Biting Cats

Although most household cats will just walk away from you when they have had enough attention and petting from you, other cats may, however, nip at your hand.  This may seem quite confusing for you as you are honeslty not hurting your cat, you are just stroking their fur, right? Why do they do this?

It is a very simple reason: since some cats can become over stimulated easily, the stroking gets them wound up quickly and their biting relieves some of that tension.  Other cats, though, have just never learned that biting is considered inappropriate behavior.  In order to prevent being bitten by your cat, here are a few warning signs you can look out for from you cat that may help you prevent being bitten.

One the best forewarning indications to look out for is your cat’s tail.  If the end of her tail begins to twitch, then this is a sure sign that she is becoming irritated.  Unlike dogs do, cats do not wag their tails.  Another sign to look out for is any movement of your cat’s ears.  All cat owners are familiar with the flattened ears of an angry cat, but by that time, it is usually far too late to avoid a bite.  As soon as your cat’s ears start turning to the sides, this is an indication that your cat is getting agitated.  Immediately stop caressing your cat and you will prevent being bitten.

Try and remember the ‘seven stroke rule’, especially with cats that have a tendency to bite. This rule simply states that you should only allow yourself to stroke your cat seven times to begin with and then stop. Seven strokes are usually short enough not to create any type of agitation in your cat.  In time you can add another stroke and then another, but make sure that you do it slowly. Let your cat set the pace and this will ultimately give your cat time to build up to being stroked more often and for longer periods of time. 

Unfortanetly, some cats prefer not to be touched at all and learning to recognize the above warning signs will help prevent a painful bite on your part and irritation for your cat.