Why Does My Cat Lick Me Then Bite Me?

Your feline friend is a curious spirit. It remains in dire need to express its love and faith in you. Cats have different ways of communicating their emotions. They behave pretty typical of their clan whenever they want to showcase their affection towards their owner.

If your cat wishes to expose her emotions, it might whirl you, climb your lap, start to lick you passionately, and then bite you! Don’t worry; these bites are not an attack. Your furry beloved is loving you and being playful.

So, if you wonder, “Why does my cat lick me then bite me,” you are absolutely on the right page! This article lists primary reasons for a cat to bite and lick its owner.

The reasons for cats to lick their owner and then bite them could be many. But a few prominent reasons are listed below.

Let’s quickly go through each of them to find what makes your feline friend do the same to you!

What Does It Mean When A Cat Licks You Then Bites You?

In general, for a cat to lick you and then bite you could mean expressing her feelings. Other reasons could be stress, health, a playful mood, and even a self-defense practice! Or your beloved pet is trying to groom you.

So, how to know why exactly did your cat lick and then bite you?

Below, there are details of certain reasons for cats to repeat the action of licking and biting you. You will certainly find your reason once you are done reading the points!

1. Your cat loves you

A common misconception attached to biting is that biting is a form of aggression. Not just cats, even humans bite each other to express their affection! The act of biting is common in animals to reciprocate their fondness. So if your feline friend ends up biting you after a few moments of licking, it is a pure expression of love. Now you know why your cat licks and then bites you!

Your cat truly loves as well as admires you, and the biting fashion describes the bond between you two. It must have been fully comfortable near you and which is why you see it licking and biting!

Probably, your cat assumes you as one of its clan members. From this, we can derive another conclusion – the skin of cats is thicker compared to humans. You must have seen cats biting each other in their play; that’s their way. The pets are entirely unaware that you get hurt in the act, having thinner skin. As a result, the innocent cats do the same to you.

2. Your cat practices self-defense

All animals possess hunting instincts. So do cats.

All cats learn natural hunting actions as they grow up into adult cats. It is entirely possible to be bitten by your cat if you trigger one of its hunting instincts as you pet it. You might have touched an inappropriate body part of your pet.

Learning the skill of hunting is common in both domestic as well as wild cats. Cats tend to play roughly with their kittens to prepare them for their self-protection. Alternatively, cats can practice this art of self-defense even with you.

It is then that they lick and then bite you as a part of their hunting practice. Eventually, this proves that your loving pet has immense trust in you, and it does not expect you to mind the practice.

Please do not be harsh with your pet on being licked and bitten by it. Rather, tackle the habit smartly. Let your pet understand that the action hurts you. It won’t hurt you intentionally. Have faith; your pet loves you more than you think it does.

3. Your cat needs a break from petting

Once your cat gets done with your pats and caresses, it looks for some break and some solo time. In that case, your cat might communicate with you via a slight bite.

Your feline friend does not have words to convey its discomfort, and hence, it uses soft bites to ask you to stop the caressing and petting. You might have stimulated your pet a little extra than required.

Nevertheless, the licks and bites signify that your cat loves you, but it needs a break!

To avoid over stimulating your pet:

1. Please do not touch the body parts that she doesn’t like.
2. Recognize her discomfort and areas of her agitation.
3. Avoid petting your pet at inappropriate timing.

Have a considerable time gap between two petting sessions. Most importantly, ask your family members to follow the same and keep a secure environment at home.

4. It’s playtime!

Another instance where you may find your cat licking and then biting you is when your feline friend is up for playtime! In such times, your cat would jump out of your lap and keep hopping around you. It may have pointed whiskers and tail and straightened up its ears, indicating its excitement.

If your cat gets out of your lap and distances itself from you, it means that you have pet her more than she requires. One should not confuse an over petted feeling of a cat with a playful cat.

To ensure that it’s the playtime for your furry friend, you may offer it a toy.

Many times, pets require a toy to chew! You may even offer her a chewing toy! Does your pet enjoy the same?

5. Your furry friend marks you

Your feline friends are a little possessive when it comes to objects and people of their love. Licking and biting from cats is a common action used by them to claim their objects.

Cats have special glands to secrete scents with which they use to mark their owners. These glands are present in various parts of their body, including their tongue and teeth.

It is precisely why your house smells typical of your pet.

The furry feline could lick and then bite you to mark you with its scent. And what does the action prove? It proves that you are being claimed and possessed by your furry buddy.

6. Your cat is under some stress

Cats can also feel uptight and stressed out at times. It is then that they act aggressively too. Your darling pet can show such anxious behavior by licking, nibbling, and biting people whom it trusts.

Don’t worry; your honey is not hating you for sure. Your pet cat is just in a bad mood. The reason behind your cat’s bad mood could be its inability to achieve what it wanted to. Did you skip on some daily regime? Or, is it time for your pet’s meal? Something must have been wrong with your furry friend.

That’s again pretty similar to what we as humans do. Isn’t it?

On a serious note, if you doubt your cat is undergoing serious stress due to some underlying health issues, do not take long to talk to a vet about it.

7. Your cat is hurt

It is natural for your feline friend to bite you softly if you trigger pain in its body part. Your cat might have been injured previously at the part which you touched. In such a scenario, it shows its pain and discomfort that your cat is biting you.

But what are the probable wounds? Is there something to worry about here?

If you feel your friend is injured, you must be concerned to know the type of wound.

Well, it could be skin irritation. There are equal chances that you’ve accidentally tugged your cat’s fur, and it hurts your beloved pet. Alternatively, you may have touched a prior cut or wound or even sore limbs.

It would help if you comforted your pet by caressing another body part devoid of pain or discomfort.

If required, you may also consider applying some ointments designed for the purpose. If the matter seems a little serious, do see a vet.

8. You have touched excessively at one place

Often, people touch a certain body of their pet repeatedly. Repeated touching can cause irritation and discomfort in cats. It can hurt your innocent pet and make it want to distance itself from you.

If you do not consciously control this activity, your furry friend might try to warn you about it. If the ears of your cat are flat and flickering against its head, give her some space.

9. You taste and smell good to your cat

Hilarious, but true! If you apply an exotic cream or moisturizer that smells or tastes good to your cat,  it might start licking you passionately and then end up biting you.

Your pet can even get addicted to your fragrance or taste of the skin! The fragrance or the taste pleases your pet’s senses, and hence it can end up obsessing with the same.

Why Does My Cat Randomly Bite Me?

Random bites from a cat are not always intentional. It could be out of instant excitement or thrill. Little does it hurt, but cat bites can often astonish the owner.

Don’t worry; your cat did not attack you out of nowhere.

Your furry friend must have gotten excited over something! It could be your fragrance, your taste, deep affection, a desire to groom you, a playful mood, and a few other things as well.

Why Does My Cat Lick Me So Aggressively?

Have you seen a parent cat grooming its kids? When cats groom their kittens, they tend to lick and then bite the kittens to remove any dirt and dust from their bodies.

Cats have special tongues with micro scales or spines-like keratin structures, which helps them scrape the dirt from each other’s bodies.

They fail to realize that humans are built differently and tend to do the same to us. Be rest assured it does not want to harm you.

So if your cat first licks you for a while and then ends up biting you, it means your pet is trying to groom you! Especially for a cat to nibble your hair, it is a clear attempt to polish you.

Cats do not lick any random person or cat. It licks only its friends. You may call yourself fortunate enough to be honored with this care and love by your feline friend.

Conclusion

After knowing the probable reasons for your pet to lick and then bite you, you must have fallen in love with your furry feline twice!  It’s innocent of your furry friend to do all those acts of loving, grooming, playing, and having all sorts of intimacy with you!

However, if the bites followed by a  passionate licking make you feel uncomfortable or hurt, try to convey the same feelings to your pet.

Do not respond aggressively to your pet. It will only crush the love and faith it has in you. Your pet might even start to feel scared of you. I am certain that you do not want that.

Thus, taking friendly, small, and steady steps while teaching your pet some behavioral habits is always advisable.