Why Does My Cat Bite Me Gently?
There are different meanings for when a cat bites you. Cats normally bite gently to communicate something to you. Therefore, you can to consider your cat’s body language every time it bites you. For instance, you have to know what is happening in their “world” to provide you with information on what they are trying to communicate. Here are a few reasons that will help you find an answer to the question why does my cat bite me gently?
You have a cat and you like to pet him or her every time you come home at work. However, every time you play with your cat, he tends to bite you. As such, you need to ask yourself why does my cat bite me gently.
Affection
At times, the nibbling and biting may be a way for your cat to show you love. This behavior may at times be annoying. However, even as you give him some treats to avert his attention or give him a toy, consider the fact that one of the reasons your cat bites you is to show affection.
Therefore, never hit, or yell at your cat to make the cat stop this behavior. Apart from giving treats or providing a toy to play with, just walk away anytime this behavior begins. Good examples of treats to give include Temptations, Party Mix, Feline Greenies and many more. Toys include assorted feathers, Tower of trackballs, self-rotating and many more interactive toys.
Play
When a cat wants to play with you, it may use gentle biting as a way of prodding you to play with him. Nevertheless, it is important to note the following. Ensure that you do not separate your kitten litter while they are young. They tend to play with each other and when separated too early, they may continue to play roughly even as adults.
Furthermore, when a kitten stays with the family for longer, it tends to bite gently. This is because the matter does squeal at the kitten if it gets to rough at play. Therefore, if you want an answer to the question why does my cat bite me gently?
If you happen to have an adult cat that bites roughly while playing, discipline the cat by walking away every time he does so. Eventually, your cat will get the idea, avoid rough play, and bite hard.
Stress
For some cats, the biting and licking often go further to become suckling. This means that the kitten was separate from the littermates and mother too early.
Essentially, suckling after biting intensifies at times when a cat feels insecure or stressed. If you do not mind this behavior, it is okay. However, if you do not like and it annoys you, you can simply give him a treat, toy, or walk away. A cat pheromone product may help reduce the anxiety that your cat feels.
Overstimulation
Most cats tend to get over stimulated every time you play with it for too long. When this happens, you will see an angry look in his face and then he may proceed to bite you. The issue here is that you cannot train your cat to stop being over stimulated; too much play will definitely lead to a few bites on your arms to try to show you that he is agitated.
Therefore, when you want to find out why does my cat bite me gently? You should consider trying to reduce the amount of time that you play with your cat.
Here are some of the signs that your cat is getting angry and is likely to start biting you.
- Your cats tail is wagging in a slow movement
- Your cat’s ears stiffen backward,
- Your cat’s body starts to stiffen
These are signs of aggression, therefore; it is time to slow down the play. You can choose to walk away and let the cat calm down. Also, learn how to time how long it takes your cat to get over stimulated. There are some cats that will move from purring to cuddling, to over stimulation in seconds. Therefore, learn how to read the above signals and the duration it takes to over stimulate your cat to the point where he bites you.
What do you do when your cat bites you hard often?
This is a sign of aggression, as mentioned above, the cat may be stressed, insecure, or over stimulated. For instance, a cat that you just got from the animal shelter may be insecure and bite you to avert your attention from petting it. Therefore, you need some solutions. Here is a list of things to do when your cat gets this way.
- Providing your cat with indoor toys that are varied to enable you to get his preference. Cats get bored easily; as such, a single toy is not enough. Get feathers attached to flexible rods, balls and other toys such as bird toys make bird noises. These toys can be used to reduce aggression that could make him move from biting gently to biting hard.
- We have all heard the saying of how “curiosity killed the cat”; nonetheless, it is important to give your cat new things that make him curious. Try harmless things such as card boxes paper bags that he can use to investigate. Use this to reduce the aggression that may make your cat start biting hard at you.
- Every time your cat begins to run after you and bite your feet annoyingly, ensure you have some to throw around and avert his attention. This way, you do not want to risk a bite that will harm your feet or hands or nose.
- Every time your cat seems active, try to ensure that you schedule playtime. Your cat sometimes becomes aggressive when you do not give them the attention they want, this will lead to hard bites to get your attention.
- If you only have one cat, consider adoption of another one that can be its playmate when you are not around or do not have time to give him some attention.
- An indoor enclosure will give your cat the chance to pounce on actual prey such as lizards, spiders, and other. You can place shelves, boxes, and perches to help him navigate in the enclosure.
- Leave the cat alone every time he shows aggression by biting hard and scratching.
Avoid the following
- Always prevent cats from playing with your hands, face, or feet. It may seem fun when the cat is small. However, it may become harmful, and more painful as the cat bites you when older. Therefore, only play using toys such as feathered rods, balls of yarn, among others.
- Avoid punishing your cat physically when they bite hard at your hands or feet. These physical punishments may be misconstrued by your cat that will become rough. Cats tend to get physically rough when cornered. Therefore, avoid physical punishments.