Why Does My Cat Bite My Blanket ? Know The Reasons Here

Most of the cat parents complain that their cat never leaves their blanket alone. As soon as the cat jumps on the bed, she starts biting or licking the blanket.

The majority of cats also knead the blanket or pillows or any soft clothing they get hold of. A lot of feline parents are clueless about this behavior of cats and get irritated when the blanket gets wet due to the cat’s saliva(1).

It is, therefore, important for cat parents to know why cats have a habit of biting the blanket to understand their pets better.

In case you do not want to read the entire article, here’s a short version :

Why Does My Cat Bite My Blanket ? Your cat may bite your blanket because of his frequent habit, for relaxation & pleasure or to show the affection & love to their owners.

You have an option, though. Use this handy blanket to let your cat sleepover and play with it. It will help to stop damaging your blanket.

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Why does my cat bite my blanket? 5 Possible Reasons

 

Before I begin to explain the reasons why cats bite blankets, I feel it’s essential for people to know that most of the cats will not only bite any blanket or clothing that you hand over to them; cats have a particular liking to their owner’s blanket.

This is because cats recognize the familiar smell in the blanket. Licking their owner’s blanket is a sign of affection, relaxation, contentment, and happiness.

Cats take up this habit of biting and kneading the blanket ever since they are born. It is an instinct in cats that they develop as little kittens.

When kittens are born, they bite and suck on their mother’s nipple to drink milk. This helps the kittens to produce and feed on their mother’s milk.

Most of the cats outgrow this habit, but sometimes a cat may bite blankets even when grown up because a soft blanket may remind them of their mother’s nipple, and they start biting on the blanket, thinking that it is going to provide them food.

If you are still concerned about your cat biting the blanket, then continue reading to find out the primary reasons for this behavior.

Let’s continue:

1. Out of habit:

One of the most prominent reasons why cats bite their owner’s blanket is that she has not outgrown her routine from the kitten-hood.

Animals have natural instincts. Parents will not have to teach their young ones how to suck milk or eat. Similarly, cats also do not have to teach their newly born kittens how to suck milk.

Kittens knead and bite their mother’s nipples to produce milk and feed on it. While some cats may get rid of this habit when they quit feeding on their mother’s milk, other cats may never outgrow this habit.

When they find a soft blanket, it reminds them of their kneading, sucking, and biting act in kitten-hood. Cats chew the blanket with an expectation that it will produce milk.

2. Relaxation:

All of us must have seen dogs biting slippers, bed sheets, curtains, clothes, or anything they can catch hold. It is how they play.

While cats are considered shy, silent pets in comparison to dogs, they also like to play. Therefore, if you are bothered that your cat keeps biting your blanket, it may be a way of relaxation.

Cats who stay indoors most of the time may like to play with blankets by biting and kneading. Your blanket may also smell of you, and your cat may feel relaxed to the familiar scent of their favorite humans.

To avoid our cat from nibbling the blanket, you can get her dog or cat toys to chew and play with. The toys will keep her busy and relaxed.

3. Pleasure:

Cats biting the blanket are also associated with happiness at times. When cats mate, they nibble on their partner’s neck.

It is considered a sign of intimacy and relaxation. Blankets are as soft as a cat’s fur, and your cat might nibble at it playfully.

So next time, when you see your cat biting the blanket, you do not have to feel weird or concerned about it.

4. Mark their territory:

Cats are one of the most territorial creatures on this planet. They like to mark their defined territory and prevent other cats, animals, or sometimes even humans from intruding.

They have unique ways of doing it. Cat’s saliva and urine have a distinctive odor.

While a wild cat will probably pee to mark around her territory, domestic cats who are taught not to pee on the bed or anywhere else inside the home, other than their litter box will mark their territory with the help of their saliva.

If you have more than one cat at home, the most dominating cat will sometimes bite your blanket and leave her saliva on to it to mark it as her territory.

She does this so that other cats in your home do not jump on your bed, and the dominating cat gets to spend the maximum time with her favorite human.

5. Tooth decay:

Another major cause for blanket biting might be your cat’s tooth decay(2) or itchiness in teeth or pain or swelling in gums.

Like human babies tend to bite and nibble at things when their teeth are growing. They also cry due to the pain and itchiness in their mouth.

Likewise, cats also sometimes bite blankets due to tooth decay or when they have painful gums or itchiness in teeth.

Especially, kittens with growing teeth are more likely to nibble at things. During this time, a soft blanket in which they can quickly sink their comes in handy.

If you see your cat biting your blanket, then you should get chewy toys for your cat.

Conclusion

Since you have already read the reasons mentioned above, you should probably relax and not freak out the next time you see your cat biting your blanket.

It is a widespread tendency in cats, and almost all cats bite blankets due to some of the other reasons. However, if you are irritated with wet or smelly blankets, you can gift cat or dog toys to your feline pet that are specially designed for the purpose of nibbling.

Such toys are very soft. Your kitty will love to play with it and might leave your blanket alone.

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Related:

1. Figure out ways to find if your cat is a runt here