Why Do Kittens Bite Then Lick You

Your cat is showing you affection.

Why do kittens bite then lick you. You can discourage the behaviour by praising them for gentle play during bonding sessions. In a typical self grooming session a cat will sometimes gently bite his or her fur first in order to remove something hard to get off or to untangle fur then lick to finish off the cleaning process. Kittens who leave their littermates too young may not learn boundaries and go on to play too rough as adults. Whenever your cat engages in play that uses their paws but not their claws or teeth reward them with plenty of affection and a reward or treat.

Maxwell says she has worked with many owners whose cats will lick or even bite them to get their attention. It turns out that kitten biting is part of the play behavior kittens learn when they are with their littermates. It s a love bite. Kittens love to use their mouths when they play with one another so they mimic that same behavior when they play with their human friends.

This is the time when each kitten learns how to use an inhibited bite so as not to. A cat love bite can certainly be a result of overstimulation. Because mom and littermates will squeal and stop playing when a kitten gets too rough staying with the family for longer teaches kittens not to bite too hard. Cats bite and lick as part of play.

This behavior is natural to kittens and is not a sign of hostility or fear most of the time but if left unchecked it can become a serious problem. Why cats bite then lick or lick then bite option 1. The kittens that leave the litter at an early age do not stop this behavior and continue to play rough. It is kittens who are more prone to this sort of playing style.

When still littermates and the play gets out of hand mom calms things down by squealing at the kittens. Most of the time kittens bite when you pet them because they are playing. Your cat may choose to groom you your hand or face or head says dr. Cat biting when playing cats often bite during play because they are expressing their natural hunting instinct.

Some cats may bite after licking us as a warning sign so that we stop petting them others may do it as a sign of affection and a third group could do it as another sequence that leads to grooming i e they think that biting is part of the process of grooming. Cat love bites can also be unintentional as part of the cat s grooming process. On rare occasions however your kitten may be biting because they are afraid. Sometimes this might mean they want to play or be pet but in other cases it can be a sign of something more serious like stress or anxiety.

This is especially true when your kitten s playmate is a young child.