My Cat Continueally Bites My Chin When Content.?

Question

This is a strange behavior that has been going on for quite some time now. Whenever my cat is really content, like he's being pet and whatnot, he would get right up to my face, and nibble at my chin, and if I let him keep doing it, he will actually bite down fairly hard. And it's not only on my chin either, it's really on any place that protrudes, may it be my nose, finger, etc., but the chin seems to be his favorite place. He is not AT ALL aggressive when this happens, and like I said, he only displays this behavior when he is content, and getting pet. It's not an aggravated action at all. The only solution I came up with is that it's kind of instinct from when he was nursing, because when he's this content, he's generally kneading, drooling, and all that cat stuff. Is this theory actually possible? Is he biting down because it's instinctive from his birth, just like kneading and drooling is? Or can it be something else? Tips and advice appreciated!

Answer 1

Yup that's it...The happiest time in a cats life is nursing on mommy...
My cat does the same thing and also presses her face to my nose to reconstruct memories of "mommy's" breath...

Just work with it and let it know when it gets too rough....Be gentle and it will learn when its hurting you.....You are now a "mommy cat"...

Answer 2

My answer comes from this feed on my yahoo page and I think it suits what your asking quite well. My cat actually does this too, right on the chin. He'll start out soft, but then can bite down quite hard. I think he just gets a little over excited.

This behavior, referred to as petting-induced aggression, occurs more often than you’d think. So why did your loving cat suddenly turn into a snapping turtle? And what can you do about it?

It can be due to more than one cause. For some cats, continual stroking crosses from pleasure to over-stimulation. For other cats, it could be that he started to doze off and the touch of your hand startled him, and he reacted.

Although it may seem as if your cat bit you right out of the blue, he probably did offer warning signs. Cats often signal they've had enough physical contact. The problem is that while we're petting them, our focus is either on something else or we simply don't understand the signal.

Some signs that your cat may be reaching the end of his tolerance may include: skin twitching, tail lashing, cessation of purring, change in ear position, shift in body position, vocalization, growling, and tensing of muscles.

So how can you correct the problem? Pay attention to your cat's signals, and become familiar with his tolerance time-frame. If you know from past experience that your cat tends to bite after 5 minutes, stop petting him at 2½ minutes. Cut the time in half to leave him relaxed. Once you stop petting, you may find his body relaxes again.

In subsequent petting sessions, you may be able to gradually increase your 2½-minute time-frame to 2 and 3/4ths minutes, and then maybe to 3. Always stop before you think you really need to.

This simple exercise, if done correctly, may help you and your cat once again enjoy those times of affection. For more detailed instructions, refer to my book Think Like a Cat.

Answer 3

Nipping is actually a sign of affection from your cat. It's an annoying one, and just this morning I had another discussion with Daniel Nosy Parker about it. "It may be a compliment in cat language" I finally told him, "but it's an insult if you are a human." It could be worse though. I also have Uncle Frank, aka Bix Biterbutt because of his habit of visiting victims as they sit untrousered on the toilet - gives him an unencumbered "affection zone".

Answer 4

My cat does almost the same thing -
when he is happy he bites my toes or my husband's ears. It is the strangest thing, maybe cats are just wierd. lol
Maybe my cat has a foot fetish and yours has a chin fetish. I wouldn't be too worried about it.
But if you don't like it then when he starts, just say his name firmly. He should stop. Do it over & over and he is more likely to remember not to do it.
:)

Answer 5

My cat does that, usually to my arm. I holler at him, and then he looks so sad, like he is so sorry. Then he will do it again tomorrow. I know we both have to work on this problem.