"Love Bites?

butzie

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Butzie was 2 when we got her at the shelter but she obviously had lived with someone who cared for her. She is so loving, but she has a habit of biting me. Well, not biting but just grabbing my hand with her teeth. It doesn't hurt nor last long. I tried to keep track if I was doing something she wanted me to stop doing, but it is more like she likes what I am doing and she is claiming me for herself. Should I try to stop the love clamps if they don't really bother me?
 

cheylink

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Maia is very much the same way, she loves to play this silly game of mouthing my fingers as I twiddle them lightly on her whiskers
She will lay on her back next to me for a half hour opening and closing her mouth, gently mouthing my fingers. Sometimes she does get a bit more aggressive, but I admit, I play rough with her, let her full attack through blankets and so on
. Do have some battle scars and sometimes she goes to far, a simple "ehh!" stops her........
 

gingersmom

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Ferris gives me loves bites - gently takes my knuckle into his teeth, or the skin on my arm, and holds it for a moment, but doesn't bite too hard - I love it, because he is a feral rescue, and those little bites mean EVERYTHING to me.

It means he loves me.
 

exoticbabee

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Babee does the same thing-I know she's just playing with me. Her mouth is so small that I barely notice that she's trying to "bite".
 

teneff88

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My cat gets in these lover moods. When I pet him a whole bunch and he gets really into it, he bites my arm or hand and hold it there for a few sec then let go. If i'm holding him and he's extra cuddly, he'll bite (or at least try) my cheek. He also has this wierd thing (my boyfriend thinks he's preverted lol) where he'll sit on people's feet. He'll sit on my foot or my boyfriend's foot and then bite our ankle or leg. He's done this since I rememeber getting him.
 

x-ta-z

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Singa does love bites too. Mainly to the hand.

But when she was a kitten she would bite my cheek - it doesn't hurt, just gives me a shock


She also would bite my calves when I was preparing her food to tell me to hurry up!
 

cococat

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Mine gives love bites too, on the nose and hands, they aren't hard, never hurt. I don't really like them though but that is what she does, one of the many ways she expresses herself
She also does nose bumps, which I think is really adorable. And purrs nonstop, which is also cute.
 

epona

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Here's something I read recently, don't know how accurate this might be, but thought I'd paraphrase it as this question comes up a lot!

When a cat is a kitten, its mother will groom it and it feels safe and comforted, it has nothing to worry about, its mum will protect it. As it grows up, its instinct as a territorial predator kicks in, and that instinct tells it that it is not safe to relax completely, always territory must be protected and the next meal sought. Even when asleep, ears are alert to sounds of movement. When a socialised cat lives in a safe loving home, it is kept partially in that kitten state of trust and protection, it enjoys the feeling of being groomed, it kneads with its paws, it feels safe and comforted as if it were still 3 weeks old. The adult instinct creates a conflict with this, the cat is instinctively torn between wanting to relax completely like a kitten and wanting to stay alert like a predatory adult - and when this internal conflict and confusion occurs at the point of ultimate relaxation, the adult cat reacts against it and nips!

As I say I am not sure entirely what to make of that, but it is one theory.
 

zane's pal

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I've also heard that the cat will fall asleep while being petted and then wake up and can't remember where it is for a second and during that brief period of disorientation will lash out.
 
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butzie

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I can identify with all the things everyone wrote. Butzie kneads as well as love bites. he is so affectionate and loving that I can't figure out how she wound up in a shelter, in perfect health and so adorable. She was highly adoptable. A few love bites that don't hurt can't compete with all the love she gives me.
 

epona

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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

I've also heard that the cat will fall asleep while being petted and then wake up and can't remember where it is for a second and during that brief period of disorientation will lash out.
I thought of a good analogy earlier - it's sort of like the feline equivalent of falling asleep in church and waking up at the end of the sermon with a very audible 'hnng, huh? what?' Completely inappropriate but it's not like you did it on purpose
 

betty's mom

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My cat Loosie, also gives love bites. She will bite and then lick like she was a dog. This can be on your hand or face or the top of your head. I sense no aggression but it is so strange. Her tongue of course can wear the top layer of your skin off it is so rough.
 
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