Teaching a Cat Not to Bite

I learned through trial and error a couple things to help your kitty stop biting you during play.

Some kitties who are only kitties (no other pet siblings in the family) will play with their humans the way they would play with another pet, because they see you as a big hairless cat. When I had an only kitty, he would play-bite me, or sometimes give me a head start up the stairs then leap on my leg and try to bite me.

I would use my forefinger, and gently tap him on his little nose, the wet part not the bridge, several times. He would get a slightly disoriented look on his face, then stop biting. Then I would pet him since he stopped. I never used water spray for this issue, I saved that for big infractions. Sometimes they just don't understand the difference between playing with siblings and playing with humans, and they get it pretty quick this way.

If you know what behavior causes kitty to bite, when kitty starts up, after you have tapped his nose and given him a moment to sit there, get an interactive toy out and play, that way he'll be too involved and eventually too tired to bite! Mine, that liked to bite, also liked those things-on-a-stick, that the human waves so kitty can chase and catch; he also liked to play fetch like a dog, with a particular ball which was his favorite (in his case his fave was like a plastic golf ball, with feathers sticking out of one end and little pebbles inside to make it rattle-a favorite mousie might work too!)

If you raise your pet smart he will be smart, and will understand his boundaries as long as you are consistent.