Why a cat scratches and then bites

Probably every cat owner has faced the situation when the animal does not accept petting, and when you try to play with it, it scratches and bites. Sick, in a bad mood or feral? In fact, there may be many reasons for such behavior. Think of yourself when you come home after a hard day. Do you want to respond to a hug from your spouse? Of course, you will not bite, but cats are more direct and express their feelings directly. Of course, it's very unpleasant when a pet responds with aggression to a show of affection, but you need to understand the causes of such behavior, and we'll do it with you now.

Why is the cat (cat) petting, and a few minutes later scratching and biting?

If you stroke the cat at the same time, then the animal turns on a reflex. There is an expression for loving to death. In animals it is expressed through licking. For example, a mother carnivore licks her cub and so can lick it until it bleeds. And when there is blood, she may eat her cub. When a person strokes a cat, the cat perceives the stroking as if it were being licked. There are cats that do not tolerate prolonged petting and respond aggressively with biting or scratching. It is a natural reflex to get away from them. A predator will lick its prey before eating it.

Another option is that if the cat caresses you, you do not touch it. Then the cat / cat begins to bite, scratching means that you do not pay attention to the animal. You do not play with the cat. A cat, a cat needs somewhere to put its energy. And there is no place to do it. If there is another cat, they will play with each other. Run after each other. Try to play with the cat every day. You do not need your hands or feet to play with the cat. So that the cat will not attack your feet and hands later. Also, you do not need to play with the cat with a piece of wire, wires. Because. the cat will get used to it and chew on the wires. You can play with the cat with special cat toys, laser pointer. Rope, string, hair ribbon.

For example, if you play with a cat with a hair ribbon. Throw her a rubber band. Then the cat can then hunt for your hair elastic bands and steal them from you. Then the cat may bring the rubber bands to you to show you to play with them.

Normal or pathological

Nothing can be excluded, in animals, as well as in humans, there are cases of mental disorders. However, talking about why a cat bites when you pet it, it should be noted that the diagnosis should be made only by a professional on the basis of examination, as well as anamnesis. However, most often the explanation lies in simpler things.

Indeed, cats are quite affectionate by nature, but also independent. And the nature of each of them is different. Some are ready to receive hours of caresses in their various manifestations. Others, even after many years of family life, continue to keep their distance. And here, too, everything is ambiguous. Some cats are ready to let themselves be stroked for a few minutes without aggression, others show their displeasure at once. Therefore, it is impossible to consider in general why a cat bites when you pet it. In any case, everything is very individual.

Whether attacks are sudden

If we do not consider cases where a cat bites a child for the fact that he unknowingly hurts her, this situation can be prevented or at least smoothed. It doesn't even take a long time to figure out why a cat bites when you pet it. It is enough just to monitor how the purr's behavior changes. Animals show everything very clearly, they do not know how to hide emotions under masks.

Turn your attention to the cat and see how it changes when you run your hand over its back or tummy. When an animal gets pleasure, it stretches and lazes under your hands, purrs, becomes relaxed, as if flowing. Otherwise, all the muscles of the body cluster, as in a moment of danger. The ears flatten, the pupils dilate, the skin twitches in places where you stroke it, and the tail wags. Further petting in this case is inappropriate, you must urgently leave the purr in peace.

The cat is taking care of you.

If you watch your cat's grooming, you will see that he sometimes alternates between licking his fur and biting his skin. While this may be a standard part of their grooming routine for some cats, for others it may be a sign of a skin infection or irritation from flea bites, so make sure you know what's normal for your cat.

Cats that chew regularly while grooming their coats do the same thing to their owners! Your cat may not realize that it can hurt you!

If your cat develops the habit of biting you after you've groomed them, start gently removing your hand before they come up for a bite. You can distract them with a toy or treat to signal that their grooming is over.

Never scold a cat for biting you; after all, they don't necessarily understand what they did wrong. Remember that mutual grooming (including biting!) in cats is a bonding behavior. By propositioning you, the cat is letting you know that it considers you part of its social group. By offering to lick and "groom" you, they are trying to strengthen the bond between the two of you – which is pretty sweet!

A cat under stress

Cats are sensitive creatures, and sometimes they show stress by licking and biting. Some cats will groom themselves excessively, even pulling out their fur. If your hand gets near the cat, it may lick and then bite your hand.

Many things can stress our cats, including moving to a new home, meeting a new pet, or visiting a stranger. If your cat is really nervous, consult your veterinarian. Using a pheromone diffuser can also help your cat calm down.

Aggression induced by petting: Plausible Explanation

Your cat doesn't have a grudge against you. After all, your kitty likes to lie with you, purrs when you pet her, and warms up on you before she goes to sleep. The most likely explanation for your cat's sudden change of mood is pet-induced aggression.

In other words: petting becomes "too much" or uncomfortable for your cat, and she bites you in no other way than as a sign that "enough for today!"

Let's look at the five most common reasons why cats cuddle and then bite.

Static electricity

Imagine the following. The humidity in your house is low (40% or less), you're wearing fuzzy socks, and you're walking on carpeting. When you reach for the light switch, you feel a sudden jolt – a momentary shock of static electricity – and impulsively jerk your hand away.

Many cat experts suggest that prolonged petting sessions with your cat can cause tiny static discharges in its fur. This unpleasant static bothers the unsuspecting cat, and it impulsively bites you back (just as you yank your hand away from the electric shock on a light switch).

Do cats bite as a sign of affection?

It may surprise you if you feel that your cat gently bites your hands or fingers, rather than biting hard. If you haven't encountered it before, it means your cat is biting you with love.

Love bites are different from aggressive bites. The latter are more troublesome because biting is one of the most common manifestations of aggression and is indicative of behavioral problems. Aggressive bites are the result:

Cats that bite aggressively bleed and leave puncture wounds and scratches. This is because the cat is intentionally trying to hurt you. The bite also comes with several behavioral cues, including:

Compared to this, affectionate bites are much softer and leave almost no marks. It is thought to resemble the way a mother cat cares for her kittens by giving them small bites. Cats who have had at least one litter are more prone to this.

Why do cats inflict gentle bites?

As previously stated, gentle cat bites are a positive sign. Gentle cat bites start out as licking and gradually turn into biting and nibbling. A gentle bite does not tear the skin and should not cause pain. If it does, then you are dealing with an aggressive bite. If you're wondering why cats bite gently, here are the most likely reasons:

Attachment

Attachment is the most common cause of your cat biting affectionately. If your cat is attached to you, it will shower you with affection and become compulsive. Although this can sometimes irritate owners, this behavior is only typical of people they trust.

On the other hand, Behavioral Processes explains how cats take behavioral cues from their owners. If you offer your cat frequent attention, she will begin to expect it more often. Gentle biting is part of this behavior.

Affectionate biting can also be a request for more attention. However, don't give in to the cat's attention-seeking behavior, or it will become cranky and misbehave. If the cat starts to bite you too often, ignore it and leave it alone. The petting sessions should be short so that you don't provoke the cat and hurt it.

Why do cats behave strangely?

Does anyone really know why cats behave so strangely toward you? Not really, but vets like to at least make educated guesses. And one of the most pressing questions about cat behavior is this: why does your cat sometimes turn into a soft and fluffy version of the incredible Hulk when you're in the middle of what you thought was a bonding moment with your pet?

According to VetStreet, cats who bite the hand that strokes them probably don't do it for no reason, even if it seems like your pet bit you out of spite. Cat owners call it "love bites," but veterinarians have a much more sociopathic name for pet behavior: "pet-induced aggression." Signs of petting-induced aggression include biting while petting and glaring angrily at sleeping people from dark corners of the room.

Weasel-induced aggression

Weasel-induced aggression is different from bad behavior – some cats just don't like to be petted; they can hurt you badly if you try to pet them. On the other hand, a cat that shows aggression caused by petting will seek affection, submit to it, and then inexplicably and without warning turn into a Hulk.

There are several theories as to why some cats might do this. In fact, the cat may be trying to control a situation. The ancestor of the modern domestic cat was probably a solitary animal, so the whole social hierarchy is still fairly new to it. Your cat may reach a boiling point in that moment of shared affection when she thinks, "I can't let this man think I'm really domesticated or anything, I'd rather just bite him."

This may not explain all the weasel-induced aggression, but still. Another theory is that some cats may actually perceive prolonged petting negatively, and the bite is a reaction to that. It may be that petting the fur actually begins to physically irritate the cat. So maybe you are literally just stroking the cat wrong.

Idiopathic aggression.

Unfortunately, there are cases where cats violently attack their owners for no apparent reason. If the aggressive behavior does not fit into the above patterns of active aggression or defensive reactions in pathophysiological disorders, it may be idiopathic aggression. It is quite difficult to accurately establish that an animal suffers from this particular pathology, since an explosive reaction can be caused by strong stress, fright, a change of habitual environment and many other reasons.

If the motivation for such behavior can not be determined, then the animals have to be put to sleep, because the correction of such mental disorders are not amenable. However, such a decision should be approached with the utmost caution, because the sudden and vicious attacks may still be provoked by something, and the owners simply could not understand the reasons for the unexpected aggression.

The reason for the bites

When a cat bites the hand or rushes aggressively to its feet, there is no need to punish it. This behavior does not appear without a reason. By scratching its owner, the cat is most often expressing a hunting instinct. She may also be experiencing physical or psychological discomfort. Often this behavior is due to a lack of training.

Consequently, before taking steps to help wean an animal from biting and scratching the owner, it is important to find out what caused this behavior.

Playful mood

The cat has a hunting instinct since childhood. When kittens start to walk on their own, they fuss with each other, try to fight and attack.

Teaching the babies to hunt starts with the mother cat. She can bring a caught mouse for the kittens to hone their attack and defense techniques, and she shows them how to hunt by example.

As a result, play and hunting instincts mix. When a baby sees a moving object, either a toy or a limb of its owner, it lunges at it and bites. He has no goal of hurting the person. The kitty is simply developing predator tendencies.

If the kitten's owner continues to encourage this behavior, then when the pet grows up, it will behave in exactly the same way. A big cat can leave deep scratches and badly bite the skin. That's why kittens should have a variety of toys to imitate the hunt.

Illness

You can tell by the cat's behavior that something is wrong with its health, because cats can't tell humans what and where their pains are. If a person touches an injured limb, the cat will hiss, hiss or bite if it feels sharp pain.

Feline diseases manifest themselves in different ways, and not all are accompanied by pain. The following symptoms should alert you:

Readiness to attack – how to recognize

Cats don't bite without warning. They always give humans a chance to change their behavior. Signs that indicate an imminent attack are as follows:

• The animal's posture changes;
• The cat's body tenses;
• the purring stops;
• The ears are pressed down;
• The pupils dilate and the cat's eyes become angry;
• the sounds the cat makes become threatening;
• The expression on his face becomes angry;
• The tail twitches.

These signs indicate that the cat is in an aggressive mood, that it has become angry. You should not ignore them, and it is better to leave the cat alone for a while so that he calms down.

Peculiarities of raising kittens

A gentle and fluffy kitten easily turns into a dangerous predator if the owner does not immediately establish the rules of the game. Bites and attempts to show claws look ridiculous until the pet acquires a grown-up set of teeth. So keep an eye on how your family spends time with your pet. If there is a child in the house who likes to pull the kitten's tail, one day harmless play will turn into injuries.

Entertain the kitten with toys on a fishing rod or rustling objects. It will cement in his mind that hands are not toys or prey. Keep a spray bottle with water nearby. An unexpected sprinkle will be a non-traumatic but memorable punishment for a kitten's attempts at biting.

Tips for cat owners

Raising a kitty and creating a comfortable living environment together is a fascinating activity. For your pet to be a well-mannered kitty and not make biting surprises, follow a few simple rules:

• Before you buy a cat, ask yourself the question: why do you want one? If you're looking for an affectionate friend, a Siamese cat will not do;
• If a cat suddenly starts showing teeth, find the reason for that behavior;
• Observe how other family members behave with the pet. Children may be tiring or hurting the cat;
• Teach the kitten from the first months of her life;
• Use rods with feathers or balls to play with. The cat will know that hands are not a toy;
• if you don't teach it early, make harsh noises when the cat bites. The animal will have a bad association with its actions.

A cat is a full-fledged family member who deserves attention and companionship. Do not deprive your friend of affection. Biting, scratching and aggression by cats often indicates that the animal is lonely.