Cat that bites

christinadublin

My cat has a strange habit and I was wondering does anyone know why he does this? He will sometimes come up to me and nip at a piece of exposed flesh. He never breaks the skin though. It's as if he's showing me he has teeth and is not afraid to use them.

He is just playing, if he wanting to make a point he'd break the skin.

NarkyBoots

Before he does this is he looking for attention in any way? Would he like a headrub/more food/be let out?

One of mine does this when i'm having too much of a lie-in (in his eyes) and the food bowl is empty! He'll sit on me, wait a little bit, meow, wait a bit, sniff me and pull at my t-shirt, wait for a bit and then, as a last resort, nip me.

christinadublin

He does seem to be in a good mood before he tries to take a bite, sometimes he's purring. He appears to be very alert aswell. Depends where he takes a nip it can hurt.

boomerang

My uncle's cat does this. He's so delighted to see you when you get up in the morning, he purrs, rubs against your legs and "nobbles" your toes with his teeth. He does it gently though and doesn't intend to hurt. He also "nobbles" your fingers when he's in your arms, purring.

I take it as a sign of affection.

Tabitharose

your cat is probably just bored & looking for attention & to play...... try directing his attention towards toys instead of biting you..... there are loads of different toys available that you could try. Mine love small furry mice, their da bird toy, and bits of string the best

christinadublin

Thanks for the advise.:)

Dolbert

It sounds like he's giving an affectionate nip, some cats show affection this way

BlackCat2008

You might find something useful on this, my cat started doing this after her brother died.

www.veterinarypartner.com/content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2

Nanook32

Hehe I know what your talking about, my kitty does this also. He is always in good form when he does it and I would think your kitty is doing the same. Just for fun I think its funny.