Cat biting (but otherwise adorable)

[Silvercatowner]

We adopted our cat (and her sibling) 6 months ago. She is 18 months old. She has settled in well and we are besotted with her. The only issue is her biting. She tries to bite when she is stroked (although she clearly loves cuddles). This isn't a full on aggressive bite by any means, she just opens her mouth and kind of wraps it around an arm or hand. This morning I was lying in bed Mumsnetting with her cuddled up next to me, and she leaned over and bit my arm - twice. Again, not aggressively but it was actually slightly sore! Is there anything I can do to stop this please?

Remove her from where she is with a loud No! every time she bites. So she's having a lovely cuddle, she bites, the lovely cuddle is over. Eventually they do start realising cause and effect - but you have to be relentless about it.

It's a kitty kiss, isn't it?!

Mine took me by surprise when she first did this, I thought she was trying to eat me. She gently nibbles.

Sounds like she's clamping too hard so could you instantly detach her and hopefully she'll learn?

My cat aged 16 does this, it's a love bite. She never bites hard just nibbles but kittens have to be told when the bite is too hard.

It is a sign of affection, plus there is something pleasurable about biting flesh for cats - just tell her if it’s too hard

Aw, that's just what cats do. Not her fault you haven't got fur to soften the blow!

Thank you! I've always had cats but never had a bitey one!

The tail is sometimes an early warning sign that the cat is getting overstimulated and is about to get bitey. My cat tolerates strokes and tummy rubs, but I stop when her tail goes from languidly flicking at the end, to a ‘whole tail’ flick.

It's like having little licks and then little nibbles and forget what she is doing and ouch. To indicate time is up as I remove her I give her a soft blow on nose as sometimes its fun to try and maintain a hold and leave teethy marks

Try hissing at her. I also do an "Ah Ah Ah, nooo" that stops him if he's doing something naughty.

He stopped biting after neutering though.

One of mine did that - one who was taken away from her mum and littermates too early. At the time I read that mum or siblings normally teach them to regulate the amount of biting, i.e. stop the cuddle or play time when it’s too hard, so she likely hadn’t learned as a result of leaving them too soon.

I just removed my hand every single time she did it, nothing else in terms of saying No or anything. She learned the connection and now only nibbles rather than biting. Took a little while, but they do learn.

One of mine does this. Definitely a kitty kiss. He also does it when he gets over stimulated, like when I am brushing him (which he loves). Only trouble is he can hurt and can sometimes break the skin. Good job I love him 😀

"Kitty kiss". Love it!

Mine's a biter and a scratcher. I'm so used to it, I don't care anymore. I do tell her to stop, but she totally ignores me. She's a very shy girl and it's only me who sees her, so no-one else gets bitten.

There are different types of bites:

The I-was-enjoying-being-stroked-up-to-a-point-and-that-point-has-passed bite: Often preceded by tail twitching or twitches along the back.

The I've-suddenly-decided-your-hand-is-a-toy bite: Fairly gentle. Accompanied by grabbing your hand with both paws.

The I'm-trying-to-groom-you nip: Gentle. Accompanied by licking.

Our new cat has an occasional tendency towards the second, as she is young and likes to play a lot.

I push my hand towards her slightly before slowly extricating myself and walking away.

We have never used our hands to play, but it's possible that someone in her previous home did.

Mine do this all the time and it's definitely affectionate and playful but they sometimes get carried away and it hurts a bit!