptance.

If possible, do give this some thought! And good luck with wild kitty!

I have never had this issue and have always had just one kitten/cat at a time. I wonder if it is due to the kitten being away from its mother and littermates so early? I was at the breeders where I am acquiring my new Ragdoll and it was interesting to watch them interact. If the kitten got too rough with the mother she straightened them right out. Maybe the kitten never learned?

We have one kitten about the same age as your parents' kitten - also found at approximately 4 weeks of age. I agree that ideally a second kitten would probably solve your problems. I also know that, in my case, if I add a second kitten I will most likely lose a husband!! So to compensate for the lack of a playing companion, and since it's at his insistence that we only have one, DH spends all TV time in very intense playtime with our kitten. Instead of passively sitting and watching TV (ie football at this time of year) he is using all kinds of crazy wire toys to get our kitten to play box, fight, chase, leap, stalk, etc. She gets all of that out of her system and he loves to watch her learn new things. But best of all, they have bonded into the best of friends. They both look forward to their quality time together. (Lady (dog) and I also look forward to their quality time together -- it's our quiet time!!)

The kitten needs a playmate,and need the playmate to correct it. He does not know the repercussions of his bite or rough play. Another kitten may help with that.

It's a developmental thing. I raised a 17 day old kitten and was aware of this problem. But I raised her with my cat Sofie, who played with her and taught her how to play properly.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat Behavior Links

More than 5yrs ago, we found our first cat (Nikita) starving n dehydrated, almost dead in a hospital parking lot; she was about 3 months old and had a nasty wound on the top of her head. She bonded with me instantly but took almost a year to let DH near her. She also attacked me from day one, these were serious attacks, with a really nasty expression on her face. She'd come flying out of nowhere and land on my arm, growling, scratching and biting.

Quite often I had to push her onto her back and bite at her throat (yes, I'm crazy LOL) and then she realised who was the boss and the attacks reduced a lot. To this day, she does it; as I tuck in my feet before I hit the bed, she has to attack my feet, as I get into the tub, she attacks my feet. I've never understood why, and she does this only to me, though she does swat at people who come too close to her or try to touch her. Friends say she has a mean streak in her but I like the way she puts people in their place LOL Of course I warn visitors not to go near her.

I thought of getting her a playmate but she seemed so aggressive I didn't dare. When we did bring Max home, she taught him not to be aggressive with her or us, she bathed him, took care to cover his stuff in the litterbox if he was busy playing, as if he were her baby. Mellowed her down quite a bit. But as I said, she still attacks me ... and I'll never know why! Probably her brains got baked in the summer sun, or the wound on her head, who knows?!

Piper looks like he'd do good with another kitten for company; he'd learn his limits when playing rough with another kitten for sure. And just think, it'd be double the cuteness and fun!

Good luck, and keep us posted.
Pranjal

You guessed right about the kitten. It's bad enough he was separated from his mother at such an early age, but having no other cat around to teach him about being a cat is why he acts up. I raised a kitten from a few days when her mother was killed. But I did have grown cats in my house so she learned from them but she was never a really friendly cat. Same with her lookalike tortie i got many years later. I adopted this cat at a normal age from a group but her history was she was found wandering the streets of a city at a few weeks old. So no mother for her either. The 4 week old kittens I stole from their mother last summer (06)turned out great because even tho they didn't have their mother, they had me and each other. They would fight like mad and roll around for the almost three months they were together. I would have kept the other if I lived alone, because Henry finds great fun chasing the little tortie who hates him. He wants to play and no cat plays with him. He has a great friendly personality.

From that website:

BITING
Young kittens between the ages of 3 weeks old and 8 months old will be teething off and on, and will have very strong needs to bite. Just like baby children, kittens are born without teeth, start getting their first baby teeth at about 3-4 weeks old, then they will lose their baby teeth and have their adult teeth come in up until the age of about 8 months old. So the trick here is not to keep them from biting; but rather, to provide them appropriate items to bite. We use heavy-duty plastic drinking straws with our kittens (being careful to cut off any bitten ends and discard the entire straw before it becomes dangerous, as with any toy), and train them from the start that toys and straws are purr-rectly fine to bite, but human body parts are off-limits! If a kitten learns this from the start, there is hardly ever an inappropriate biting behavior as an adult. Some cats start biting out of frustration after they have been de-clawed. Some cats start biting out of misplaced aggression, which usually can be countered by providing the cat a feline playmate, and/or providing them more cat toys, cat furniture, and making their environment more stimulating for them. For a cat with a serious biting problem, often the quickest way to teach them not to bite you is to immediately blow on his face, as soon as you realize he is biting or is about to bite you. Saying "NO!" firmly at the same time reinforces this training. At all times, it is critical that you be thinking and acting on the firm belief that "toys and straws are for biting; human hands are for giving and receiving love".

Wow...thank you for all the great input! I will see if I can find Piper a friend from the animal shelter!