Play biting, do you allow?

[otto]

Originally Posted by Keycube

Yep, allowed. The key component (to me) is whether the biting is more the exception or the rule. Mine have intense sparring matches that last ten minutes or so, and they move on to something else. It's part of being a cat, IMO.

At the same time, they're allowed to bite me, as well. Doesn't mean I don't recoil and respond with a "@#% it, Alice!", but I don't discourage them.

In the end, they're good cats. They have lots of toys and scratching devices, and don't mess up the walls or furniture. So they get all the leeway in the world. I want their environment to be as naturally cat-like as possible.

Well of course, they are allowed to bite one another in play!

I don't mind that in the least. But I am the mother, and mommie does not like to be bit in play.

Love bites, as others have stated, are different. Jennie does a bit of love nibbling when she asks for tummy rubs. But biting mommie in play or aggression or when I am ministering to them (nail trims, meds, etc) is not tolerated and all have been properly trained.

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[Winchester]

Biting has never bothered us. We use our hands all the time when playing with our cats. They may bite us, but it's always merely in play and they end up licking our hands and fingers. They've never actually bitten us to the point where they drew any blood or anything. And we've had cats for well over 20 years. We play "bed mice" with the gang and we'll get down on the floor and play with them on their level all the time. They grab for our hands and give us a quick love bite and then immediately will start to lick. Maybe we've just been lucky.

When we're trying to brush them or when we have to give them meds, they seem to know the difference between play and serious stuff. And they're fine. They don't like getting pills or liquids, but they also seem to know that we have to do what we have to do and they're OK.

 

[ladyhitchhiker]

I think it depends on the age and how aggressive they are about play biting. What I do with Mandarin is when he gets in that mood, I wrap a sweatshirt around my arm and ruffle his belly. He only wants to attack a little while and then he's over it. I think it helps him get out some of his aggression. He is almost 7 or 8 though so it's different than a kitten who's learning yeses or nos.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by LadyHitchhiker

I think it depends on the age and how aggressive they are about play biting. What I do with Mandarin is when he gets in that mood, I wrap a sweatshirt around my arm and ruffle his belly. He only wants to attack a little while and then he's over it. I think it helps him get out some of his aggression. He is almost 7 or 8 though so it's different than a kitten who's learning yeses or nos.

That's a good idea, and I'm sure very helpful for Mandarin.

I do something similar with Tolly, but with a rolled up newspaper. He can kick and bite and shred it to his heart's content. He also has a favorite small toy stuffed cat he likes to beat up on.

But for our Baby Queen Eva, just learning about how to behave, biting mommie is not allowed. If she grabs my hand to kick and bite I immediately slip her stuffed bunny or one of the bunny-kick toys between her paws.

I do allow her to taste my fingers when she is cuddling but at the first sign of pressure from those sharp little kitten teeth, I say a gentle no and move away from her.

 

[breamarie]

I think it depends on the cat. My husband says that my in-laws' two cats will bite while playing, but it's way too hard and it hurts.

Two of mine play bite, and they definitely have a sense of how hard it's okay to bite; it's never to the point that it actually hurts. Oscar is growing out of his desire to play that way with me (he's exhausted after playing with the kitten all day, lol), but the kitten often does. I don't think it's a problem.

 

[ducman69]

I don't mind it, but I have decently thick skin on my arm. They know not to bite hard enough to draw blood. If they did, it would actually be a bit of a big deal due to the bacteria they have in their mouths.

 

[kkh]

Nope, I'd never allow Ku Ku to bite me. She was a biter, a really major one but I trained her that "biting NOT allowed" while playing.

These days, she only bites me when she's extremely offended but that's still very rare.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Darko likes to chew on my fingers, but he's not really biting, never closes his mouth. He grabs my hand with his paws and brings it up to his mouth. Have no idea what it means, but I like it!

Stinkpot used to nip at my feet when he first came to us, but I didn't appreciate that and had to constantly tell him "no bite", pretty sternly sometimes. He occasionally tries it even now, and gets that same "no bite" warning and I walk away.

The other two are well behaved

 

[lisar]

As far as my two Isabell was a biter when we got her. She would bite, scratch, hiss, spit... Well she was an unsocalized adult what do you expect? She has been trained not to bite, she will give love bites or warning nips now but that is about all.

EG was never a biter but will give attention nips or warning nips. He wont bite down just put his teeth on your hand or knee.. or whatever is close because he wants attention or you to leave him alone.

 

[sadisticookie]

Sammy has always been a very gentle cat. The most harm she ever caused me was when she would lick one spot on my arm for so long that it became raw to the (tongue)touch. I tried to get her to play rough with me when she was younger but she never saw the sense in it.

Baby Kitty, however, bit me once or twice in anger as a kitten. It didn't take much scolding for him to learn that anger-biting is not allowed. He won't play bite either. Any time I get too rough with him while teasing him, if he does bite me he will do it quickly (nothing harsh), hiss, run a few feet away then swiftly come back to make up after the fight. He absolutely hates feeling like I may be mad at him.

 

[nekochan]

I don't allow play biting. "Love bites" are allowed as long as they don't hurt!