New rescued cat questions

We adopted Pearl on Monday from a rescue group. She had been with them for more than 5 months. She is about 5/6 years old. We have had cats in the past....just raised them from kittens and were able to decode their behaviors.

So I have a couple of questions:

Pearl licks us quite often....sometimes adding a nip...is this normal?

Pearl is a meower...the girl can TALK!! But I can' tell any difference in meowing...there isn't a specific feed, pet, torked meow at least not that I can tell...is that just because she's getting adjusted to us??

Pearl also bites (only sometimes) when petted, specifically on her sides. But she loves to be petted...should we be worried? how do I stop the biting..thankfully I'm the only one she's drawn blood with.

Boy, I wish that I had good answers for you - I think that there will be many foster Moms who can answer some of your questions.
Welcome to TCS and thank you for adopting little Pearl!
PS You will learn what meow means "what" as you get to know her!

Sometimes a cat gets overstimulated when petted and nips. You will learn to watch her for her signals and stop the petting *before* she's had enough. Watch her tail and her ears for signs.

Cat can meow for a lot of reasons. She may just like the sound of her voice. She may be hard of hearing. I love talky cats.

Thanks for giving her a home.

Originally Posted by babytrees

Pearl licks us quite often....sometimes adding a nip...is this normal?

Pearl is a meower...the girl can TALK!! But I can' tell any difference in meowing...there isn't a specific feed, pet, torked meow at least not that I can tell...is that just because she's getting adjusted to us??

Pearl also bites (only sometimes) when petted, specifically on her sides. But she loves to be petted...should we be worried? how do I stop the biting..thankfully I'm the only one she's drawn blood with.

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IMO, I don't think the licking is a bad thing, she's trying to groom you, get her scent on you, probably she's trying to make a mixed scent because you're "family" (or something like that). If the nipping his hard, I would discourage it. Give a nice loud "ouch". Bella will just put her teeth on me sometimes when she's giving me a lick, but she won't bite.

I find the meowing is very individual, but some cats will be more vocal when they're feeling insecure. Does she follow you around too? She may just be getting adjusted. Or, you've got yourself a talker

Usually the biting after a pet is overstimulation. Does she twitch her skin or slap her tail around? Those are signs that she's had enough petting and may want to just sit on your lap. Some cats are particularly sensitive to being touched in specific areas. Biting can also be a dominance thing sometimes, but I would look for the signs of overstimulation first.

Welcome and please share some picts!

Thank you all for your responses!! It's just new territory we've come to with adopting an older cat.

I think you may be right that the biting could be from overstimulation...thinking about it she tends to bite when more than one of us is giving her attention.

I think she likes me best because I get all the licks!!

As soon as I can I will post pics!!