Hello!

I recently just got a calico kitten. She’s been with me for about a month but is estimated to be about 3 months in age. I’ve never had cats growing up or as an adult so this is my first, but I have a general knowledge of them because I work somewhat in a veterinary field. It’s also probably important to note that I have also had a dog for about a year and a half now, she’s three and i made sure to train her with cats so she’d be used to them when I decided it was time to introduce one.

When I got my kitten, My vet said it was a little too early to introduce the two as my kitten was too small and about June/July would be a good introduction in size and to keep her in a different room. So for the last month or so she stays in my spare bedroom and my dog stays on the other side of the door. Recently They have supervised playtime 1-2 hrs a day. When the kitten is not out she’s in the spare room with a cat tower, toys, blankets, etc.

I noticed overtime my kitten has developed borderline aggressive/playful biting and I haven’t been able to get her to stop. I’ve tried the “ouch” when she bites, misting with water, and leaving the room/disengaging but so far nothing has worked. She will let me pet for 5-10 seconds and will bite and continue to. If I walk away she will follow me and bit my ankles. She’s purring the whole time so I believe it’s play even when it’s a rather hard bite. Sometimes it is intentionally though. The only solution so far has been completely leaving the room she’s in. She does this with my dog as well, going for her tail (I’m assuming she thinks is a toy) and biting that/ her thigh. My dog tries her best to disengage and walk away but every once in a while will yell from my kitten biting her. I have no idea if this is my fault for keeping her separated from us until she was old enough or if this is just kitten/calico nature but I want to do what I can to change it while she’s still young. What can I do to fix this? Thank you to anyone who’s willing to help out!