This cat behavior can lead to wounds that can become infected, and your pet’s health can be harmed. It is important to know the reason why your kitten bites its tail, in this way you will know how to solve it. At Petlifey, we explain why cats bite their tails and what to do to avoid it.
Why do cats bite their tails
The first thing you should know to know the reason why a cat bites its tail is that it can be for two different reasons:
- Cats bite their tails for physical reasons.
- Cats bite their tails for behavioural reasons.
Next, we explain each of them in detail.
Cats bite their tails for physical reasons
It can happen that your cat bites its tail simply because it has fleas, this type of insects produce a lot of itch and that is probably why your pet is chasing itself and biting its tail, because in this way it will calm this unpleasant itch.
Apart from what we have just exposed, there are other reasons why your feline may have itching on its tail:
- Intestinal parasites.
- Anal problems
- Arthritis.
- Food allergies.
- Degenerative diseases.
- Epilepsy.
- Cancer.
In any case, we advise you to take your cat to the vet to recognize it and diagnose why it behaves in this way and will tell you if this itching is caused by some external factor.
Cats bite their tails for behavior
At this point, we are going to look at the different reasons why your cat bites its tail in a little more detail.
It is very important that you know how to identify the problem well in order to apply the appropriate treatment to prevent cats from biting their tails.
It is possible that there are certain psychological agents that cause your feline to behave in this way:
A cat bites its tail from stress
It may also be that the animal is stressed and that it bites its tail in a compulsive way. If this is the case, it is convenient that you try to relax it, since in this way your pet will be able to live calmly and its anxiety will disappear.
Your kitty can be stressed by various circumstances: if there has been a change of address, if there is a new member in the family environment (be it a person or an animal), noise, separation anxiety, etc.
It is very important that you adapt a place in your home so that your cat is calm and relaxed, so that it will gradually abandon the habit of biting its tail.
They can also be stressed by inactivity. If you see that after a long time sleeping or still, the tail is chased or bitten, start playing with it, in this way you will prevent it from hurting itself.
The best way to play with your cat is by buying toys that are exclusive for this type of animals, although, if you want, you can also make them yourself with objects that you have in your home.
Cats play chasing their tails out of boredom
Another factor that causes your pet to have a habit of chasing and biting its tail is simply due to the fact that it is playing or because it is bored.
You have to think that they are normally very quiet and sleep many hours during the day. So when the time comes when they want to stimulate themselves, they play with the first thing they come across, be it paper, hairs, or of course their tail.
If the reason is this, it is not necessary that you prohibit it, since it simply wants to play but, if you can, pay more attention to it and try to play with your cat friend, that way you will prevent it from getting hurt.
It can be a way to get attention
It may be the case that your feline behaves in this way because it is jealous of the arrival of a new member at home.
Pussycats are very territorial animals and they do not like changes too much, that is why if the arrival of a baby or another animal takes place in your home, it is advisable that you spend some of your time introducing them, so your furry friend will it will get used to this new figure.
In this way, your feline will only bite its tail to get attention and what it will want is that you pay the same attention as to the new person or animal that is now also part of the family.
Cats are very independent animals, but for them affection is very important and they want to feel that they are loved, that is why if they detect that you listen to other members, they can proceed in this unique way.
How to prevent cats from biting their tails
With everything that we have explained to you, you should be able to know why your cat is biting its tail and where the problem is. Therefore it is time to start treatment .
But what to do if my cat bites its tail? If the reason is due to illness, your veterinarian will tell you what is the best treatment, medication and the best diet for your kitten.
But on the other hand, if your kitten hurts its tail due to a behaviour problem, your vet will tell you if it is necessary to apply behavioural therapy, administer some type of sedative, or simply pay a little more attention or play with them.
Remember that a poorly stimulated or bored feline can adopt the bad habit of biting its tail and seriously injuring itself. Even in very extreme cases, there have been extreme cases where they have lost their tail due to this problem.
If you have detected that the problem is that it attracts your attention, stress or boredom, you should dedicate a little more time to play with them, have toys, distract them and thus eliminate its tensions.
Remember that cats have to expend energy playing, hunting, or chasing. Otherwise, behaviors and behaviors like this may appear.
