Cat biting can be for a variety of different reasons.
And it is so crucial to look for why is your cat biting and how to avoid it.
After all cat biting is undesirable and cat bites are often painful and needs to be treated cautiously and consciously.
Here is quite a conclusive guide to why do cats bite and how to prevent cats from biting.
Cat Biting : From Cuddly Kittens To Vicious Beasts
Have you ever wondered how your innocent kittens transform into vicious beasts trying to bite you every time you don’t want them.
Well of course not !, Or may be yes :p.
As a matter of fact, it is very essential to understand your pet and what they may be going through when they start exemplifying certain undesirable behavioral traits.
A little threatening ones, I might say.
Why Do Cats Bite ?
One big mistake people do is make funny stories about this matter.
While it’s good that you have fun out of the situation, but at the same time a conscious attention needs to be paid to this behavioral tendency.
Because if a tendency becomes a habit in a cat if it gets rewarded. Sometimes reward are very clear.
Which I am sure you know if you have ever tried to train a cat.
But there are some unconscious rewards that get associated with a cat’s tendency that leads them to believe that it is okay to express certain unwanted tendencies.
Like cat biting for example.
At times we do not pay enough attention to what may be the reasons behind it.
Given below are some cases which explains a cat bite:
- Cats usually bite when they feel they are being threatened, so to counteract they usually express their wild behavior.
- At times cat biting is a form of communication. Not all cats use meows to signal something to reach to their humans attention.
- Kittens may bite because of some socialization issue.Well trained cats usually help kittens to understand that biting might hurt.
How To Stop Cats From Biting?
Training cats not to bite is very similar to raising your own kid.
With our kids we usually honor good habits and punish them for bad habits.
With cats it is more or less the same behavior.
Reward your cats for good behavior and show some restriction for unwanted behavior.
Just like we discussed in the previous section of this post.
When it comes to reward and restriction treatment, it is a very effective method for cats.
Always keep a look on your cats behavior as soon as you witness your cat doing something undesirable restrict them.
But I want to make this clear not to do this in an extreme way because that would make them aggressive.
You need to create a balanced scale.
What I mean by that is, you need to consciously make your cat aware by your acts around here that every good tendency of her gets treated by a treat.
And something undesirable is treated by no treats or some light restriction. It will depend from cat to cat as to what the treat may be and what would be a stern restriction.
Believe it or not, some cats and their owners have a bond wherein just a look makes the cat realize that she has messed up.
So it depends.
And if they do something appreciable, reward them which treats or pets.
This would make your cat understand the difference between what it,should do and what, it shouldn’t.
You should always be consistent with your cat’s behavior.
Always make them understand that bare hands and feet are not their toys to play with.
Offer cats with different toys to play with, without letting them feel bored.
For example feather toys,string toys or catnip scratch posts.
These are some basic training principles.
What If I Sense Domination In My Cat Biting Patterns?
I want you to understand a cat or any other animal for that matter are simple.
Their actions may seem harsh but are just very simply rooted in their animal nature. We want them to behave civil and we can do that absolutely.
But not always in a manner that we think we should.
So I don’t want to sound harsh or anything but you have to understand that your cat is also an animal and has inherent animalistic tendencies.
So if she is trying to be dominant, maybe you are exuding tendencies that you are submissive.
You are not exuding an aura that let’s her know that you are the boss here. Now it’s again a very delicate situation.
Don’t start dominating your cat intentionally now. They will become aggressive.
Instead look within your self and stop exuding a submissive behavior towards everything in your life.
Let the inherent sense of security come out from within you.
And you will miraculously see, that your cat slowly begins to understand who is the real boss.
By boss I don’t mean a mean bossy attitude but a person who is secure enough to understand how to be within themselves.
Some things you can try but don’t be subjected to just these. You need to sense your situation and act accordingly. But here are some pointers.
- Cats are action driven which means they understand actions more than words. So to control their behavior, act accordingly by modulating tone high or low as the case may be.
- Show your stand by modulating your tone to let them understand what is okay and what is not.
- Also male cats are quite aggressive so neutering them might lower down their aggression.
Is Cat Biting Your Cat’s Way Of Communicating With You ?
Cats often signal something through biting like asking to be fed.
But if that is what they are intending, correct them.
By stopping your response to that behavior.
This will make them look for alternative sign like meowing or rubbing their backs against your legs.
And when that happens reward them. You see this is the balanced act I was talking about.
This also prevents all sorts of negative traits that they may use as a sign to signal you.
So the key is feeling the relationship situation you have going on with your cat. Understanding it without being reactive and act accordingly.
And no you don’t need some stupid expensive course to stop you cat from biting. dependency on some course for everything is probably why your cat is biting you anyway.
You see these are subtle things that you need to change within yourself and the cat will adjust.
No matter what the reason of cat biting may be, always remember to avoid physical punishments.
That’s a big no no.
Hurting cats physically will only scare them away and they won`t reach out to you for their needs.
And not to mention that is a stupid way of handling her.
In the process of helping evolve your animal don’t become one.
Be A Boss, But Be Gentle !!.
Hop you enjoyed this post on how to stop your cat from biting.
- Also check out this 10 day step by step guide on how to prevent your cat from scratching your furniture.
Hope you take good care of yourselves and your cat. And I will see you in the next one !!.
Tada !!.
This blog has helped me a lot with my cat.
A few years back my cat developed a habit of biting. To prevent her from biting, I tried to understand the reasons why do cats bite? The reasons for this can be fear, depression or frustration. It’s not that they react out of spite or anger, it is just a symptom of some problem they are suffering from within.
Here are a few proven methods that answer the question, how to stop cats from biting?
Use withdrawal techniques if necessary.
Withdrawal technique is where you withdraw from your cat’s favourite activity whenever it bites. During a play session if your cat bites you, withdraw from the session for some time. If your cat bites you and her playtime gets over she will quickly learn to stop biting.
Don’t punish or scold your cat for biting you
Scolding or punishing your cat is not a way to go. This behaviour can cause her stress and she can develop fear. This might result in stress-related behaviours like urinating outside of the litter box, or display of aggression toward you and other people.
Spend the Energy
If your cat is biting you it may need to expend more energy and is maybe not getting enough room to play. This is a good time to pull out the laser toys or wands. Let her go around the neighbourhood and you can even take her outdoors if she prefers it.
Train her with positive reinforcement
How to train cats not to bite? Positive reinforcement is a method that works with most pets. If your cat becomes overexcited and attacks your feet when you walk into a room, teach her to sit and reward her for it.