Why Do Cats Scratch And Bite When They Play

When littermates are playing they teach each other how to use their teeth gently reigning in their bite.

Why do cats scratch and bite when they play. If other warnings don t work cats will bite and scratch to protect themselves. Playful biting of hands or feet often occurs simply because your cat is bored and is looking for a play object. Petting induced aggression the type described in the opening paragraph occurs when a cat who enjoys being pet suddenly changes his or her mind. Over time the signs usually get worse and may occur throughout the entire year.

Biting and bunny kicking are normal play behaviors for kittens. One in three cat bites will become infected compared to the much lower likelihood of infection from dog bites 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. Pay attention to your cat s vocal and body language. Cats who growl when you try to move them block doors or bite you when you pay attention to another pet may be asserting themselves in this manner.

The play mimics how cats will later pounce on grab and bite prey. It may be a manifestation of so called status induced aggression in which cats seek to control a situation. To be sure this is not the case. This is how they learn to socialize with their siblings test boundaries and just have fun.

Alternatively indoor allergens e g dust mites can cause year round problems from the start. If a cat nips you and then tries to lead you to an activity such as playing with a toy this could be the reason. You can also direct them to a scratching post or another outlet for their behavior. Give it 15 minutes of active play with an interactive toy.

This accomplishes the need to not just correct them but also give them an outlet for their behavior that is appropriate. Despite the perplexing nature of this uniquely feline way of acting out a couple of possibilities have been proposed to explain why cats might do this. Inhalant or environmental allergies atopy often begin earlier in a cat s life and may start as a seasonal problem in the spring and or fall. Some cats bite as a form of communication or a demand for attention.

She ll usually let you know when she s on the brink of defensive biting or scratching. 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. Occasionally though scratching and biting can be a sign that your kitten is frightened angry or in pain. In most cases kittens scratch and bite in play.

Cats may bite during one of these sessions for several reasons. Most often because they are overstimulated and have simply had enough fear or redirected aggression or they don t feel well.