A little trouble..

[Beautiful-Fiora]

I'm having a bit of trouble with my 11 month kitten. She was originally from the SPCA and then went to another family, we've had her for a few months now. I guess I expected a nice, cuddly kitten as this is my first kitten on my own. Every single time I try to touch her she attacks me by biting, scratching and kicking, leaving scars all over my hands and legs. I'm not sure whether she hates me, or its just her nature, but it is tiring. Does anyone have any advice on what to do?

[Xanti]

It sounds very much like she is playing - cats tend to play roguh with each other but it can hurt us as you have found out. She is still quite young, so she should get a bit quieter whne she gets older..

best thing to do is make her tired by playing with her, but not with your hands.

[Venusworld21]

I agree, she's probably trying to play. Try wearing her out with toys (laser pointers work well) before petting her. Also, move slowly so you hand looks less appealing. Don't wiggle your fingers, just hold out your hand like you would to a strange dog and let her sniff you first.

[Nan]

Get a small stuffed animal that she can bite and fight with instead of your arm. Also some other toys on strings that you can drag and that she can attack.

It's hard to do, but she has to be the one to come to you. Put your hand out with just a finger pointing out and let her smell you before you try to pet her. If you can do that, give a little stroke to her whiskers and leave it at that. Hopefully with treats and play, she will learn to trust you more.