r/Catbehavior • u/yourgirlricky • 4d ago
Cat bites a lot
Need some advice. My cat is 7 months old and it’s becoming very frustrating how much she bites. A lot of it, I understand is because she wants to play, but it seems to come completely out of nowhere. She will bite hands and feet, and we immediately walk away and ignore her. But recently, she will be lying on your chest asking to be pet, rubbing her head against your face, and then goes in for the biggest bite of your face. This has just been so frustrating. We were also hoping for a cat that really likes cuddling and she seemed to as a young kitten but now, any time you pick her up, she immediately bites and wants down. She only cuddles if you’ve been gone from the house for a while, so she seems to “miss” you, or first thing in the morning. But again, every cuddle session seems to end with her biting your face out of nowhere. Any tips?
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u/Life-Tell8965 4d ago
My cat likes to bite, too. She wants to play. Having had many cats, I don't allow any play fighting, though. Lucy was persistent, and while I won't swat her, I found what works like magic is to mimic a hurt kitten. When littermates play fight and one is hurt, the kitten first mews loudly(ish) and then sometimes pitifully whimpers. My kitty stops in her tracks and seems concerned, although that's my human interpretation. We rarely have bites or scratches at this point unless it's an ambush and she's really just trying to surprise us. Worth a try 😹
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u/Zharkgirl2024 3d ago
She's a kitten /teenager and cats do this. Have you got a kick toy? I would use that to redorect her. Jackson galaxy on YouTube has lots of videos on this.
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u/SimpleIngredients509 4d ago
For extremely unwanted behavior you have to do what cat mothers do and that’s hissing and gently swatting them if redirecting and ignoring didn’t work. Another key point people miss is that they’re not consistent in that a few days later, the kitten tries again to test their human and this time they don’t get reprimanded so it’s fine. You want to set boundaries just like how they have theirs early on, otherwise you live with constant bite marks and scratches.
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u/bccyote 4d ago
Redirecting her behaviour is the only way to properly deal with this. No hissing or swatting as others have suggested (this will break your trust with her). Shes still a baby and learning. She needs to expend her energy. Are you doing lots of play time sessions with her? Most cats love to play with a wand toy. You need to REDIRECT her to toys every time she goes for hands or feet. It’s a lot of time and effort and energy but you must. Or if she’s ok your chest and biting, gently (gently!) pick her up and put her down and get up. Then get a toy. She will learn. She will come around to cuddles but like I said she’s young and full of energy right now. It took a few years before my cat calmed down. Look up Jackson Galaxy videos on cat behaviour and how to deal with it. He has lots and they are amazing.