Any cat behaviour experts here?

[ImWearingPantaloons]

Recently adopted a three year old tortie from RSPCA.

She wasn't well looked after by her previous owner (no abuse, her owner had MH issues and couldn't cope) and has had many litters in her short life.

She's not our first cat, and we love her to bits, but by GOD her night time habits are killing me.

Used to cats coming upstairs in the night, my first cat used to get into bed with me, the second one lived sitting on the windowsill.

All fine and dandy but this one loves biting my scalp.
She'll nuzzle into my hair whilst purring, then the jaws open and her teeth scrape my scalp.

It's every night, she doesn't do it to my husband (no hair), just me!

Any ideas why she does this (there's no biting in the day) and, more importantly, how can I stop her?

I'm getting really tired from the disturbed sleep

Ohhh that's adorable

Sorry! 😬

I would guess that she loves the way your scalp /hair smells and is taking comfort in it at night.

Push her off when she starts nuzzling?

I'd perhaps look to give her something else to snuggle up to as well, maybe something sprayed with feliway. And perhaps change your shampoo!

If it was just the nuzzling I'd agree, but those teeth are sharp!!!

my other halfs tortie adores him he gets so annoyed as shes not doing anything wrong technically but booping and nuzzling his hair when he tries to sleep hahaha.

Maybe wear a hair net or bonnet to bed the texture of it may put them off

Wear a sleeping cap! My partner wears one to keep his hair in order and it stops the cats chomping on him. Though he can't stop the elderly one sleeping on his face (she's a bit doolally) so I keep expecting to wake up and find him suffocated...

Get some tea tree face wipes and use one over your hair. The smell might put her off.

Oh god a hair net or bonnet.

I'm sure my husband will be 'phwoar...' 😂

Good shout on the tea tree thing, is it citrus as well that cats don't like (although she did go into the food bin and pulled out and orange peel to play with, so who knows...,)

I know this doesn't help, but she's doing it because she loves you. Some cats (not all, thank God) do this as an extension of nuzzling and licking you. For some reason it always seems to be on the scalp. Maybe it's something about the hair, some kind of grooming instinct? But it's not because she wants to be nasty to you - quite the opposite.

Wow it’s almost like she’s treating you like her kitten. Your hair is closest there is to fur. Suppose there’s not much info on what happened with her litters.

You could try Feliway to calm her nerves. Or does she need a cuddly toy (dowsed in catnip)? Or lock her out the room, easier said than done.

I'm so tired though, it's every night at about 4....

I don't know how much longer I can function the following day with such broken sleep - I'm too old now! (Can you tell I have no kids....)

I bought Feliway in desperation as she seems pretty chill during the day so I was hoping she wouldn't need it.
She's got lots of nip in the house but that doesn't do anything come the Dawn!!

Shut her downstairs at night with a bed. I would never let a cat sleep in the bedroom overnight .

@TheOGCCL she was in the RSPCA with her last litter - two out of three have gone to new homes already.
The other litters I don't know, but from the way she carries her toys around in her mouth all the time I think she's hardwired to treat everything like it's her kitten!

Don't use tea tree wipes - it's toxic to cats.

@Passiflora2 I tried that, when shut out of the bedroom she took the landing carpet apart.

When shut downstairs it was the sofa

If she does roam I'd be wary of any cat-love that could potentially break the skin. Fine if she's not too enthusiastic though 😊

My tortie used to hunt my dad's nose. Particularly if asleep and snoring - gave him some starts of a lifetime!

@spiderlight looks like it's bonnet or bust then!!

I leave my cat in the kitchen as she’s a scratcher. She can go outside via the cat flap. I shut the door so she can’t get in the rest of the house.

Or a helmet. Shut the front screen and sleep like a baby 😁

@Passiflora2 the layout of my house prevents that, back door with the cat flap leads into lounge

@QueenCamilla that idea is growing on me!!

You have adopted a naughty tortie. I have one too.

They are the most adorable, loving cats who have the ability to be incredibly annoying too.

Mine wakes me up every night too. Sometimes to say they are hungry, sometimes to announce they are going to use their litter tray and sometimes just to say hello. I allow her 1 wake up. The second time she does it she goes into a different room downstairs for the rest of the night.

I expect your tortie is thinking of her kittens when she's nipping your hair. Perhaps a soft blanket or kitten like cuddly toy would do as a replacement?

Definitely change your shampoo! You're right it is citrus they're supposed to dislike

One of our cats licks my DH's bald spot (or area of his head with slightly less hair as he prefers us to call it 😆) during the night because she loves him so much!

I think you definitely need to wear a cap or bonnet!

How long have you had here? I imagine it may stop as she feels more secure.

Another of our cats hair-shames me if I haven't washed it for a while.

When I am not good with depression I tend to just bung it in a ponytail and forget about it, but every time I come up the stairs she sticks her head through the banisters and sniffs at my hair.

If she thinks it needs washing she gives me such a disappointed, judgemental look 😹

@helpfulperson nearly three weeks. It's still early days I know, it might stop when she's allowed to stretch her paws in the garden