The biggest reason may be: Petting Aggression
Petting Aggression is an aggressive behavior triggered by petting/patting.
There are many reasons for cat petting aggression, the most common being caused by lack of socialization in childhood.
"Single kittens" who did not grow up with their litter-mates, or who did not interact much with people at a young age (before 9 weeks of age), had a lower threshold for being touched than other cats.
- Other kittens can be touched for ten minutes, they will be annoying in 2 minutes...
- And because of the lack of interaction, other kittens are impatient, and they can leave silently or bite gently.
But petting aggression is present in every kitten, regardless of whether they have had sufficient social experiences as a child.
For example, some behaviorists believe that: in a multi-cat family, when two cats are sometimes observed to lick each other's fur, they start to nibble each other while licking each other... It is also one of the manifestations of petting aggression.
So, it is normal for kittens to bite while playing.
It's just that experienced kittens, learning from each other or from the mother cat, can learn how to "stop" in a more polite way.
Of course, there are also some other reasons that will lead to a lower threshold for cats to be petted and a shorter tolerable time:
Other possible reasons include...
- Body pain: If the cat has pain (skin, abdomen, joints, teeth) or other metabolic disease, it may increase the cat's irritability. The cat's self-preservation also makes him more alert when someone touches near the painful area.
- Controlling: If the cat is at the top of the household, such as the "boss" of a single- or multi-cat household, he may be accustomed to giving orders through nibbling.
- Anxiety, or stress: Whether it's a human or a cat, when under stress, the body's perception of pain is more sensitive.
Can I force the cat to let him adapt?
If every time you pet your cat, wait until the cat gets angry and bites you, then let go of them.
Could the cat get used to it slowly by forcing the cat repeatedly like this?
In fact, this will:
× Strengthen the "conditioned reflex" of cat biting
Once this behavioral pattern begins, the cat thinks: As long as I bite this person, he will immediately release me and set me free.
If the cat bites me, I would hug the cat. What if I "punish" the cat?
That will be：
× Makes cats more anxious
Although doing so, for some cats, petting may be gradually allowed in the future without biting...
However, this will also increase the cat's anxiety and tension, so that they will reduce or even stop actively jumping on your knees, or actively rubbing against you to let you touch.
*The next article will answer you what is the correct way to touch a cat.