Cats often bite for different reasons. It is important to understand this behavior to better react and avoid being bitten.
This article explains the reasons why your cat may bite you and how to react in these situations.
Very often, if our cats bite, it is not a harbinger of future delinquency or a predictive disorder of a future pathology ! but a mere sign of intractability, poor emotional control and impulsiveness.
Let's not forget that a Cat is guided by the quest for pleasure and its essential physical and psychological comfort. And if your cat bites you, it's not because he wants to hurt you either. It is simply a normal behavior of communication and very often even of affection for cats.
Cats bite because, by definition, they don't have what nature and culture have endowed humans with. Seen from their angle and from the height of their four alert little paws, they do not break any universal law in doing so.
Mother cats themselves lick and chew their kittens without making any distinction between these two actions. Cats that bite are often affectionate, cuddly and borderline “gluepots” cats.
These little terrors frequently plague their favorite human ; and without limit, they go so far as to poison their sleep and spoil one of their deepest dreams which is that of one, just one, possible gentle awakening.
The cat undeniably seeks physical contact with humans , which is why they particularly bite the humans who attract them , these privileged humans, because they seek attention.
Good times to bite your favorite human:
• The shower outlet! stimulates the cannibal, it is for him a matter of fangs with ankles! He pursues us while hiding, hides himself to better jump, captures our calves, steps back to better jump and resume...
Sometimes it even shows up without warning signs , it seems serene, purring, relaxed and …bingo! nothing had let foresee the drama, which triggers in us surprise and cry, which he does not understand, which surprises him and makes him persist!
• Our little ball of fur calls for caresses and cuddles , it licks us greedily then, suddenly, without warning, turns around and bites the hand which was even caressing it... The cat certainly appreciates the cuddles but, not insignificant subtlety, especially when it is the initiator and gets tired quickly.
Some cats have an extremely low level of tactile tolerance. It is up to us to detect the warning signs before the attack.
• When we go to bed! In top form, delighted with our presence and this much-desired closeness, he approaches, tickles us, nibbles our toes, attacks our calves, hides behind the quilt to better jump on the bed, kick us with his paws. determined and cross the room in tornado mode. And in a loop, if possible, it's better! And there's no point in yelling here either, except to fuel the stories of our dear neighbors with crisp scenarios. 5 o'clock in the morning! Cursed hour since his arrival... "Croc-Croc" demands that we wake up, biting, because taken with cravings and resentful, he makes us pay for the ban on letting him open the cupboards (because everything is now hidden away, since he has also learned to open doors and cupboards and to help themselves!)
If he bites, it can also be the sudden discharge of tension , inner discomfort, frustration or powerlessness to satisfy his desire for the moment whether it be food, entertainment or rest.
For lack of words, biting is thus for our favorite little hairy the way to express his affection and his needs , it is his way of communicating, just like a child to attract attention because not yet able to express in words.
Very few cats use their bite to attack, defend themselves or hurt shamelessly.
In some cases, they are kittens deprived of education because they were weaned too early. The badly brought up or simply not brought up kitten whose ego is in the process of being built can become a real biter in series to confirm and establish his dominance. These are often cats that "don't know how to play", scratch and bite .
It's up to us to regulate and not let the kitten play with our hands or feet. Rarer also are aggressions out of fear , which are the most violent and which can occur when a cat is in a closed situation, without the possibility of fleeing in the face of an anxiety-provoking situation for him.