On many occasions, we wonder why my cat is biting me. Many times, your feline has already given you enough signals in advance to warn you of this. And there are different kinds of bites and situations. At Petlifey, we explain the most common reasons and causes of why cats bite and how to avoid it.
Why does your cat bite you?
There are several reasons why a cat can bite you. These bites can be: playing, when it doesn’t want you to caress them, aggression, and it can even give you “love nibbles”.
It is important that you know why your pet is biting and you should follow these tips. Sometimes there are kittens that bite each other, other times you bite us and there are also times when they bite objects.
Let’s see all the causes and reasons :
Cats bite like a game
Pussycats are considered hunting animals, and in many of them that instinct always remains.
Hunting and stalking are two of the pussycat’s favorite games. The cats that bite our hands playing so wont to do because we have become accustomed them to do so, especially if we do since they are puppies.
When your cat is small, you may find it fun to dig its teeth into you. But, when cats grow up they continue to think that it is a game and they cannot understand why we no longer like being bitten.
There are even times when they do not distinguish that at that moment you use your hands to do something else.
From here we advise you to avoid hands for games, from a young age. It is better to use other toys that are suitable for your cat such as reeds, feathers, etc. These toys encourage play and hunting, while preventing unwanted bites.
Some cats are also used to hunting our legs, the bottom of our pants, etc. The advice that we will give you for this would be very similar, that is, you should use other toys to get their attention.
If your pet likes movement and bites your legs when you move, we advise you to use feather dusters, balls, mice, etc., so that your feline can entertain himself with these objects.
Cats bite out of fear
The act of biting is also a defense and attack mode of the pussycat in its natural state.
If your furry friend is in fearful situations and corners them, it may end up biting you. Your pet’s signs of fear are very clear, therefore, what you should do is avoid what causes the attack .
These bites of which we have spoken are from felines to people, although there are also bites between cats, mainly among those who have just met.
If the behaviour of your kitten does not correspond to any of the descriptions that we have given previously, it is likely that it suffers from aggressiveness problems, in this case it is advisable that you consult a specialist to tell you what happens to your pet.
Aggression can be specific, for example, due to a change of address, or it can be due to something specific to the feline. Therefore, it is important to analyze what happens to your pet.
Cats bite when they don’t want more pampering or caressing
Each kitten accepts our signs of affection in a different way. There are felines who are excited to be petted and held in their arms, but there are others who do not like it at all.
Likewise, there are some cats that quickly gain confidence with anyone and, on the other hand, there are others who do not like strangers.
If you have a feline, it is essential that you pay attention to what kind of caresses it likes, when and how many. Something that happens very often is that we pet a cat and, suddenly, it nails or bites us.
Usually these circumstances do not appear suddenly, because the cat has emitted previous signals in its body language. Some of the signs of the pussycat that say “stop touching me” is that it moves its tail from side to side, stops purring and / or turns on its back.
If your cat does not want you to caress them it is because perhaps it has already tired of so much pampering or it may be that you are touching them in a part that it does not like. Felines have areas of their body that do not like to be touched: the back of their body and the belly.
If you want to avoid these situations, it is essential that you look at your pet and the signs it gives you. And you should stop petting them when it starts to get nervous.
If it is too late, that is, if the cat is digging its teeth into us, it is best not to move until it stops, because if we remove our hand it can hurt us. You can also throw a toy or an object with your other hand, this will divert their attention.
What are cat love bites
A love bite is when a cat gently bites your hand or another part of your body gently, while you pet or play with it.
These nibbles are tokens of affection that your cat gives you.
There are more sensitive kittens (especially in the lower part of the back) and they are stunned by so much love, that is why they bite you delicately, as if it were a pinch of affection.
Sometimes all this is caused by overstimulation, which can be accentuated if there is a lot of external noise, if there are several people who caress it at the same time, if you caress it with both hands, and so on.
Sometimes these love bites turn into real bites and hurt. When this happens, you have to stop petting them or not pamper them as much.
It is important that you know that cats usually play with each other to bite, from puppies. In this way they test the strength and intensity of their bites. The felines that do not control their bites so much are the ones that have not had this opportunity.
