nipping question...

[miamispartan]

Here's my question:
My cat Tigger is EXTREMELY affectionate. She loves to lick my hands, arms, etc. Sometimes during the licking, she'll bite me gently. Anyone know why she would do this?

 

[sadie's mom]

Tigger is giving you "love bites" to show you how much she loves you.

 

[katiemae1277]

A couple of mine do this also, I call them love bites also

mine don't really hurt me, but it can be a bit disconcerting. As long as she isn't isn't drawing blood, I wouldn't worry

 

[jennyr]

Wellington does this to me - he loves to lie close to my face when I am in bed, with that adoring look they get sometimes. And as I pet him he will lick my face and then suddenly but gently nip my chin. I know it is affection.

 

[emily_325]

Anya does this to my fingers, my toes, and my nose if I let her. She always does it gently and has never come close to drawing blood. She will often lick me and be purring at the same time. I agree that it's an affection thing. If she ever does it too hard I always just tell her we don't bite hard, and then play time stops. I'm hoping that this is a learning technique that she's catching on to...

 

[natalie_ca]

My oldest cat Chynna does that too sometimes. It's not like she opens her mouth to take a bit, it's more a nibble with her front teeth and it doesn't hurt.

I don't know whether it's affection or just part of the grooming technique cats have, but if you watch them groom themselves or each other, you will see that sometimes they nip themselves or each other gently while grooming.

 

[shadowsoul]

"love bite" is a fitting label for that

Oscar would do that to my leg, when he feels like he needed cuddling, that's a signal for me to take him, of course, that'a aside from the bites I get whenever he plays "run and hide" with me, crazy cat.

Shadowsoul

 

[reneeteachj]

Neo bites at my fingers, but always immediately licks them as if to say, "I'm sorry!" If he bites too hard, I say "Ow!!" to let him know it hurts. He knows exactly what that means and doesn't bite hard very often.

 

[abigail]

I call it play biting. Just stop moving the part the cat is biting and they generally stop. if she bites too hard i say OUCH in a serious voice and she looks at me perplexed and stops.