Why Does My Kitten Eat My Hair

sharper16

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My 6 month old kitten likes to eat my hair. I have hairspray in it and that can't be good for him. He constantly eats it while I'm sleeping and when I push him away, he attacks more. Anyone know why he does this and how to get him to stop.

Thanks.
 

kumbulu

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Many cats and kittens like to eat or even suck on their owner's hair.

it may be that they are attracted to the shampoo or products you use or it may be that it's comforting because it smells like you. The easiest way to stop this is to keep your hair in a plait or bun while you sleep.
 

meistersar

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My 11 week old kitten attacks hair because he thinks it's a play thing (I've long hair) but that's to be expected.

My three year old male doesn't exactly eat hair, but he chews mine at night when he wants me to wake up and play or feed him. He'll get his teeth as close as he can to my scalp and get a mouthful of hair and tug... it's really odd, he's been doing it since he was a kitten.

Our three year old female cat tries to eat her own hair out of the cat brush after we brush her... though I've no idea why she does that other than she's just weird anyway
 

strange_wings

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The simplest answer to the question is, 'Cause he can'.

Tomas likes to wake me up by kneading my hair, since I don't have fur and he thinks I'm his mother... I think that maybe he's stuck the two together somehow in his mind. Now if he wouldn't try to suck on my ear while kneading I'd be happy to let him knead, it feels kind of nice on my scalp since he doesn't use his claws.

Originally Posted by meistersar

Our three year old female cat tries to eat her own hair out of the cat brush after we brush her... though I've no idea why she does that other than she's just weird anyway
I've noticed a lot of cats do this, maybe it's because they recognize their smell on the fur? Maybe it's just the urge to groom.
 

jokieman

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Originally Posted by sharper16

My 6 month old kitten likes to eat my hair. I have hairspray in it and that can't be good for him. He constantly eats it while I'm sleeping and when I push him away, he attacks more. Anyone know why he does this and how to get him to stop.

Thanks.
I took some painkillers for my back earlier tonight (I have degenerative disc disease, fairly bad case of it). and fell asleep on the bed. I woke up to Poe grooming my head. He was switching off between grooming me and himself. hehe. I think it's fairly normal, and I don't use hairspray.

Could be a sign of acceptance or trust, not really sure, He's only recently started doing it and I haven't changed any of the products I use.
 
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