Cat biting when petted

Our question this week was:

My cat (12 yr old Maine Coon – female) loves when I scratch and pet her. However, when she’s had enough, she bites me! Is this usual? What do you suggest I do?

Adrienne Bernstein

Answer

Hi – Thanks for your question. This is a very common thing for cats to do. They have enough and they will “let you know”. You can usually get signs that they are getting agitated before they bite you (or try to bite you) such as shaking or quivering of the tail, skin twitching, or acting restless. When you see these signs, stop petting your cat and put him on the floor.

An article that might be helpful to you is on our Petplace.com is “Petting Aggression Behavior in Cats.”

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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