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As a cat owner, you may find yourself at the wrong end of your cat’s biting behavior. If you understand the reasons behind why your cat bites, it can be the first step to changing this behavior. Your cat may be biting for one, or multiple, reasons.

Wants You to Stop Petting Him

You may be enjoying yourself one minute petting your cat, and then find yourself at the wrong end of his biting the next! This is because cats have a short attention span and can quickly grow tired of being petted. If his tail starts twitching or he flattens his ears, this is a sign that it’s time to stop petting him.

Inappropriate Handling in the Past

If you did not know the history of the cat when you got it, there may be reasons in his past for his aggressive behavior that you are not aware of. This means that you are dealing with aggression learned by him in earlier times. Or if he was not socialized properly as a kitten, he may still be displaying behaviors no longer appropriate for an adult cat.

Cats can easily feel threatened or frightened by other animals, people, or things in their environment. They need to develop a trust that they are safe and do not need to respond to things that frighten them with aggression. Talking calmly to your cat, showing him affection and being sensitive to his fears will go a long way to building his trust that you will take care of him and he does not need to protect himself by biting.

Something Has Upset Him

Cats are creatures of habit, and changes around them affect them including their owners being away on a trip, moving to a new location, a new addition to the family whether it’s a new baby or a new pet, or even your throwing away their favorite blanket or old toy that you thought they weren’t using anymore. If they are upset about any of these changes, they may take it out in an aggressive misbehavior.

Protecting Their Domain

Cats can be very protective about their territory and may definitely act aggressively to protect it. If a cat or a person they are unfamiliar with enters their territory, they may redirect their aggression toward you instead of the target of their anger.

Bad Health or Injury

Another reason for a cat suddenly displaying biting behavior can have a physical cause. If your cat is not feeling well or is suffering pain from arthritis or some other cause, he may be trying to get your attention with his biting. In that case, a trip to the vet to rule out physical causes would be in order.

Establishing Dominance

A male cat, especially, often feels that he is the master of the household. He doesn’t want to be told where he can go or not go in the house, or be moved from his favorite chair. And he doesn’t want another pet or even a person invading his space. His way of showing you his displeasure may be by biting, in which case, this behavior can usually be overcome with lots of love and attention.

Sonia Manning provides helpful useful information and tips about cats and their behaviors. To learn more about Understanding Our Cats, visit her website Cat Behavior Solutions where you can also receive a free mini-course on “Secrets About Your Cat’s Behavior: Why He Does the Things He Does!”