My cat bit my nose after head butting me? (kittens, male, meows)
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I always pet/brush my cat when I get home. She's a med. hair tuxedo. Well I was brushing & petting her tonight & she was head butting/happy-purring, etc. as usual & even licked my nose as she rubbed her nose on mine. Then she let me kiss her on the head & then she rubbed my nose w/ hers like normally. So as usual, I kept kissing her fur as I brushed her. Then all a sudden she just kind of nipped/bit at my nose, as it was too close to her face, I guess. It startled me as she has nipped my hand before, when she didn't want to be picked up or petted, but never my face (though I was way too close to her face too long, I assume).
So, for you cat behavior people, was this a warning to back off? She could have chomped my nose off but didn't break skin, yet let me know to stop it. What do you all think?
I agree with catsmom21 to a point. This is cat language in saying "I love you, I own you". In my experience, cats do not display this sort of language unless they are very secure with you. Your cat is holding you in high esteem and in the throes of ecstasy, showing you how cats themselves communicate amongst themselves.
Yes, the first few times this happens can be startling, and your first response is to recoil back and away from your cat. Once you get used to it, though, this behavior becomes very endearing. You seriously don't want this behavior to stop. IF your cat bites too hard, tell her. She will understand and next time, this love bite will be more gentler. Trust her. You'll see.
On the other hand, there are intentional nips that say, "Enough! Back off!" so you have to know how to differentiate between the two.
Last edited by Garden of Eden; 06-29-2010 at 08:09 AM..
Reason: more info
I'm guessing it was a "love nip"....Have you ever watched two cats groom each other....lick, lick, "nip"...lick,lick, "nip". A mother cat will even do this with her kittens. Some get a little over rambunctious, and will bite a bit harder.....I have one, who as a kitten, would chomp on your hand as she was purring when being petted. And, it was only with me. I was also "her go to human" for anything she wanted. She learned as an adult to control those chomps, which are now little nips...Def. a show of affection.
One can read the body language of a cat and know if it is "enough is enough" nip....was the tail swishing and twitching? Was the rigid and not as relaxed as you might think when receiving much wanted attention? If your cat is accustomed to these little "love sessions"....I'm guessing love nip!
(OR your breath! JK of course!)
Hi all. Well good advice here. But I'm thinking, since I brushed her today again & gave her less attention, she was either just backing me off (tail was sort of twitching but then again I'm not sure how much) or it was a sort of love nip (like she'd give/get w/ her mother cat). She does spin around when brushed like she wants to be groomed by her "mom" all over. I know she may have been abandoned wehn we got her as a stray last yr on our back porch, so she needs a mom figure & I guess I'm it.
Hi all. Well good advice here. But I'm thinking, since I brushed her today again & gave her less attention, she was either just backing me off (tail was sort of twitching but then again I'm not sure how much) or it was a sort of love nip (like she'd give/get w/ her mother cat). She does spin around when brushed like she wants to be groomed by her "mom" all over. I know she may have been abandoned wehn we got her as a stray last yr on our back porch, so she needs a mom figure & I guess I'm it.
I am laughing at the "Love Fest" comment though.
One of my two boys is going to be a big maine coon mix, when he fills out. He just adores his human. I walk by and he perks up and meows a greeting. If I pet him he marches over and plops down and rolls over for his tummy rub. Even better is a good neck and ear rub. But beware of stopping too soon. He persues. If he's on a table and your sitting, he goes for the nose. If he's on the floor and your not wearing shoes, he's after the toes. Especiall a bare big toe. Just to say your not done. No tail switching, just kitty nervana.
The other one is smaller and it seems that the human mom cannot pet one without the other showing up and waiting most impatiently for his turn. Patches just talks to incessantly to remind you that its his turn. He also talks to the dog and the tv. Or the ghosts, I guess. But Scampy is ALL action.
I have a male Maine coon who was very reluctant to accept us when we first got him. He has evolved in the past. 5 years and become very affectionate and loving.. he has started the nose biting after the headbutting too. Always during the night...waking me up. These bites started soft but now are getting harder. He only does this to me. Help...I am embarrassed to go around with scratches on my nose. I would love to find out why he does this and try to control it
I introduced my cat to my girlfriend and he gingerly nuzzled up to her face as he was purring,enjoying her affection and gently nipped my girlfriends nostril with his incisor tooth. My cat did not break any skin,and my girlfriend let out a exclamitory "ouch" My cat cringed back to her lap-With the perfect defining expression of "I'm sorry!...I did not mean to hurt you..I was trying to be nice to you." My girlfriend immediately reacted in response by saying to my cat "Ooh..I know you did'nt want to hurt me.....I love you too!!!" They've been best friends ever since. Cats do "love bite" in response to affection being received.
As I am writing this, my Elvira is on my lap, purring and nuzzling me-which makes it hard to type. lol. We do this a lot and there have been several occasions where she will nip my nose or my chin (which she just did). It is her way of saying, "I love you so much, Mommy."
Cat
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