Why Does My Cat Bite Me To Get My Attention?

Your cat is many great things. They are your companion. They’re your comic relief when you need a smile. They can even serve as tiny fur therapists, too. But you know what your cat is amazingly profound at? Getting your undivided attention! And, sometimes, they rely on their quirky cat antics to do it. Like when they send your coffee cup flying off the counter. Or, when they give you a little love bite out of nowhere to quickly grasp your undivided attention. Have you ever wondered, “why does my cat bite me to get my attention?!” Then just keep reading to find out the answer!

Does your cat bite you to get your attention? There are likely a few good reasons for this vampire inspired behavior…

why does my cat bite me?
As you can see, Tiger Lily is nibbling on my arm.

A cat bite is there way of saying “pay attention to me right meow!”

Like I mentioned above, your cat is great at many things. And getting your attention comes in high on that list. If your cat is not getting what they want exactly when they want it, well, they won’t be shy to let their desires known. For myself, there is one time when Tiger Lily will often bite me. And it’s when I’m typing on the computer and she insists on posting up right on my lap.

She will typically make a cute cooing noise before she goes in ever-so-gently for the kill…which is typically my forearm. When she does this, I will stop what I’m doing and pet her for a minute or so. I know that she’s simply trained me to give her affection exactly when she wants it. But hey, I love her and clearly she wants me to shower her with love. I respond positively because it’s a gentle love bite that does not break the skin or cause me pain.

A cat bite can occur when your cat is feeling needy and wants your affection and undivided attention. This happens to many of us cat owners when we are on our laptops/computers. It’s another reason that many cats like to lay across your keyboard, too. And obviously because that laptop keyboard is nice and warm.

why does my cat bite me

Um, hello, I’m starving

If you find yourself receiving a random cat bite from your feline friend, it might be there way of signaling to you that it’s time for you to fill up that food bowl. My oldest cat, Mr. Purple, will bite me if I try to pet him before serving him his breakfast. He is the sweetest cat I’ve ever known and the bite is not hard. But, it certainly gets my attention. So, perhaps a gentle cat bite is your feline friend’s way of signaling that they’re hangry. Which, if you ask me, is a lot better than my kids’ way of signaling that they’re hungry by acting like complete boneheads!

Does you cat bite often? They likely never learned their kitty manners

My darling Pepper is a tuxedo cat with ultimate cattitude. A rescue kitty just like my other two cats, he was found alone and abandoned in a field before his eyes were even fully opened. He was taken in by a foster as an only cat, so he was never given the opportunity to learn proper play behavior.

Cats, both wild and domestic, learn proper kitty manners from their littermates. When a kitten bites their sibling too hard, the sibling will let them know by putting them in their place. A cat may not realize their own strength, and although they do not necessarily mean to inflict harm upon you, they can because they were never taught proper play.

You can teach any cat of any age new tricks. And teaching your kitty how to play properly with you without teeth or claws is possible. It just takes some positive reinforcement style practice. Learn how to establish those nice kitty boundaries with your cat here.

Did you learn anything new and interesting about our feline friends? Share this article with other cat lovers that you know so that they can learn something, too.

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