How to stop your cat from biting and scratching

---

Understanding why your cat bites or scratches is the most important thing in order to wean your animal from these negative habits. 

• An undesirable behavior of cats is most often caused by problems with the health of the animal, an impaired psycho/emotional development or other errors made during the upbringing. An analysis of the reasons why a cat bites should begin with a visit to your veterinarian. The doctor will evaluate the pet’s health status. Perhaps the cat or kitten is biting due to a lack of vitamins or because its teeth are changing. In such cases, you may need to adjust their food or purchase special teething toys.
• A cat bites when stroking the abdomen or base of its tail. These are especially sensitive areas on the animal’s body that the cat is trying to protect. This is a self-preservation instinct with which the owner will have to acknowledge. If you are stroking other parts of the cat’s body, and she suddenly attacked you, maybe something hurts her. Make sure your vet knows about this.
• An adult cat will bite your hands, if while he was a kitten the owners played with him with his hands. The animal does not see the difference between toys and human hands, so it can attack them while playing, biting and scratching. This reason is 100% owner caused. Never play with cats with your hands or allow children to do so.
• Cats bite out of boredom. If the cat has nothing to do, she comes up with games: she attacks from around the corner, jumps into your arms, and bites your arms and legs. The owner should make sure that the pet has toys or a companion for games.
• Oddly enough, bites can be not only from a lack of attention and games, but also from their excess. If you play with the animal for a long time or pet it and you see that the tip of the tail twitches, and a small tremor passes through the coat - leave the cat alone. She's tired of your attention. Otherwise, you run the risk of feeling what a cat bite is. In this way, the cat wants to say - do not touch me!
• Negative experiences are another reason cats show their teeth. Sometimes the owners must perform procedures that frighten the animal: injections, bathing, cutting, clipping. Do not be surprised if the animal will perceive all subsequent caresses as preparation for unpleasant manipulations and bite you.
• Early weaning from the mother affects the behavior of the kitten. A domestic cat-mother teaches her offspring that the kitten does not need to be afraid of people they are a source of heat and food. However if the kitten was born in the wild or was weaned early from their mother, then they do not have this information. For these kittens, man is a huge, terrible, hostile creature that causes aggression. It will be difficult to stop a kitten from biting and scratching because this is how they are protecting themselves from imaginary danger.
• Pregnant and lactating cats can dramatically change their character. Therefore, in these important periods of cat's life, it is better not to touch them. They bite and scratch to protect their offspring.
• Cats trying to express their displeasure to their owners may bite or scratch. For example, if a cat does not like the owner’s behavior (for example, he is nervous or screaming a lot), then he tries to attract his attention. First, the animal invitingly meows, expressing a specific demand. Then, if this does not help, the cat may begin to bite and scratch. The attentive owner will then be able to understand that the pet wants to tell him something.

If previously the cat was raised with out being aggressive, but suddenly begins to show aggression when you try to caress her, you must consult a veterinarian. Perhaps she has health problems.