There are a series of cat behaviors that can be strange in the eyes of those who have never lived with him. One of them is the act of licking and then biting, as if at first he wanted to kiss us but then changed his mind and decided to attack us.
Has it ever happened to you? More than one of them, and in each of them I asked myself the same thing: Why does my cat lick me and then bite me? Until I found the answer.
Feline communication
To understand cats there is nothing like seeing the behavior of feline colonies. Whether or not they have established friendly relationships between their caregivers, the body language they use in different situations can help us a lot to understand the person who lives with us. Thus, we will see that:
They groom each other
When they are really comfortable with their companions and confident, they nibble to remove any insects or dirt they may have, and then they lick each other to leave their fur smooth and clean.
If we take this into account, the fact that our furry licks us and then bites us it can be one more excuse to give him a good portion of pampering.
They defend themselves or give warnings to others
It may happen that something scares them, or that they feel cornered. You may be enjoying a pampering session with another cat, and you may suddenly get tired and give it a gentle nibble to say "stop," and then lick it so that it knows that it is all right with it, that it is simply he wants me to make room for him.
If we take this into account, We can make the friendship we have with our feline better if we give them the signs of affection that he wants, neither more nor less. We should not force him to be on our lap if he, at that moment, prefers to play or sleep somewhere else.
Remember that any relationship worth its salt involves at least two parties. And all must be respected equally.
So why do they bite and then lick us?
As we have seen, it can be for several reasons, which can be like show of affectionAs a warning sign O well as part of grooming. In any case, it is not a bad thing, but rather the opposite. We should not get angry about that, much less yell at them or attack them (if we do this, the only thing we are going to achieve is that they are afraid of us, giving them more reasons to bite us. In addition, these punishments DO NOT understand them).
How to act if they hurt us by biting us?
When they bite us they can harm us, since we have a skin that is not as protected as theirs, so it is very important to teach them from a very young age that no part of our body is a toy.
How do you get that? It is quite easy, but it takes time. You just have to stop the game and get away from the animals as soon as they intend to bite us or when they have done so. As the days go by, they will realize that if you want to play, they will have to stop biting.
Another thing we can do is redirect them; that is, before they bite us, or shortly after if we have not had time to anticipate their bite, take a stuffed animal or any other toy, and offer it while we move it so that they show more interest in said toy than in our hand.
How to play with my cat and prevent it from biting me?
During the game, especially if they are kittens or young cats, it is normal for them to bite us. It is in their nature. Litters play, fight, bite, scratch, etc. as soon as their bodies are sufficiently developed and strong so that they can run, more or less from the third or fourth week of age.
By living with us, they leave their biological family behind, and unless we live with another young cat, or more or less their age, they are going to need us to help them discharge all that energy, something that is not difficult, but it does take a daily time.
What to wear to play with the cat?
The answer is simple: appropriate toys for cats, such as soft toys, balls with or without sound, etc. They can be bought in pet stores, or they can be things that we have at home (strings, cords, cardboard boxes, balls made with aluminum foil, ...).
What to play and for how many minutes?
As cats are hunters the games must be related to hunting. Thus, if that day we are going to use a ball, we will throw it away - inside the house - so that he can go and find it. In the event that we are going to use a rope, we will make subtle movements and others faster, as if it were really a prey that had to hunt.
It is very important to avoid making sudden movements and playing "hand to hand". In addition, under no circumstances should you use your hands and feet during the game.
The duration of the play session will depend a lot on each cat, but in general one hour a day divided into several short sessions is recommended.
How do I know if my cat is tired?
Sometimes doubts may arise about it, but if we see that after having been running for a while begin to gasp, lie down, or begin to lose interest in the toy, then we can end the session.
And with this we are done. You see that if a cat bites and then licks ... it is not a bad thing 😉.