Cat occasionally nips when being petted

[8bit]

We have two cats who are on the whole very affectionate. The older one likes to be petted and will roll around, sit on your lap etc. purring and nuzzling your hands with his cheeks, as cats often do. One thing we're not sure about is sometimes when particularly animated he'll sometimes gently nip your finger with his teeth. It never seems aggressive and it's never really sore but we're a bit wary about it in case he ever does it to a child.

Should this be discouraged? Sometimes if he's really insistent on doing it I'll put him off my lap or tell him off and walk away.

Any thoughts?

[8bit]

Hmm been a while since I let him, usually pull my hand away when he looks like he's going to do it. I'd say more the latter than the former tho.

[8bit]

Thanks all. Bex, normally it's not while directly fussing him, just if I'm holding my hand steady and he's nuzzling his face on it sometimes he'll nuzzle with his mouth open and gently bite my knuckles or finger. @Simpo Two, occasionally if he's on his back and I'm fussing his belly he'll go as if to bite so I know he doesn't want that and stop immediately. A lot of the time he's quite happy to have his belly fussed.

Our younger cat is much more gentle normally, she'll look you in the eye, lift a paw and just gently push your hand away if she doesn't want you to touch her. She's normally quite nuzzly but I think maybe once or twice she's nipped gently but that's it, and again always when she's purring and nuzzling.

I think it's just when they're being affectionate and get a wee bit carried away, just not sure I've known any other cat do this except when threatened or sometimes when playing rough - ours don't do it when playing really, just when nuzzling.

[8bit]

Marf said:

Ah yes, the "That's quite enough thank you minion"



My cat Ben is nippy when he's fed up with being stroked, you do learn to pick up on the warning signs, but sometimes he'll take you by surprise.

That's it exactly! Never known a cat do that before, all the others I've known have taken a good swing or a proper bite whenever you do anything they're not in the mood for.

Negative Creep said:

My cat nibbles my ear to get attention, which is a bit annoying at 4am. Not sure of the best way to stop it, but I'm trying a firm "no" then completely ignoring him for a few minutes/hide under the bedcovers

Funny you should mention that, the one in question would tend to just sit right next to my ear (if I was sleeping on my side) or right on my chest if sleeping on my back and purr as loudly as he can manage if he wanted attention during the night. In the small hours of Sunday morning he woke me by gently nipping my elbow a couple of times. Not enough to hurt really and certainly not enough to break skin.