Last Updated on August 22, 2022 by Pets Feed
Do you feel like your little pet is attacking you? If you have noticed that your cat is constantly biting and scratching or unexpectedly jumping on you, do not panic, because on this ‘ Pets Feed ‘ article in we have a lot to teach you.
Below you will find practical solutions to prevent the cat from biting and scratching you and also we will explain the possible causes of the feline’s behavior, remember that before judging your partner, it is best to try to understand the reason for its aggressiveness, because sometimes the cause is in us without knowing it.
Cats express their feelings in many ways, and sometimes what we think is aggressive or inappropriate can be the visible face of other problems. In almost all cases, if your cat keeps biting and scratching you, we will help you solve the problem.
Prevent before regretting
Before explaining the possible reasons and some solutions so that your cat does not attack you, we think it is important to address the question of prevention. If your cat pounces on you to bite or scratch, there are a few things you can do to avoid unpleasant consequences:
- Nails: keep an eye on your pet’s nails and keep them short, so that if an attack occurs, it cannot harm you. Remember that cats naturally nail their nails, but you can still cut them neatly.
- Don’t bother: there are very specific things we know cats don’t like being done to them, so don’t do that to them! One speaks for example of caressing the hind legs and of frightening them. If you know your pet well, avoid doing things that scare them or that, as you know, will cause an aggressive reaction.
- Divert his attention: cats constantly use body language and there are very obvious signs that indicate that your pet is in attack position. If you notice that his ears are back and his pupils are expanding, he certainly wants to alert you that he is ready to act, so the best thing to do is to divert his attention immediately. The idea is not to scold him but to avoid attacks. Other signs are vigorous tail swirls or specific meowing.
The causes
The causes of behavior that can be considered aggressive in our cats can be very varied. Each case deals with different situations, but we will try to generalize to help you understand why cats bite and claw.
- Playful cats:
If you have a small cat, be aware that kittens cannot control their strength. Probably, the behavior that you consider aggressive is rather that your animal still knows no limits when it comes to play, in order to help him remember to avoid teaching him that your hands are prey.
Likewise, if your cat is an adult but has not spent much time with its mother and siblings, it may not have learned the lesson of boundaries. In this case, it is not an attack but your pet cannot measure and instead of showing affection, it ends up hurting you.
- Stressed cats:
A stressed or anxious cat is an animal prone to attack. In these cases, it is important that you identify the causes, the animal may feel cornered or insecure due to a change of environment. Cats are delicate and methodical animals, they love routine, so any change in their territory can generate a stressful situation which can trigger aggressive behavior.
- Sick cats:
Bodily illness or discomfort is also a typical cause for cats to bite or scratch. When a cat is not feeling well or has some discomfort, it is more prone to aggression, remembering that it is defensive and its instinct tells it that to protect itself it must attack.
If you think your cat’s aggressive behavior is related to visible symptoms of an illness, such as weight loss or appetite, there may be a more serious health problem
What to do?
If your cat keeps biting and scratching and you’ve already assessed the possible causes for this potentially aggressive behavior, the next thing to do is decide what to do. Depending on the causes, there are several solutions to this problem, so give your feline friend a chance and try to do these actions:
- Mark the limits: teach your cat that you are not a prey. Put a good scraper at the animal’s disposal and have fun playing with different toys that catch his attention. If you wish, you can create your own cat scraper.
- Correct if necessary: if your cat bites you or has fun scratching you, remember that if you chase or yell at him, you will scare him and confuse him. The most appropriate reactions are to break the situation, not to give him a price or food after he has bitten you, not to give him affection immediately afterwards or to positively reinforce the one who bites and claws his toys. .
- Visit the vet: As we have already explained, aggressive behavior can be a symptom of a more complicated situation. If this is the case, it is always important that you visit the veterinarian, who can help your pet feel good and will no doubt be able to advise you to make sure that his quality of life is always the best.
- Leave him alone: Sometimes the best solution to prevent a cat from biting and scratching you is to leave the animal alone. Cats are lonely and fairly independent creatures, their ways of showing affection are very different from ours, so if your pet bites you very often, it may be because you are doing something, they do dislike, like tightening them too tight for example.
Latest tips
Remember that cats are different pets from others, cats are lonely and express their love for you differently from a dog. Therefore, before considering that your cat has a behavior problem or that he is an aggressive animal, study his behavior a little and you will find the reasons for this attitude.
