Why Do Cats Bite Playfully

This is the time when each kitten learns how to use an inhibited bite so as not to.

Why do cats bite playfully. It is often an animalistic behavior that a cat uses to assert dominance and respond to threats. A cat bite is not always an act of aggression or hostility. Because cats mouth and paw objects to explore their world it s natural for them to bite. It turns out that kitten biting is part of the play behavior kittens learn when they are with their littermates.

But kitties can learn to inhibit the force of their bites and to use soft paws without claws. A cat who is cornered and agitated could lash out and attack the perceived threat. Biting and mouthing is a normal behavior in kittens. If an infected cat bite is left untreated it can develop into cat scratch fever which is a bacterial infection that causes flu like symptoms and can cause serious complications such as encephalopathy or vision loss.

In the home it means that your cat may be biting because they are trying to show who is in charge. Most often because they are overstimulated and have simply had enough fear or redirected aggression or they don t feel well. It could be their bad behavior will improve once the underlying health issue is corrected. Real cat bites that result in.

After all kittens and young cats are famously known for their adoration of rough play essentially a type of interactive rough and tumble with their litter mates that involves everything from biting and pouncing to surprise attacks. Age kittens playfully biting a young kitten is likely to bite more often than older cats as kittens are still learning how to play. Kelly ballantyne a board certified veterinary behaviorist at the college of veterinary medicine at the university of illinois chicago. Kittens usually bite simply because it is a form of play for them but in an adult cat it clearly means they want you to stop what you are doing.

Cats may bite during one of these sessions for several reasons. Although more attention is often given to dog bites and the danger of rabies statistics show that there are 300 more rabid cats in the us than rabid dogs. Biting serves a number of functions for cats. Biting owners during petting is one of the most common behavioral problems of cats says dr.

Cats showing signs of sickness losing weight thirstier vomiting or pain short tempered yowling scratching biting should be checked out by a vet.