Understanding Why Cats Bite: Causes and Solutions

Overstimulation and petting-induced aggression

If your cat suddenly bites while being patted, you're probably dealing with petting-induced aggression, or an overstimulated cat. When cats feel too relaxed and comfortable, they get into a battle with themselves between enjoyment and potential danger which results in suddenly lashing out to escape the situation.

Each individual cat will have their own threshold for petting, with some cats tolerating more than others. Understanding your cat's limits and preference of petting locations will help you avoid being an unfortunate target!

Understanding play aggression in kittens

If your kitten is biting your hands while playing, you're likely dealing with play aggression. As they grow up kittens will play fight with their siblings, which may involve some enthusiastic rough wrestling, but is always interrupted if they become too violent. This is important in teaching kittens to test their boundaries so they learn how to play appropriately.

Cat play aggression is more commonly seen in kittens or young adults that are the only cat in the household who have not learnt to inhibit their biting when playing with their siblings.

How to stop play biting

• Don't play with your kitten with your fingers and hands
• Use Wand toys as an alternative to teach your kitten an acceptable way to play
• Reinforce these positive play sessions using your cat's favourite treats as a reward
• Provide adult cats with toys they can play with to allow them to express their natural hunting instinct, without causing you any bodily harm!

Redirected aggression in indoor cats

If your cat suddenly attacks you for no apparent reason, you may be dealing with redirected aggression.

In some instances, we as owners may sadly become the objects of redirected aggression - a perfect example of this is when an indoor cat suddenly attacks their owner when they see another cat through the window. As your cat cannot respond directly to the inciting cause (the cat outside), they unfortunately take this out on the closest target. Although our instinct may be to try to calm our cat down, it is best not to approach your cat during this time.

How to prevent redirected aggression

• Remove or avoid the stimulus
• If this is not possible, control what your cat sees (or doesn't see)
• E.g. Keep the curtains closed or the door shut into a room that looks out to where the neighbourhood cats like to hang out. 
• Eliminating the scent of these visiting cats can also be helpful, using enzymatic cleaners

Fear-induced aggression and stress

Fear-induced aggression is utilised as a survival mechanism when a cat feels threatened or scared.

This may be associated with an unfamiliar stimuli (such as a new person or animal in the house, noise or even a new experience such as a trip to the vet!). The "fight or flight" response of their sympathetic nervous system kicks in and if there's nowhere to run (flight) then their only other option is to fight.

How to prevent fear-induced aggression

• Learn how to identify the signs of anxiety in cats
• Calmly remove yourself in this situation
• Give your cat plenty of time to cool off
• Ensure your cat has plenty of safe spaces to retreat when they feel the need
• Make your home cat-friendly to reduce your cat's anxiety levels
• Use Feliway, a calming pheromone, to help manage fear-induced aggression