Cat owners listen up! Did you ever noticed that while playing and cuddling with your cat he likes to chew on your hair like num num num. Have you ever asked yourself, why does my cat bite my hair like that? Isn’t that weird? Well, keep reading to find out all the reasons cats like to bite their owners hair.
First of all, don’t worry about it, most of the time when a cat displays this type of behaviour it just means he is calm and playful. However, at times, it could also mean he is stressed or afraid, so make sure you recognise all the signs to know the difference between the two.
So why does my cat bite my hair?
- Felines living in the wild are normally solitude creatures, but cats who grew up in groups usually show signs of mutual grooming, it’s also called allogrooming – you can read about it here. Cats that are used to live in close groups will bite, snuggle, chew and lick their fellow cats on a regular basis, when you see cats do this, it’s usually done with the closest and most intimate of the group, it means they have a close bond to the other animal or person they share a grooming moment with.
- Another reason for biting your hair is associated with early weaning in cats that forces them to develop an oral fixation similar to a baby sucking his thumb. While this type of behaviour is not always related to stress and anxiety, sometimes your cat will bite your hair because it’s just another part of you, and it smells like you, and your cat is a naturally grooming animal so chewing your hair is just another thing they do.
- Your cat might be marking you, and putting his smell on you as a form of acknowledging you as part of the group or his territory.
- A cat owner knows his pet best, so if this happens when you’re petting your cat and cuddling with it, it’s most likely not related to stress and obviously the cat is trying to show you that you are a close person that he trust and feels comfortable with.
- You might be using a hair product like shampoo that your cat loves. Yes, this could be, just like humans tend to like more or dislike certain smells and aromas, cats can do the same. So if everything else doesn’t make sense here, it may just be your shampoo. Try changing it or stop using it for a few days and see if your cat persist with his behaviour.
- Is your cat stressed? Cats can sometimes feel stress and anxiety from very different things and events. So if you notice your cat being stressed out and starting to chew your hair, you can just pet it lightly, and speak in a calming voice to make sure he won’t feel stressed anymore. Pets are sometimes like babies, they need their owners relaxing them and assuring them everything will be ok.
- Your cat might enjoy it. YUP, sometimes the most obvious answer is the correct one, cats like to lick things and chew on objects like toys and what not, so your pet may just be enjoying your company and numbing on your hair while spending time with you.
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How to stop my cat from biting my hair
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If you don’t really like when your cat bites your hair, you can just teach your cat that this type of behaviour is not something you enjoy, just redirect you cat to something else other than your hair, or even just stop the cuddling all together to signal the animal you’re not enjoying this.
Related: Why Do Cats Stick Their Tongue Out?
After a few times your cat will learn that you enjoy cuddling with him but not in that specific way. You should be consistent and have patience, make sure to redirect his attention from your hair every time he tries to bite it, but don’t do it in a form of punishments, remember that cats do this to the persons or animals they trust the most and feel the most comfortable with, so take it as a compliment.
If you found out the reason is your hair product, simply change shampoos and see if it helped. If however the reason is your cat simply likes biting you hair, than just say thank you your cat loves you and not trying to kill you.
Over to you: Do you have another reason why your cat likes biting your hair? Something that we didn’t mention here or forgot? Just let us know in the comments section.
