Here's Why Your Cat Gives You "Love" Bites
If you're a cat butler (err, owner) you've probably experienced a "love bite" or two. Love bites usually happen in the midst of kitty cuddle time. One minute your kitty will be purring away as you pet them, the next they're nibbling and nipping at your hands. My cat Rascal has a fondness for my chomping down on my knuckles. This odd behavior may leave many cat owners wondering, "Why is my cat biting me out of nowhere?"
Biting is a form of communication for cats. They can bite for more than a few reasons: fear, aggression, defensiveness, or acting territorially. But did you know that many cats give their owners gentle nibbles and nips as a display of affection? Hence the name "Love Bites"! Cats show their affection for us humans in several ways - you just have to know what to look for.
What is a Love Bite?
Love bites generally start as licks and graduate into gentle nips and nibbles that don't break the skin. Some cat behaviorists believe that love bites are reminiscent of a cat's kittenhood when their mothers would lick and nibble them during grooming. So if your cat is giving you a gentle nibble or lick, it can be seen as a sign of affection.
And believe it or not, though domestic cats aren't usually seen as "social" animals, they actually enjoy participating in what's called "allogrooming." Allogrooming is a social grooming behavior that helps increase bonds among social groups, in this case, you and your kitty; much like a pride of lions.
So, how can you tell what is and isn't a love bite? A love bite generally doesn't break the skin. And when your kitty is giving you these gentle nibbles, there won't be other signs of fear or aggression, like hissing, growling, and clawing. Engaging in "love bite" behavior, your cat's body language will be relaxed and calm.
Overstimulation
However, as most cat owners know: sometimes these gentle nibbles and licks can be a sign that your cat is overstimulated and they're letting you know, gently, that it's time to stop. If you've ever been petting your cat only to have their gentle nibbles escalate suddenly into a harder bite, your cat may be experiencing overstimulation. If you have multiple cats that groom each other, you may notice this behavior during grooming time, too.
Cats may experience overstimulation due to the sensitivity of their hair follicles - after an extended period of petting or pressure, it can begin to hurt and cause discomfort in cats. Gentle nips may be your cat letting you know petting time is over; these warnings may be paired with other signs of discomfort, such as tail swishing or flicking, skin twitching over the back, flattening of the ears, freezing, tenseness or staring, quick head turn to watch your hand as you pet, pupillary dilation, or walking away and lying down.
How to Stop "Love Bites"
While love bites can often be a sign of affection, they can still hurt or cause discomfort to us cat owners. It's okay to discourage this behavior.
1. When your cat gives you love bites, don't quickly pull your hand away. Instead, stop moving your hand altogether until the nibbles stop, then move your hand. Cats are visual predators and the movement of your hand may encourage their prey drive and make them chomp down harder, purely out of instinct.
Don't yell at or swat your cat, as this may result in fearful or aggressive behavior. Instead, use a reward system, such as treats, when the cat shows appropriate behavior.
2. If your cat gives you love bites a little too often, try a hands-off play style. Use interactive toys such as a variety of wand toys or even an app-controlled cat toy to encourage bonding with your cat without the love bites.
Does your cat give you love bites? Let us know in the comments!
IV had my cat stormy since she was a little kitten and she only sleeps with me and interacts with me. IV noticed when I go to bed she will jump up beside me and go under the cover and lay right beside me purring. Once she is good and comfy like a baby, she will nibble on my or my arm a few time then stretches her arm over my neck if I’m laying in my side and fall asleep. I swear she is part human. IV never had a cat that shows some much affection but only to me. I think it’s sweet.
Enquiring why at night when all is quiet and comfy and all are asleep our beautiful blue Burmese4 years old will nip/bite us and wake us with a jolt. She is very affectionate but on these occasions this nip which wakes us comes out of the blue. We speak sternly to her and she generally takes herself into another room
John Jansen, you’re psycho and shouldn’t have pets.
My cat Buster LOVES attention, and when I scratch his head and chin, he trills softly and gives me what I call “love nips”.
When he wakes me up in the morning and gives me a gentle nip on the hand, he’s telling me he’s hungry, then proceeds to herd me into the kitchen for his breakfast. He is the best cat we’ve ever had, and we’ve had lots over the years.
I feed 5 homeless cats. There is the one big Tom that is not fixed. He is very vocal and has started coming up to me on the deck where I feed these cats and wiggles all through my legs and talks to me while I am getting the food out of the can. He has given me three live bites gently but this morning he give me a clawed swipe. I talk very quietly and I move ver slowly around these cats. I guess during this past COVID year people could not afford to fix or feed their cats and just put them out. We have feral cat law where I live so people are aloud to do this. He has impregnated two female so far. I want to try to capture him to take him to the state to be fixed. Don’t know where the two female go but they come to eat also. Both females have had their kittens. What a mess. Will try to get all captured, fixed and released. I know very little about cats as I have dogs.
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