Non agressive Biting- what does it mean?

RavMoshe said:

I live in a homeless shelter and there is a business near that takes in stray cats and there is one that particularly takes to me that the owner named Bela, (heck of a name for a female but she is all black) and while I am petting her she gives me those little bites, so maybe she recognizes that I am a stray just like her.

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Welcome to TCS. I have lived in a homeless shelter and know what you are going through.

Bela is a wonderful name for an all black cat, it means beautiful. Yes, I am sure she knows that the two of you have a lot in common. Keep giving her your love and attention, and hopefully the two of you can find a place together.

Thanks for asking because I had been wondering the same thing. The difference with my Storm-Cloud is that she didn't start with the nipping until after she got fixed and we moved into my dorm room (She is my emotional assistance animal on my collage campus). I figured she was trying to play or tell me something because it will start of soft but will get just a bit more rough if I don't do what she wants. This is where I ask my question, Since she does get more rough sometimes should I be worried?

Mikki only does what we call "love nips" when she's hungry.

StormCloudsMama said:

 
 Since she does get more rough sometimes should I be worried?

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Yes, concerned, not worried.  When she starts to get rough, stop petting or playing with her. You can try saying "no" or "ouch, you hurt me" in a normal volume, but kinda whiny. 

A lot of cats have a low thresh hold for stimulation, my Chrissy was famous for nipping hard if you petted her more then  twice. There are warning signs, a twitching tail, dilated pupils, a growl, or laid back ears. I agree with the above post, say 'no' firmly, back off and give them a few minutes of 'time out' by turning your back and ignoring them.She would actually draw blood, and I warned everyone who petted her beforehand, but if they ignored me they paid the price! My Casper gives 'nips' when he wants attention,or outside, usually your toes, and will run quickly off before you can react. This kind of nipping is harmless, and usually a firm 'no', or even hissing at him will make him stop, but at times he can be persistent and annoying!     You have to investigate and try to understand WHY your cat is doing this, then you can begin to work at change or accepting the behavior and learning how to control the cat's or your behavior so it is acceptable to everyone involved! Good luck!

Sinbad does this all the time to me, and only to me. ^.^

Overstimulated is how I've thought of it, it's like he's overcome with a massive attack of affection. He'll roll onto his back, grab my entire arm with all 4 paws, pull me into a tight hug and start nibbling. After a few moments of nibbles he begins grooming me. It's like he's nipping at my fingers the way he nips at his own toes when he's grooming himself.  

I find it adorable, once he gets to the grooming stage he'll alternate - a few licks on mommy, a few licks on Sinbad. A few nibbles on mommy, a few nibbles on Sinbad. Back and forth until he's satisfied that mommy's hand and his own paws are all properly groomed. Then if I let him, he rolls onto my arm, with his head on my hand like a pillow, and falls asleep. 

The first few times he started doing this, it scared me - he'd suddenly come at me with all 4 paws and his teeth. But after a few times I noticed that his claws were never out when he did it so I let him to see what would happen. Now I'm glad I did because it's just so adorable. 

I agree with @Losna my Q does it, seemingly when she feels overwhelmed with affection! She likes to lay on my chest for her regular "all my attention cuddle session" and after she is purring as loud as she can, she will sometimes nibble my nose or lip- never hard enough to hurt though. And then she goes right back to snuggles and purrs! I love that about her, it helps us bond, I think!

My cat, was not a stray or feral and does this to me all the time.  Bites on my arm when he wants attention.  Just places his teeth on me and lightly bites.

I have a Ragdoll kitten (7 months old) who has never been outside.  She loves to give "love bites'.  They are not hard, but come unexpectedly - usually to wake me up.  She has no preference to where she nibbles - my ankles, my legs, my arms, fingers and my nose.  When I wake up, she sits there staring and purring and I rub her head and she then cuddles.  She did this before and after her spay.  I do have two other Ragdolls (they are males) and they show their love in other ways.  This is the first cat/kitten I've had that "love bites' (and the only female) and I have to admit, it makes me smile. 

:chescat:

One of my cats gets on my chest every night when I lay on the couch and when I go to pet him he turns around and starts biting my arm oriole try to nibble on my cheek I think it's a natural left

My kitten dose the same thing it's a wild cat to my grandma took in its grandma the it had baybys then they gave the kitty's to the spca except 1 it had baybys to and that's were my kitten came from her name is dusty

My cat nips me occasionally, but he isnt a stray or feral. His mothers owner game him to us as soon as he was able to live without her milk. I always wondered why he would do it, mostly he does it when i pet him or when he rubs against my face. They are still annoying, but more bearable now that i know they are out of love i guess. lol

This is him here. I love him to death but he is so annyoing sometimes lol

hi was wondering, does this biting apply to a nursing kitty?

also, does anyone know when kittens start to see? 

My Sassy Cat is a nibbler as well... He will nibble on my chin... I love his little love bites...  He also sleeps on my chest at night and will knead my neck... I feel so blessed to have him in my life... he is my first and only cat... and I had no clue how amazing a feline is...I suffer from chronic pain and sleep apnea... and because Sassy is in my life I need less pain meds... My daughter and son in law also watched him place his face close to my mouth and when I stopped breathing they said that is when he started to knead my neck and chest... I believe the beautiful furbaby has been saving my life for years.. I cant imagine my life without him and pray that we have many more loving years together... I only wished that more people could know the love of such a giving feline... How wonderful would our world be.. 

awe. what a little doll baby.. she sounds so sweet..

Thank you for taking the time to share all that!  Isn't hard to solve the mysteries of cats!  We need all the evidence we can get to compare our own situations to.  My new shelter cat, 3 years old, supposedly was a one family cat and they had to give him up.  He does view biting as a way to deal with things, I think.  He was neutered the day before I got him. He's male, and this is not his first home. I wonder if they get insecure when they are re-homed and the biting is their way to say—"You had better not abandon me like those other people did!!!"   He would not let me touch him at all at first. First, I couldn't even get to him, he'd be way under the furniture. Then gradually I worked my way up to four strokes, over his little head and down, but not onto his back,  and then, be prepared.  I definitely can pat him more now.  Also around his muzzle and chin. I feel some underground emotional stuff being touched in both of us as we get closer.  I WILL NOT allow him to bite me. 

Today we'd been having a pretty nice day and I was standing in the bathroom doing something, using the ironing board as a table, and I was talking to him a little, and as I watched, he gently but sharply bit my leg, where it is flat, hard and smooth. How could he get his teeth around anything??  I get emotionally shocked when I am attacked and I made a loud noise and shoved him away with my foot, went into my bedroom and slammed the door. People say that you are supposed to just accept that he bit you and move away from him, but I want him to get the message. NO BITE!  It's not a punishment, it is just "what happens when I bite my person."  I mostly avoid getting bitten by watching carefully when I'm patting him and withdrawing my hand as soon as I can tell.  It's not that I'm pushing him to the limit—he often just is not in the mood.  He adores PLAY! Toys on fishing poles, every day!  And he is the most creative cat playing solitary with little toy mice that I have ever seen! Tearing around the house!!  I have the feeling that he hadn't had much love in his life. Maybe he didn't get touched by humans early enough during that window from one to what is it? weeks.  The window closes in the cat's brain and from then on, they can't develop into a cuddly cat.  He will NOT sit in my lap, although he will lie beside me, touching me. He is very tall and might not feel comfortable confined to a lap area.  Anyway, isn't this just like a doting cat mama? I want to tell you all the details of my new boy, my very first OWN cat at the Age of 74.  Me, not him. He is really special!  lol.  In the shelter, his name WAS "Special" That's what the family that brought him in said his name was.  Boy, I'd love to know more about what his life was life before.   Oh so you want to know what he looks like!?  Tall, long legs, long body, faint tabby markings with striped legs, light pinkish-buff-orange-and-white, silky fur with a puffed out tail that has fur-hairs that are twice as long as the fur hairs on his body. Bright pink paw pads, nose and tongue, green eyes, a nose with white on it, so it looks big, nice modest ears. LONG whiskers, and such a pretty face!  Meow!!

Anyway, for me, because of my PTSD (maybe that's what it is) it is going to stay "NO BITE" for him. But I am going to use preventative means and just be very careful.   Oh, and here's the other thing.  When I walk over him (He lies on the floor and his highness does not move aside as I approach) he sometimes decides that my foot is prey and reaches his paws out to grab one.  He may have been nipping me recently without my noticing.  That could be why he bit my leg.

Oh, here's a question: He does not BUNT me!  When he is hungry, he'll walk past my legs and around them, but he only lets his VERY long tail fur smoothly and gently touch my legs.  Which I LOVE, but it's not that rubbing that would transfer pheromones to me.  It couldn't!  So I feel that there is a level that he has not given himself to me yet.   I got him on April 24, 2105 and today is August 1, 2015.

And here's another question:  I can't find any dry food that he loves, and I want to be able to give him treats so I can train him to stay still while I cut  his claws.  Anyone have an absolute fave that their cat loves?

Thanks, and now to get together with my boy again!  MEOW~

Rotobay said:

I took in a stray cat several months ago, and she does something that I've never seen a cat do before: she bites. Not aggressively at all. Here are a few examples:


-I'll let her inside and she'll bite my ankle. Not hard and she doesn't break the skin, but she does it gently and leaves little teeth marks. It's almost like a greeting.


-I'll be holding her and petting her, then she'll lean over and bite my arm.


-I'll be standing in the kitchen, cooking or something, and she'll come over and bite my leg.


-Right after I got her spayed, she was recuperating on her little bed and I was petting her....she grabbed my hand with her paw and bit my wrist.


I've had cats before and none of them have ever done this. Does anyone know what it means? I am not looking for ways to stop the behavior...I think it's cute. But I'm very curious....what is she saying to me?


She does occasionally bite other family members, but mostly she bites me. I am her primary caretaker (I am usually the one who feeds her, brushes her, takes her to the vet, etc). SO does anyone know what this means?

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I am always amazed at the answers you can find to random questions. I rescued a female cat from a parking lot 4 years ago when she was probably 6months to a year old. I had her spayed right away. Last night she jumped up next to me for some attention. She started licking my knee then opened her mouth and sort of pushed her teeth into my knee. Not hard enough to even leave a mark but it still made me jump. 2 minutes later she did it again. I am glad to hear its a love thing and not that she is losing her mind. She is my first cat that I have ever really been around soon still learning about their strange habbits. I don't know what is normal......for example bringing a dead mouse into my bed is a good thing? I feel bad that I didn't appreciate her gift but my dog never brought me a bloody carcus!