Four Common Explanations for My Cat's Irrational Bites

Many people who adore their cats have been bitten, sometimes unexpectedly, and have wondered, "Why does my cat randomly bite me?" This might have happened as you passed your cat in the hall, while you were stroking and purring with him, or out of the blue.  

There is nothing "random" about it when a person gets bitten by a cat; the cat is trying to tell them something is upsetting them when they do this. It's important to remember that cats can only "talk" to their owners through their body language and limited vocalizations. To express their displeasure with their human, cats sometimes resort to biting. Someone please assist me over here. ” 

The first thing you should do if your once-docile kitten starts biting members of your family is to make an appointment with your veterinarian. Most often, a cat will bite if they are experiencing some sort of physical discomfort. Ear infections, dental disease, back pain, arthritis, abdominal pain, and uncomfortable skin conditions are just some of the ailments your vet can examine. If your cat has recently displayed unusual behavior, the vet may suggest conducting a blood test to check for hormone imbalances and/or a high blood pressure screening.  

After ensuring that your cat is healthy or ruling out any medical causes, you can begin to investigate the root of the problem.  

Playfulness

As surprising as it may sound, having an aggressive cat is not the most common reason for a cat to bite an owner; rather, cats typically bite when they are trying to play. While you may not find the use of sharp teeth or claws to be very "playful," your cat views hunting as a form of play. This includes a propensity for stalking, pouncing, biting, and kicking its prey.  

To those who have had their cats from the time they were kittens, the common mistake of using their hands as play targets is understandable. Your kitten will learn that your hands and body are toys if you play games with them like waving them in front of their face and letting them "munch" on your fingers. This predicts how they will act later in life, when they will continue to value playtime but will have sharper teeth and stronger jaws.  

Cats can be retrained that human body parts are not edible by providing them with safer alternatives. Prepare your home for your cat by scattering toys throughout the main rooms. Immediately grab the cat toy and use it to redirect your cat's behavior if it attempts to bite your hands or pounce on your feet. They will eventually realize that playing with toys, rather than their hands and feet, is far more entertaining.  

If your cat begins biting you and you don't have a suitable replacement at hand, simply get up and leave the room. Keep things quiet so you don't excite them, and don't punish your cat; doing so will only make it more agitated and teach it to associate negative feelings with you, which is the opposite of what we want.  

Interrupted Aggression

One of the most common causes of cat bites is this very issue. The term "redirected aggression" describes what happens when a cat's natural instinct to pounce/attack is prevented from being exercised on the true object of their angst... and then redirected toward an easy mark (you). )  

Just imagine your cat watching a neighborhood cat from the window as it strolls in front of your home. There's a twitch in your cat's tail, a flattening of their ears, a leaning forward, and maybe even a growl. You wander over to investigate the source of your cat's intense concentration, or you casually enter the room, and all of a sudden your cat is swiping at you with its claws and teeth. OUCH  

If you can relate to this, it's because your cat has been redirecting his or her aggression toward you. Your cat's stress, like the pressure in a teapot, will eventually have to be released. It's unfortunate that this means you, and not the nearest immobile object, are likely to be the target of your cat's wrath if you move.  

Cats often show redirected aggression when they become frustrated with an unreachable target, such as when they see a "stranger" cat through a window. If a human being (typically a child) If something (or someone) is bothering your cat and the cat is punished for expressing their boundaries by attacking, then the next time you pass your kitty, you will likely be the target of the cat's pent-up anger.

What then can you do? The ability to recognize these symptoms of cat anxiety and if you can help them pinpoint the cause, you can stop the cycle in its tracks. To avoid, say, staring at a neighbor's cat outside your window, you could draw the blinds, get rid of any cat window seats in the area, or install ultrasonic "cat deterrent" devices. You can use any of these methods to prevent your house cat from becoming defensive whenever anyone enters their "territory." If the issue is more internal, you may need to retrain your cats to coexist peacefully or instruct other household members to refrain from harassing the cat.  

As always, providing your cat with ample opportunities to engage in play with his or her preferred toys is crucial for stimulating the production of feel-good endorphins, wearing out your cat, and providing a safe and enjoyable outlet for his or her natural prey-driven hunting and predatory instincts.

Attacks Caused by Petting

My cat was purring sweetly as I pet her, and then WHAM! Suddenly, out of the blue, she bit me. Another common reason cats bite is because they become aggressive when petted. We all know that cats have very specific tastes when it comes to their litter boxes, food bowls, and playthings, and it should come as no surprise that these idiosyncrasies also extend to their physical appearance.  

Adult cats have learned to communicate with their owners by biting when petted. It's possible that your feline friend has specific preferences when it comes to being petted, such as preferring certain areas, certain stroke lengths, or certain intervals of petting.  

Because cats groom each other mostly around the face and neck, those are the areas that cats prefer to have their humans groom. Your cat may enjoy brief pats on the ear, cheek, and chin, but longer strokes near the tail, belly, or back may make them uncomfortable. If your cat's ears flatten, she stops purring, or her tail flicks, these are all signs that she's becoming anxious; remove your hand and see if she calms down. Just like people, cats have "off-limits" areas of their bodies, and it's up to us humans to figure out what those areas are. ” 

It's true that humans view scratching and petting their cats as a loving gesture, but remember that your cat's nervous system can become overstimulated by even gentle, long strokes. Petting your cat all the way down its length can be very stimulating, and if it becomes overstimulated, it may react by biting or running away. If we keep ignoring our cats' warnings, they may resort to preemptive biting if they think we're about to engage in undesirable behavior, such as when they "randomly" pounce on our feet or attack our legs as we walk by. Some cats' out-of-the-blue attacks are defensive measures taken in response to novel, potentially unpleasant stimuli.

If your cat has a low tolerance for petting and flees after a few strokes or bites after a few pets, our options as humans are clear: either respect their limits and live with the consequences, or we can try to push them. or work on creating a pleasant environment for your cat to be petted in. To achieve the latter, simply provide your cat with some particularly tasty treats or canned food and pet it briefly while it eats; the point is to associate getting petted with pleasant feelings.  

Communicating With Your Cat

By now, you should realize that a cat's bite is rarely truly "random"; rather, they usually have a reason for biting you, and it's our job as cat owners to decipher that reason. A board-certified veterinary behaviorist can help determine if your cat has a genuine mental health problem if you have tried to identify any of the triggers listed here and are still unsure of why your cat is biting you.  

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Penned by:

DVM Allison Ward
Dr Allison Ward is a D.C. native who grew up in the region around the capital. C ...and by the time she was 14, she was already working in animal hospitals She did an internship in small animal rotating practice in New Jersey after graduating veterinary school in 2011, then another in neurology/neurosurgery in Miami. As a result of his extensive education, Dr. Next, Ward focused on general small animal practice. Dr The fields of feline medicine, neurology, and pain management all interest Ward professionally. Working at AskVet allows her to combine her two loves—educating pet owners and assisting pets and their owners at all hours of the day and night. ) She and her two cats, Larry and George, currently call sunny south Florida home.