| Oww! My cat bit me! |
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Owww My cat bit me! What do I do?
copyright (c) 2021 Frania Shelley-Grielen. All rights reserved.
“My cat bit me, what do I do?" Cats bite as part of a normal set of behaviors,
whether it is in play or defensively. These behaviors do not happen in a vacuum,
they are responses to another’s action or interactions. When it comes to cats
biting other cats, the messages being sent are often loud and clear but when it
comes to cats biting humans, we need to first look more closely to what is
happening in order to address it for both the cats and the humans.
Along with other four legged animals, cats and dogs do not have hands to
hold or touch things with and use their mouths. Mouths when used to touch
things may be used to explore, groom (oneself or others), and communicate.
(The mouth is also used to eat, vocalize, sniff-taste or “flehmen”.) When a cat
uses the mouth to communicate through biting the question is what is this cat
saying and in response to what?
Animal Behavior experts Daniela Ramos and Daniel Simon Mills studied cat
aggression directed at humans in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil and found that
the top two reasons for owners reporting aggression were after some cats were
“petted or put on to the lap” followed by “when playing.” While it is important
to know when to pay greater attention to what humans are doing with cats to
avoid biting, the difficulty with this study and others is that “aggression” is not
defined so we may be talking about warning behaviors such as hissing up to and
including biting.
A separate study published in May of 2017 by the Journal of Feline Medical
Surgery compared the behaviors, including inappropriate elimination,
excessive grooming and aggression, of cats that had been de-clawed
compared to cats that not been de-clawed. The de-clawed cats significantly
demonstrated more of these behaviors. 63% of the de-clawed cats were
found to have bone fragments left in their digits, these cats were more likely
to have back pain, inappropriate elimination, biting and aggression.
De-clawed cats without retained bone fragments, were found to have
increased biting and inappropriate elimination.
We do know that cats like all animals will use a host of behaviors to comm-
unicate what they are feeling including positive and negative emotions along
with intent. Paying attention to what your cat is saying along with what you
are doing will lessen negative experiences for you both. More on what to do
when petting and playing and what to do when it goes wrong:
the cat's behavior we are modifying our own. That can take some mental stretch-
ing for us, especially with biting or scratching, when we are asked to provide
feedback on the action and mark/note and reinforce the moment it stops or
pauses. We have to remind ourselves we are reinforcing the stopping and not
rewarding the biting or scratching. And to remember that scolding or lecturing
or more are not words and gestures cats can benefit from and that mostly what
they do is put an animal further and further into a position where they have to
be defensive and fearful. They will never, ever understand that you are telling
them what they did was wrong and why, only that you are threatening and
hurting them.
loaded word for us. "Owww" is better depending on how you say it and for some
cats and in some situations, when we use "owww" or any word without the
marking and reinforcing it loses meaning. A gasp or short intake of breath and
pause can also be truly effective as feedback especially when we follow with
marking the exact moment the cat stops/pauses with a "Thanks" or "Yes" (for
stopping/pausing -remember?) add in a stroke behind the ear. If the biting/
scratching has been happening for awhile we have to do this for awhile too.
copyright (c) 2021 Frania Shelley-Grielen. All rights reserved.
“My cat bit me, what do I do?" Cats bite as part of a normal set of behaviors,
whether it is in play or defensively. These behaviors do not happen in a vacuum,
they are responses to another’s action or interactions. When it comes to cats
biting other cats, the messages being sent are often loud and clear but when it
comes to cats biting humans, we need to first look more closely to what is
happening in order to address it for both the cats and the humans.
Along with other four legged animals, cats and dogs do not have hands to
hold or touch things with and use their mouths. Mouths when used to touch
things may be used to explore, groom (oneself or others), and communicate.
(The mouth is also used to eat, vocalize, sniff-taste or “flehmen”.) When a cat
uses the mouth to communicate through biting the question is what is this cat
saying and in response to what?
Animal Behavior experts Daniela Ramos and Daniel Simon Mills studied cat
aggression directed at humans in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil and found that
the top two reasons for owners reporting aggression were after some cats were
“petted or put on to the lap” followed by “when playing.” While it is important
to know when to pay greater attention to what humans are doing with cats to
avoid biting, the difficulty with this study and others is that “aggression” is not
defined so we may be talking about warning behaviors such as hissing up to and
including biting.
A separate study published in May of 2017 by the Journal of Feline Medical
Surgery compared the behaviors, including inappropriate elimination,
excessive grooming and aggression, of cats that had been de-clawed
compared to cats that not been de-clawed. The de-clawed cats significantly
demonstrated more of these behaviors. 63% of the de-clawed cats were
found to have bone fragments left in their digits, these cats were more likely
to have back pain, inappropriate elimination, biting and aggression.
De-clawed cats without retained bone fragments, were found to have
increased biting and inappropriate elimination.
We do know that cats like all animals will use a host of behaviors to comm-
unicate what they are feeling including positive and negative emotions along
with intent. Paying attention to what your cat is saying along with what you
are doing will lessen negative experiences for you both. More on what to do
when petting and playing and what to do when it goes wrong:
- We have to be very careful with cats to avoid punishment (including
- spraying with water bottles, shaking cans full of rocks, scolding, abusive
tones or language or physical force of any kind) as it greatly stresses
them and teaches only that they should be fearful of us. Using the
appropriate feedback carefully employed with the correct timing
and reinforced with praise for the correct response can be truly helpful.
Teaching cats what we do want changes behavior, understanding what
their behavior means teaches us.
- When it comes to petting cats or picking them up, being mindful of how
- cats interact with each other and the most appropriate way to handle
them is kinder to cats and us. For petting, use the approach cats use
when greeting each other, confining your stroking to along the sides
of the muzzle, behind the ears and between the ears This is the safest
and most feline friendly approach. Several studies have been done
confirming that while some cats may like petting at the base of the
tail they are in the minority. When picking up cats, remember that
cats have a “righting” reflex so turning them upside down as you would
a baby is highly stressful and will cause them to struggle.
- When it comes to playing with your cat, remember to do it. Conduct
- regular interactive play sessions with your cat where the object of
play is a fishing wand toy and not your hands or your feet. Experiment
with different types to see which your cat likes best and remember to
drag the object across or away from your cat's line of vision to engage
your cat in predatory play behavior. Make a practice of 5 minute
sessions in the morning and in the evening. We all can do 5 minutes,
no excuses. Regular play will also relieve your cat of needing to ask you
for play and interaction by jumping out at you, chasing you or you
offering your hands as toys.
- Become familiar with what your cat is “saying.” A cat that is tail thump-
- ing or swishing, looking away, holding ears back, rigid, muscles rippling,
hissing, growling or yowling is adamantly asking for whatever is going
on in an interaction to stop. These sorts of behaviors are called “distance
increasing behaviors” because they are exactly that. When you see a cat
asking for space, give it to them. Cats, like most animals, go through a
whole set of communicative behaviors as requests and warnings, they
never "just" do anything. Routinely ignoring a cat's requests can cause a
highly stressed cat to skip steps in asking for something to stop.
- If a cat is biting defensively due to being petted or held incorrectly
- it is the person’s fault and not the cats. The cat should be released
and the person needs to learn how to hold and pet correctly so the
cat does not have to defend themselves again. If there is a history
of petting or holding incorrectly, the cat will remember. Taking
baby steps in approaching your cat sideways and offering tentative
proper pets can start kitty on the road to trust.
- interactive play), immediately, meaning at the exact moment of
contact say “Oww!” and hold still. Where "oww" has become
meaningless - you say it and the cat keeps going and so do you,
try a sharp intake of breath and remember the next steps count.
Use one short sharp syllable and no movement –providing feed-
back and taking the fun out of the chase. The key here is timing;
the second you feel the bite use the response above and the very
millisecond the cat stops use a softer voice in praise to reinforce
the cessation and keep the encounter positive. Cats are extremely
sound sensitive due to their exquisite hearing and do not like loud
or discordant noises which is why the feedback is so effective at
getting them to stop the behavior. Your reaction will startle the cat,
remember in that very second when the cat pauses immediately
say “Good kitty” in a soft voice and stroke along the side of the
muzzle to reinforce that stopping the bite is the wanted
behavior. That's it, do not lecture the cat the afterwards as
this only confuses a cat for doing what you asked for.
the cat's behavior we are modifying our own. That can take some mental stretch-
ing for us, especially with biting or scratching, when we are asked to provide
feedback on the action and mark/note and reinforce the moment it stops or
pauses. We have to remind ourselves we are reinforcing the stopping and not
rewarding the biting or scratching. And to remember that scolding or lecturing
or more are not words and gestures cats can benefit from and that mostly what
they do is put an animal further and further into a position where they have to
be defensive and fearful. They will never, ever understand that you are telling
them what they did was wrong and why, only that you are threatening and
hurting them.
loaded word for us. "Owww" is better depending on how you say it and for some
cats and in some situations, when we use "owww" or any word without the
marking and reinforcing it loses meaning. A gasp or short intake of breath and
pause can also be truly effective as feedback especially when we follow with
marking the exact moment the cat stops/pauses with a "Thanks" or "Yes" (for
stopping/pausing -remember?) add in a stroke behind the ear. If the biting/
scratching has been happening for awhile we have to do this for awhile too.
References:
Ellis S.L.H., Thompson H., Guijaro C., Zulch, H. E. (2015) The influence of body
region, handler familiarity and order of region handled on the domestic cat’s
response to being stroked. Applied Animal Behaviour Science; 173: 60-67.
Martell-Moran, N.K., Solan M., Townshend H.G.G. (2017). Pain and adverse
behavior in dewclawed cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, (published
online May 2017)
Ramos, D., Mills, D.S. (2009). Human directed aggression in Brazilian domestic
cats: owner reported prevalence, context and risk factors. Journal of Feline
Medicine and Surgery, 11: 835-841
Soennichsen, S., Chamove, A.S. (2002) Responses of cats to petting by humans.
Anthrozoos; 15:258–265.
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may not copy this article in whole or in part onto another web page or document
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| (copyright Frania Shelley-Grielen) This cat is yawning not preparing to bite. Note the relaxed body position, neutral carriage of the ears and raised tail, indicating ease. |
| "When it comes to cats biting other cats, the messages being sent are often loud and clear but when it comes to cats biting humans we need to first look more closely to what is happening in order to address it for the cats and the humans." |
copyright Frania Shelley-Grielen
| (Elizabeth Albert Flckr) This is not how to hold a cat. Learning how to hold and pet cats is safer and kinder for everyone. |
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Website copyright Frania
Shelley-Grielen
212-722-2509 / 646-228-7813
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Shelley-Grielen
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copyright Frania Shelley-Grielen