Owning a cat can be a wonderful experience. However, it can definitely be frustrating if you have an aggressive cat that bites and scratches. It is especially annoying when all you want to do is hug and cuddle your cat. Wanting to stop your cat from biting and attacking you isn’t something you are alone in. It is very common for cats (especially kittens) to be aggressive.
In today’s article, we will explore why your cat attacks you, and how to stop him/her.
How to Stop My Cat From Biting and Attacking Me?
The best way to stop you cat from biting and attacking you is by redirecting, yelling, paying attention to visual cues, and identifying when they are stressed.
The method you should use is dependent on the reason why your cat bites and attacks you.
Why do cats bite and attack their owners?
The main reason cats bite and attack is because of play time aggressiveness, overstimulation, pain, and stress.
Play Time Aggressiveness
More often than not, if a cat or kitten is biting and attacking its owner a lot it, the cat just wants to play. Unfortunately for us, the way cats and kittens play can be a little painful! For such small animals they can have some pretty sharp teeth and claws.
Additionally, cats frequently use their teeth and their claws to go after anything that makes a quick move. Using their claws allows cats to grab a hold of whatever they have their eyes on. Biting whatever they are playing with is instinctual to them as a species designed to hunt for their food. This is one of the main reasons why cats bite feet.
If your cat frequently bites and attacks you during playtime, you can try redirecting the behavior towards another object. While this isn’t going to be an overnight solution, it is effective.
To start redirecting your kitten’s biting and attacking behavior, you are going to need a toy for your cat. Keep in mind that this toy should be durable. Sometimes the best choice here is going to be a stuffed animal toy meant for a small dog breed. Whenever you are playing with your kitten, be sure to keep the toy close by. For some inspiration, you should check out my article on best toys for cats home alone.
When your kitten starts to bite and attack you, you can quickly give him/her a toy. After some time, your furry friend will become more aggressive with his new stuffed animal instead of you.
Another way to stop your cat from biting and attacking you is to let out a yell when they bite. When kittens play with their littermates, they will yelp out if something hurts. This lets the others know that playtime might be getting a bit rough. Shouting “ouch”, “hey”, or “no” when your kitten is biting or attacking you will imitate what their siblings do.
Overstimulation
Sometimes there is nothing better than sitting down with your cat and petting him to let the stress of your day melt away. That is until he starts to bite and attack you even though all you are doing is showing your love.
When this happens your cat has simply become overstimulated. What this means is that after a while, your cat has decided that whatever you are doing to him doesn’t feel good anymore and would like you to stop. Typically cats will try to warn their humans of the change in their behavior by offering physical cues, but because people don’t understand what these warnings are they often are left getting bit.
To avoid your cat biting and attacking you due to being overstimulated watch out for these changes in body language:
- Ears laying back
- Quickly twitching tail
- Twitching skin
- Dilated pupils
- Attempts at moving away from you
Pain
Just like people, when animals are in pain they can be pretty irritable. Unfortunately for cats and their owners, cats sometimes don’t let us know when they are hurting. Therefore, we can be left unaware that our cats are uncomfortable, sick, or in pain and continue to treat them and pet them as if nothing is wrong.
One thing you should check for is to see if your cats claw is growing into the pad. This can be extremely painful and cause a lot of irritation for your cat.
If your cat is suddenly starting to bite and attack you when he hasn’t shown this behavior before, there is a chance that it could be related to pain. Calling your vet and setting up an appointment will be the easiest and quickest way to rule this out.
Stress
Something that many people don’t know is that stress can affect cats just like it does people. Changes in environment, routine, food, and other things like adding a family member or a new pet can cause a cat to start feeling stressed. When a cat is feeling stressed, he is going to hide more frequently and may bite and attack you.
If you notice that your cat is starting to act out more than what is typical for him, take note of what has been going on in your home lately. Have there been any new changes? Did someone new move in? Did you get a new pet? What about some new furniture or home remodeling? All of these things can be scary for a cat, and recognizing this will allow you to create a sense of calm in the house to help your cat get his stress levels back to normal.
If it appears that your cat needs some extra help calming down, consult your vet about adding some calming treats to his diet. You can also try adding some pheromone diffuser to the house. If your cat’s stress seems severe, your vet may advise giving your cats medication to help him.
No matter what reason is causing your cat to bite and attack you, never resort to punishing them. Cats can’t tell their humans if or when something is wrong and what it is, so when there is something bothering your cat he is going to react in the only way he knows how.
