How to End the Pain: Getting Your Cat to Stop Biting

Have you ever heard the phrase "don't bite the hand that feeds"? It's an idiom that reminds you to appreciate the people that help you in your life and don't ruin a good thing with spite or bad treatment.

Well, unfortunately, our fur babies don't know English and can't really think in terms of conceptual idioms. You can tell them not to bite the hand that feeds, but when they're riled up, there's a pretty good chance they still will. And, unlike people acting out, cats that bite the hand that feeds are literallybiting a literalhand. Ouch!

Cats aren't really trying to hurt you when they bite you, but it can still be painful, especially if they weren't socialized as kittens and don't know how to control their teeth. Obviously, you don't want to get bitten by your kitten, so how do you deal with cat biting? Read on to find out!

Why Cats Bite

First, let's talk about why cats bite in the first place.

Much like dogs, cats don't have a lot of ways they can interact with the world around them. They aren't as outgoing and exploratory as dogs – they aren't going to be putting everything they can in their mouths – but they still have to interact in some way. Biting is one of those behaviors they use to interact with and learn about the world around them.

While we tend to view biting as a negative behavior (because it hurts), it's actually not usually negative; it's neutral or even a little positive. It's an instinctual behavior, and it can come from many causes.

Cat Biting Cause #1: Affection Biting

The first cause for cat biting is actually a sign of affection. It's not really a full-mouth bite but more of a little nip or nibble.

It can happen as a sort of progression from mutual grooming; your cat is cuddling, licks at you a bit, and decides they've found something they want to pick at a bit more and uses their teeth to do it.

Normally, cats do this to each other to help pick away knotted fur or remove parasites from each other, but you probably don't have those. So, what are they biting at? It doesn't have to be much. A bit of body hair, a skin tag, a fingertip.

There's not really much of anything wrong with this kind of biting other than the fact that it can be unpleasant for you if they bite the wrong thing.

A similar and related kind of cat biting is when they're bored. This is a kind of affection biting, but it's because they're seekingaffection. They want you to play, so they may start trying to bat at and bite at your hands or feet to get you to give them attention.

Cat Biting Cause #2: Play

This one is most common with cats playing with each other but can occur when you're playing with them. One of the ways cats play with each other is with faux hunting.

One will stalk and pounce on the other, they'll tussle a bit, and separate. Then, the roles reverse, and the hunter becomes the hunted. This kind of back-and-forth play is a good way to teach hunting behaviors and socialization without much risk of issues.

With cat-on-cat playing, as long as they're not yowling and trying to escape, it's all fun and games. Cats are pretty good at letting each other know when enough is enough, and the play session will end before either goes overboard.

If you're playing with your cat, there's a decent chance they'll nip at you while you're engaging with them. Sometimes, it's cause #3 below, but other times, it's just how they interact with you.

Cat Biting Cause #3: Overstimulation

A third and potentially related cause of cat biting is overstimulation. This can occur in two different scenarios.

The first is during cuddling and petting or brushing. You're sitting there idly stroking your cat's fur while they doze or simply enjoy it. Maybe you rub at their face a little, scratch behind their ears, whatever you and they enjoy.

Have you ever been hanging out and generally enjoying yourself, but it starts to get to be too much? Maybe a noise in the background starts to bother you more and more.

Maybe the feeling of a fabric pressed against your skin is starting to chafe. Cats can experience the same sort of thing! It's called overstimulation. They may enjoy you petting them and scratching behind their ears, but if you do it too much, they're going to tip over beyond enjoyment and into irritation.

In this case, they'll probably nip at your hand when you try to keep petting them. This nip is a warning; your cat is saying "please stop" in as polite a way as they can manage.

They'd like to continue sitting near you, but they want you to stop touching them. If you keep on petting them, they'll get more aggravated and will probably just leave.

The other scenario where overstimulation biting occurs is during play. If you're playing with them with your hand – going after their belly, flopping them around, picking them up, and putting them down – they may have enough of it. They'll bat at your hands, maybe kick at you with their hind legs, and eventually escalate into nipping at you.

Some cats do this as part of play, while others use it to signal that they're done with playing and it's time to stop. If you keep aggressively playing with them, they'll get more and more aggressive in return until either you stop or they leave.

Cat Biting Cause #4: Fear

This one is a very different kind of bite. The first two causes are from cats that generally know and trust you and who are just warning you a little bit to settle down. This third cause is from a cat that doesn'tknow you and doesn't trust you.

Cats may be ferocious hunters, but they're still small, and they're vulnerable to larger predators. As such, they really don't like the feeling of being hunted, cornered, or threatened.

Cats can try to bite if you're cornering them or stalking them, and they feel like they have no way out except through violence.

This is most common with ferals or strays that have not been socialized in a while and can happen a lot when you're trying to TNVR them to make your local environment safer for them.

The less well-socialized a cat is, the more likely they are to feel this way and to bite out of reaction. They'll also swipe at you, hiss at you, spit or snarl at you, and generally make it clear that they don't want you to approach.

Cat Biting Cause #5: Pain

Another major cause of cat biting is pain.

One thing most of us know about cats is that they really don't like showing when they're feeling bad. Showing weakness in the wild is a good way to be singled out by a predator, after all. That means when a cat is in pain, whether it's from an injury, infection, illness, or disease, they're going to do everything they can to hide it.

As a cat parent, you'll hopefully be able to recognize this based on a change in behavior. They'll be more withdrawn, less energetic, have less of an appetite, and likely will hide more. When you notice this, you can bring your furry child to the vet to get them checked out, though coaxing them out so you can take them might be difficult.

If you're still able to interact with your cat while they're in pain, the good news is it's probably not thatbad. The bad news is it can seem like a sudden change in attitude or behavior when you touch the wrong spot, and they lash out.

Really, it's not much different from someone poking you when you're in pain and you swatting at them to go away. If you poke a bruise, cut, sensitive patch of skin, or area with internal pain, your cat may react with a bite.

How to Get Your Cat to Stop Biting

The first thing you need to do to get your cat to stop biting is to identify why they're biting in the first place.

Start by asking yourself a question: are they biting on their own initiative, or are they biting out of a reaction?

If your cat is biting on their own initiative, it's usually because they're seeking attention. You can train away this behavior by redirecting biting; when they start to bite at you, redirect them with a toy that they're allowed to bite instead of your appendages.

If your cat is biting out of a reaction – which is going to be the most common cause by far – you need to identify what they're reacting to.

• If they're biting when you touch a certain place, stop touching that place. If they are reacting badly and have other behavioral changes, consider taking them to the vet in case something is wrong.
• If they're biting when you haven't changed what you're doing for a while – like idly petting them while cuddling or watching TV – it's their way of telling you they've had enough of what you're doing, and you should stop.
• If they're biting when you're playing with them, it's probably overstimulation, and it's a sign that you need to dial back on what you're doing to let them calm down a bit before re-engaging. That, or switch to a toy that they can bite without causing you problems.

If you can recognize that the reason they're biting is because of something you're doing, it's easy enough to stop doing whatever that is.

The biggest exception is if you're trying to corner them to, say, take them to the vet, which is really the wrong approach in the first place.

The vet should be a relatively pleasant experience if you can make it one, such as by helping your cat be more comfortable with their carrier so it's not a sign of an unpleasant time.

Cat Biting FAQ

Let's wrap things up with a few questions you might have. If I haven't answered your question, feel free to ask in the comments!

Is cat biting normal?

It sure is! Cats don't have a lot of options when it comes to play, fighting, defensiveness, or interaction with the world around them. It really comes down to body language, noises, paws and claws, and biting. Of course, they're going to use every tool at their disposal, depending on the circumstances.

Is biting a sign that your cat is sick?

It can be. If your cat is sick, they certainly won't want to be touched, but they're more likely to go hide from you than they are to stick around and bite if you try to pet them. Sometimes, though, they can have an injury that doesn't cause them active pain, but they'll bite if you touch it and it hurts.

Reactionary biting out of nowhere can be a sign that something vet-worthy is happening, though, so keep it in mind when and call your vet if it happens for seemingly no reason.

Can you train cats to stop biting?

Yup! Much like any form of animal training, and especially cat training, it's all about redirecting their behaviors into something you prefer while rewarding them for doing what you want rather than what you don't.

If your cat is very young – such as within their first six to twelve months of age – they will probably be more bitey than older cats. When that's the case, they may grow out of it as they get older, and training might not even be necessary.

Is there anything to avoid when training a cat to stop biting?

There is, yes. The biggest thing you need to avoid is punishment. If you do something like swat at your cat when they bite, they may respond with more aggression, or they might feel like it's more play and will escalate, depending on the situation. Either way, it results in more biting, not less. Even things like punishment by removing something aren't necessarily going to teach them not to bite.

Is there anything else I didn't cover? If so, let me know!