Over half of the world's population are pet owners, with some sources, such as Petfood
Industry, estimating that 57% of people in the world have a pet.
Of that percentage, approximately 23% of pet owners have cats.
For a lot of people, cats are delightful beasts to have around.
According to The Spruce Pets, many pet owners report that relaxing with their pet cat helps
lower their own anxiety and stress levels.
In fact, according to HelpGuide.org, there's evidence out there that suggests a cat's purr
can even lower one's blood pressure, in addition to calming the nervous system as a whole.
One way many cat owners derive a sense of peace from their cats is by petting them ... but
sometimes, a cat can react negatively to exactly that attention.
"I want you to meet Keanu.”
“What?
No.
No."
While cats can be amazing pets, they can also be super confusing.
For instance, one second you're sitting there, petting your cat and watching tv, and the
next, your cat has flown into full rage mode and is trying to bite you as you pet her.
What??
Many cat owners refer to these nips as, quote: "love bites."
However, people who study cats and their behavior have a much more formal name for it: petting-induced
aggression, according to Vetstreet.
If you find the behavior confusing, you're not the only one - experts themselves are
still trying to figure it out.
According to Vetstreet, there are three possible reasons why a cat might bite back while you're
petting them.
Your cat is trying to control the interaction, via status-induced aggression; your cat has
a negative association with being pet for a long time; or your cat is unhappy, but has
been subtle in expressing it up until that point.
Other sources are quick to point out that not all cats have this negative reaction to
being petted, which can make it even more confusing for cat owners.
As Feline Engineering points out, if you're experiencing petting aggression from a cat
for the first time,
"It can feel like a very personal attack when your cat bites you for just trying to provide love."
Feline Engineering has also asserted that cats who nip back after being petted are trying
to communicate their own preferences, which cats do have, just like nearly every other
being on this planet.
Luckily, the site says there are typically warning signs that indicate your cat is getting
tired of your behavior, including flicking their tail, vocalizing instead of purring,
trying to walk away, grooming themselves, and raising a paw to get you to stop.
Of course, sometimes the best experts to consult are just regular cat owners, as they often
have the best ideas for how to deal with undesirable behaviors from cats.
"Oliver?
Oliver!"
If you've been worried about why your cat is demonstrating this kind of behavior in
response to being petted, don't worry cat owners are on the case.
Cat owners all over the world have taken to discussion forums, such as Reddit, to get
advice for what they should and should not do in response.
One cat owner, for example, offered a suggestion that hasn't been mentioned yet: the cat could
have hormonal reasons that explain their behavior.
They wrote,
"Hormones wreak havoc on a cat's mood and being spayed has a whole host of health benefits."
Another person added that while the behavior might have an explanation, it shouldn't be tolerated, writing,
"Cats don't really realize that nips and bites hurt us.
The way cats teach each other not to bite is pretty easy for humans to mimic."
Happily, the same person has a solid idea for how to respond to the nips and bites if
they bother you, suggesting a quote: "loud and high-pitched yelp" to associate with the
bite and then walking away, so the cat understands it's not OK.
You may look and feel like an idiot, but it could be worth it
PetMD, meanwhile, says that "love bites" and cats can indeed be a misnomer [miss-NO-murr],
depending on the context, and that there just isn't a lot of concrete research at this time
into why cats bite sometimes when they're petted, resulting in a lot of theories.
The outlet also notes that, simply, some cats do not enjoy getting petted, even if they
are perfectly content with resting in your lap.
So the best advice?
Get to know your cat's personality and go from there.
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