CATS

Cat biting: here's how to make it stop (and how to prevent biting)

Cats are affectionate and fun animals, but sometimes they can get a little too aggressive.

One of the most common behaviors is biting, which can be perceived as a signal of affection but can also cause discomfort and pain.

In this photo gallery, we will look at how to manage biting cat behavior and find solutions to make it stop.

We will also learn how to establish a trusting relationship with our feline friend through socialization exercises and play. With a good dose of patience and care, we can alleviate the problem and establish an excellent relationship with our furry friend. (Source: pawcbd.com)

Freepik
Cat biting: here's how to make it stop (and how to prevent biting)
Cats are affectionate and fun animals, but sometimes they can get a little too aggressive. One of the most common behaviors is biting, which can be perceived as a signal of affection but can also cause discomfort and pain. In this photo gallery, we will look at how to manage biting cat behavior and find solutions to make it stop. We will also learn how to establish a trusting relationship with our feline friend through socialization exercises and play. With a good dose of patience and care, we can alleviate the problem and establish an excellent relationship with our furry friend. (Source: pawcbd.com)
Freepik
Use toys (instead of the hand)
Teaching your cat from an early age to bite the toy is the best preventive method to keep it from targeting its owner's hands. Cats need lots of stimulation, so having toys will keep them busy and keep their hands safe from biting. Should the cat bite the hands, hand it a toy it can play with: this sends a signal to the cat that biting the toy is okay, while biting the hands is not.
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Don't teach your cat to play with your hands
When the cat is small, it is a lot of fun to play with it using the hands. However, this behavior teaches the cat that the hands are a toy, and you can hardly then convince it otherwise. The solution? Don't teach the cat to play with hands so as not to encourage biting behavior.
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Consistency
If the cat is within a family, it is important that all members react the same way to the cat's bite. This consistent behavior on the part of all family members makes it possible not to confuse the cat and increases the chances of teaching correct behavior, i.e., not to bite. The same applies to casual visitors, especially during the feline's tender age.
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Encouraging or rewarding a behavior
If the cat plays with its mouth without biting, it should be rewarded. This way the cat understands that it is implementing a correct behavior and will tend (if you are lucky) to repeat it. Talk to it in a low voice, smile and use positive reinforcement to show it that this is acceptable behavior.
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Do not push your hand away if the cat bites
Instinct would tell us to push our hand away when the cat bites, but this is a mistake. In fact, the gesture of pushing the hand away causes the cat to resist and continue biting, as they would with prey trying to escape. Instead, the correct behavior to implement when your cat bites is to push your hand into its mouth; the cat will be surprised because it does not expect this reaction and will stop biting.
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