What is a Cat Love Bite?

Source: © Shutterstock

Sometimes, a cat bites a human because it has the intention of causing harm. Generally speaking, people on the receiving end of the cat bite should have no problems figuring this out, not least because cats are more than capable of biting through human skin when they feel that there is sufficient cause for them to do so. Other times, a cat might bite humans for much more mysterious reasons, particularly since these bites are not delivered with sufficient force to puncture human skin most of the time. In fact, the curious timing of such bites has led to them being termed cat love bites by a lot of cat lovers out there, which is not wholly inaccurate.

What Does a Cat Love Bite Mean?

In some cases, a cat might bite a human because cats can be pretty rough when playing with one another. As a result, it is not uncommon for kittens as well as younger cats to stalk, chase, and pounce on one another before escalating to what can look like full-scale skirmishes with bites, scratches, kicks, and swats. Sometimes, cats will “play” with humans in the same manners, which can be interpreted by some as a sign of aggression being directed towards them rather than the feline play that it is in truth. For those who are unsure of whether their cat is actually acting aggressive towards them or not, one simple solution is to check for other common signs of feline aggression, with excellent examples being growling and hissing. If such signs of aggression are absent, the chances are that much higher than the cat is not serious about inflicting harm on the human.

Meanwhile, other cases might be caused by the cat wanting some attention. For example, it is not uncommon for people to tell stories about their cats heading up to them, giving them a bite, and then flopping over to present their bellies as though to ask for belly rubs. In these cases, if the cat pairs their bites with signs of wanting attention, it seems probable that they are not actually out to do some damage but rather to secure some attention, which is a kind of extension on the ways that cats will interact with one another under normal circumstances.

Finally, there are cases when cat owners will be petting their cats, which seems to be appreciated by their cats when all of a sudden, they will turn around and bite them. Some cat behaviorists have stated that this is because of over-stimulation. Simply put, there is a limit to how much petting a cat’s hair follicles can take before the sensation becomes unpleasant for them, meaning that the bite is intended to tell the cat owners to stop.

What Should You Do About Cat Love Bites?

In the short run, people on the receiving end of a cat love bite should make sure that there is no chance of an infection. Generally speaking, a cat love bite shouldn’t be powerful enough to break the skin, but that is not universal. As a result, if someone’s skin has been punctured by a cat love bite, they should wash the wound with soap and water before heading over to their doctor to make sure that it won’t become infected. This is important because cats have small, pointed teeth, meaning that if their teeth manage to puncture the skin, that will result in bacteria going much deeper than it should ever go.

In the long run, well, there are a number of potential solutions depending on the exact reason that the cat is giving out cat bites. For example, cat owners should learn to pay closer attention to their cats so as to avoid over-stimulating them. Likewise, cat owners might want to teach their cats to be either less physical in their play or play with them by using some kind of tool rather than their own hands. After all, there isn’t much of a problem with cats biting cat toys, whereas the same can’t be said for cats biting their humans. With that said, if a cat owner is still experiencing problems because they are not sure what is going on, they shouldn’t hesitate to contact a veterinarian or some other cat specialist for further information to help themselves with their problem.

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