Mixed Signals -- Pet Pet Pet Bite!

meow meow

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My kitten (6 mos) loves to be petted. Sometimes though, as I am stroking him, he will tilt to the side, wrap his arms around my hand and bite my hand (not really very hard). I don't know if he is playing or if I just touched a sensitive spot. He doesn't seem annoyed afterward and I can go on petting him.

Also... sometimes he "offers" his tummy by rolling over and other times if you pet his tummy he does the same thing I described above (grabs my hand and bites).

Whats up??
 

lorie d.

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It sounds like your kitten becomes over stimulated or over excited when you're petting him. You might try petting him for short periods of only a couple of minutes at first. Then gradually increase the amount of time you spend petting him until you find out how much he can tolerate. If he continues to bite, calmly move your hand away and try again later. Also, never hit or punish a cat in any other way for this type behavior because it will just frighten the cat and the behavior will only get worse.
 

natalie_ca

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I agree about the over stimulation part. Watch for signs that take place just before he attacks your arm and bites. With my Abby I see her tail start twitching. If I keep petting/brushing beyond that she will either move away or lightly bite the brush or my hand. They usually give fair warning signs that over stimulation is happening before it happens.
 

kiki_585

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Stanley does the same thing! The lady at PetSmart said they were love nips


I thought it was that he no longer liked being pet there and was letting me know. So I move my hand to another spot and voila he doesn't bite. Everyone always looks at me with wide eyes when he does that though.

He also bites beards... not quite sure what that is about...
 
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