Follow These Tips if Your Cat Bites

Cats have a tendency to bite their owners, other cats, pets or people around them. The truth is that at certain times it might be amusing, but when this becomes a habit it can become annoying. If your cat bites you, then you should take a look at these tips.

If your cat bites, follow these tips

There are several tips you can follow to gradually teach your cat not to bite, especially if they have been doing it since they were a kitten. Even though it becomes a bit more complicated to train adult cats, this behavior can still be corrected.

Always remember that your cat doesn’t want to hurt you. They just do it because they are being playful.  You already know how they like to play! So, if you keep this in mind, most likely you would understand your cat’s behavior better and you’ll more patient when trying to correct this behavior.

Set rules

Even though your cat bites — possibly because they want to play — you have to make them understand that there is a moment for everything, and that sometimes you are available to play with and sometimes you’re not. Don’t let them “aggressively” seek your attention.

On the other hand, if your cat is bored, most likely they want to be with you and play a little bit. To help you with this, it’s best to buy them toys and a scratching post so that they can use them to let off steam. You can use these toys as a barrier between your hand and their mouth. After playing with on several different occasions, they will bite the toys.

Correct them

Even if you understand that they don’t bite you out of hatred, they do it because they want to play, and get our attention, it doesn’t mean that you can turn a blind eye to their behavior. You should say “NO” to show them a better course of action.

Of course, remember that screaming, hitting and punishing them will bring you nowhere because they will only create distance between you and your pet, and break the bond between both of you.

Positive reinforcement is always the best option, but in this case without any treats. If you reward your cat because they stop biting you, they will believe that they have done something that you will always be rewarded, thus biting you again and stop doing it as soon as you have the chance to bring them a treat.

Respect their space

Your cat could be biting you because of something they don’t like or because they are overwhelmed or you are always trying to keep them close to you. Remember that cats are very independent and, although they will give you a lot of affection, they will do it whenever they feel like it.

If you try to force the situation by hugging them too much or picking them up all the time, it’s possible that your cat will rebel. And the only way they will express that they don’t like what’s happening is by biting. How do you avoid this? You can do it getting to know your cat, their likes and dislikes. Let them seek and come to you when they need something and observe their reactions to your affection.

Take them to the vet

If after trying to apply the above and it doesn’t work, then you should take your cat to the vet. It could be that an illness is making them more irritable or the biting is a result of compulsive behavior caused by trauma, stress, anxiety or some other emotional cause.

Remember that observing your pet will always play a key role in determining the root of a behavioral problem. If you give your cat the proper attention, without causing them any stress, it’s possible that everything will return to normal.

You already know that the responsibility of having a pet goes beyond feeding and giving them water, and all their well-being, emotional and mental, depends on you.