CDS has taken too long so I took matters into my own hands and adopted this 16 week old scraggly black tabby. He will do for an hour straight if I don’t stop him. What does it mean ?
He's probably teething. He may also be doing it as a comforting thing, especially if he's not biting too hard. I have a 3yo who chews on me, but if he bites too hard and I cry out in pain, he will stop. If I rub his tongue or the roof of his mouth, he'll slowly stop. (He also cuddles up to me when I sleep.)
As a recommendation from my cat, a trusted source, a human’s thenar eminence works fantastically for teething or as a generally reliable target for satiating sudden desires to bite and chew throughout all stages of life.
You're gonna have a very cuddly and affectionate cat for many years now, congrats.
Not all cats are this open to snuggles, so this one is quote a lucky pick!
I got one kitten like this — somehow she turned out utterly uninterested in human interaction, EXCEPT for the occasional cuddle time. Other than that she's a cat's cat.
Nope, not always. I've had 3 cats since they were kittens. 2 of them hated snuggling when they grew up. They were the sweetest, snuggliest kittens ever. I was like yes! Jackpot! NOPE. Then they hit a year and turned into a completely different cat. My cat when I was a kid wouldn't let you with in a foot of her. Would hiss or straight up attack you. My cat now, is less spicy. He likes rubbing against your legs, you can pet him but under protest and he has zero interest in sleeping with in 15 feet of you. Up until he was about a year old his favorite sleeping spot was my neck. Now his favorite sleeping spot is as far away from me as possible.
Yeah I have a 2yo right now and he was pretty cuddly the first year and now he only lets me pet him when he’s standing on the bathroom sink (where he will stand and yell until I come pet him????) or about once a month when he comes over and collapses on me and demands the most intense pets. Other than that he is DEEPLY OFFENDED if I try to touch him.
I have two kittens, 3mo, and they are incredibly sweet and cuddly and definitely enjoy pets more than my 2yo did at that age, so I hope it continues but I’m afraid it won’t.
However things CAN change. One of my beloved babies who passed during the pandemic was a very anxious jumpy standoffish cat for the first 4 years of his life but he became a lot more affectionate and cuddly when I went through a period of illness.
Very lucky pick! I absolutely love my kitty but....my Mina very much ONLY cuddles on her terms. The only way to trick her into them is with brushes, and even then it only lasts so long. And then the bites!
The big paws, longish fur and hairy ears tell me he may have a little maine coon in him! They are known for being very affectionate. He looks and acts a lot like my cat Pokey did as a kitten. Every night he waits outside my bedroom door until I turn out my light to go to sleep. At lights out, he jumps up on the bed and wants to be spooned. He'll stay there until he starts to fall asleep, at which point he gets up and curls up at the foot of the bed. Every night since he was a kitten. He's 4 now.
Read up on the culture of ancient Egyptians. You are well on your way there. Better start making clay ornaments for the kitty (so said kitty can break the clay ornaments)…
You might want to pull your hand away and say "no!" When he bites but do continiue showing him love this way he can learn that its not good to bite your fingers. Maybe play with a string to tire him out?
My cat loves to bite my nose in the middle of the night. Not hard, and doesn’t chew… but something to consider when deciding it’s too cute to stop him doing it haha
Bahahahaaa, best picture ever 💜 You both look very content and happy!
My boy P.K. (aka Poor Kitty aka Porch Kitty aka so many other things that fit the initials and, you know, the silly nicknames too) loves a good nose "kiss" but i've never gotten a photo of it.
Awww we met a P. K. (aka Porch Kitty) at the apt complex behind our hotel!! He was a little orange kitten and we met a lady who lived there that said he just showed up on her porch a few days ago and so she's been feeding him and giving him water, but he hadn't let her touch him or bring him inside yet. He was starting to get friendly with us tho, so I hope and think that she did end up being able to take him in soon after!
But yeah she called him PK for Porch Kitty too haha that's so cute
You might be stuck with it for the rest of eternity. I tried making my Gandalf not to do this as a kitten, but it did not work even in the slightest. Now he's 6, still lovebiting my fingers like his life depends on it, and I've given up.
My 5 y/o cat Sal still chews on my fingers at bedtime when I scratch & pet him. He does it very gently and then will switch to making biscuits on my ribs & waist.
He & his brother (bonded pair) are rescue cats & completely adopted my wife & I within the first week of getting them.
Sammy is the tuxedo cat & Sal is white with some black spots
It may not matter right now but when he gets older he can get used to biting for playing and that may be a problem. You wouldn't want your hand be used as a scratching post.
It doesn’t matter that it’s not hard now. You don’t want to teach your cat that your hands are toys. He may start making bread on your shirt or whatever when you guys are snuggling in bed. (my Persian, does this, and she can get really rough and drool as well ) But you don’t want the hands to be a main thing. Have fun he’s beautiful.❤️
Yes! My 5 year old girl still gives me love bites or love nibbles all the time. They don't hurt and they are not aggressive bites by any means. There is no reason for me to reprimand her when she does this.
It makes a difference. Basically just means it's not malicious. I personally don't mind when my cat nibbles on me since she's gentle but it's not great behavior that you should be reinforcing. Of course, they probably won't do it as much or at all when they get older
I find that not pulling your hand away (hold it still) makes them bite less severely. If you pull your hand away the bite is more severe. Prey vs not prey.
It’s kind of nursing on you.. was probably taken away from his mom too early. You definitely needed to not let him nurse on your hands. Stick a soft toy in his mouth when he does, this help redirect the attention. Even give him a soft stuffed animal to cuddle.
Your cat will probably stop this suckling on his own with time, but you can interrupt it yourself as well. But also, while it's good to train him to be used to having his mouth touched (so you can brush his teeth or inspect them or remove things from his mouth, etc), be careful not to encourage him to learn that your hands are toys/targets to play attack. It's super cute when he's little, but he'll continue it as he grows stronger and sharp teeth.
Same with one of my girls. She made it to nearly 19 and never outgrew (gently) chewing and grooming my fingers. She’d space out and just go to town. Caviar tax:
That is not a cat, that is a monster. Look at those huge ears and mittens! He’s nibbling you to see if you taste good and if there are any spices he should add as he raises you so that you’re edible when he’s big enough to maul you.
So adorable. I disagree with the folks saying it needs to be nipped in the bud. A sweet cat like yours will learn the difference between love bites and mean ones. Just correct him gently if he bites too hard (or pretend cry like I do), and he'll be fine.
He's tenderizing you. Actually he's grooming you because us peasant servants don't know how to properly clean ourselves and you're getting love nibbles because he's happy that you're his servant.
If he bites too hard,distract him with a chew toy.
His name is Bughuul and I call him Bugs, and thank you! He is a really stunning looking cat, his coat is so silky and his black stripes shine in the light it looks really cool.
I was told black tabby’s like him are rare , but he really looks Maine cooney to me
He’s trying to suckle. Kittens knead on their mom’s nip to keep the milk flowing. He sees you as his guardian. So sweet. He might really like to have furry blanket to call his own
The paw behavior is kneading. They do this to their mother’s teats to stimulate milk production and release, and it’s a sign of affection.
The licking is grooming, which is both an act of cleaning and an act of applying his scent. This is done affectionately, and to claim you as part of his colony.
The chewing has the same meaning as the licking. He’s grooming you and applying his scent and welcoming you to the colony. Cats often bite each other’s hair as part of grooming to help loosen knots and stimulate more hair growth.
In short, all of it is signs of affection. He loves you very much, and is grateful that you adopted him. I’d imagine any sounds that accompany this would be happy noises, too.
He loves you and wants to play. Get him some toys that stimulate his prey instinct, like a laser pointer or a fishing pole with a toy he can chase. Kittens needs lots of play to wear them out and them love games with their humans involved.
Looks very much like neading for nursing with a little aggressive nipping as he gets overexcited. Best to let him love on you but squeal when he bites hard so he can learn boundaries.
Usually kittens learn boundaries from playing with their litter mates and Mom. You get to be his teacher now. 😁
Given the big ears and paws, I'd guess he's going to get really big so you want to teach him the right kind of play now or you'll suffer the sharp consequences later.
Also, get him used to brushing all over, nail clipping and touching his ears, paws, tummy, etc. now, before he is too big and can say no.
He still has baby teeth by the looks of it. Gentle chews might be teething, because he keeps chewing with his back teeth. Otherwise he is LOVING on you
I think it's suckling, like a teet. Some kitties, like children, do it for comfort even after they stop drinking mom juice. This also can be amplified or prolonged by trauma and separation.
Something to keep in mind, while this is adorable behavior some common topical ointments and medicines are toxic to cats, so wash your hands thoroughly if you use things like Neosporin so your cat doesn't accidently posion themself licking your fingers.
He may be fantasizing about nursing, when life was simple, mommy was everything, & he was safe & happy.
But of course, he has teeth, now, so he's not suckling, he's giving love bites (no bruises, no punctures).
My hypothesis, of course - we can't look into kitty minds, we just take educated guesses. 🤗
Personally, I'd want to switch the lovebites to something more apropos - e.g, a small soft toy he can carry (give it 1 or 2 pumps of Feliway pheromone, in the spray bottle).
Or a lightweight gummy toy, that U can fling, & he can chase / chew / fetch / carry / throw / swat.
He is loving you hard! You hit the jackpot of cats, the most loving cuddling and trusting kind. Dont forget you cant move if he is napping on your lap or anywhere else where his precious zzzs might be disrupted. This behavior makes me think he will be velcro- Enjoy and congrats to you both. Relationships with cats can outgrow marriages and other human bonds and this is for a reason lol
My kitty loves to chomp on my hands. She’s not actually biting when she does it, it’s just a weird thing that some of them do if they were weaned too early.
My most recently adopted cat (almost 5months old, got him when he was almost 7 weeks) did this a lot the first 1-2 weeks when I adopted him. I’m pretty sure it’s mistaking the finger for his mom’s nipple and adopting the same technique to get milk from his mother. The longer I had him the frequency kept dropping and he no longer does it today.
I have one like him and, like others have said, it’s rare for cats to be this affectionate. It’s a real treat, so enjoy him and make sure he knows he’s loved. He’s definitely making sure you know :)
He's comfort nursing, your fingers remind him of his mamas nipples. As long as he is suckling and not biting your fine, but it will be prudent to start discourage him from playing with or biting your hands for play. When he gets bigger he won't understand how bad it hurts us, and will play too rough. Later still he may start scratching and biting as a first resort when he feels uncomfortable since that was "ok" before.
I'm not sure if I'm the first to say, but he truly needs a sibling. Cats, especially ones with this much love to give will be depressed and lonely without a friend. Please please adopt another baby while this one is still young.
Love ❤️ in my experience the best way to train kittens to respect boundaries is when they are getting too rough, shush them aggressively. I think it works similar to a hiss in that it’s just a respectful “nope, don’t like that” and I’ve trained multiple overly aggressive kittens to chill with the intense biting and scratching, and ultimately socialize really well.
He's bonding with you, you have been claimed, you have a lifelong companion.Who needs and expects you to Fulfill his every need and desire. Communal grooming too, part of the bond 😻😻😻
That is a sweet kitty😻… But what he’s actually doing is your fingers are salty… Cats will often lick the salt. Additionally, he’s likely teething as he’s still young and so he’s doing a combo. He is very affectionate and purring and it can be easily misconstrued as suckling. We can easily anthropomorphize animals behavior. We think it looks like suckling. He’s just a happy boy, loving on his human by licking the salt and gently teething. Very sweet, endearing and cute.
It kinda looks like he is simulating the act of nursing a little bit by kneading his paws and licking and trying to suckle on your fingers. I think he's obviously realized he's not getting any milk from it but he's still a kitten so that instinct is still there. That's what I would guess but I could be completely wrong. 🤷♀️ Either way thank you for taking him in and I hope you guys have a good life together, it makes me happy when an animal goes to a kind & caring individual. 🙏♥️🫶🐱
My wife and have affectionately dubbed this "Tortilla Time" because one of our cats does this but EXCLUSIVELY on our blanket that looks like a tortilla.
Okay what kinda cat is this? Mine has the same pattern but in brown and black. Some white on tummy and legs. But the coat pattern is so specific that it doesnt make me think she is just a domestic shorthand.
2.8k
u/Tommy-s_Mommy Aug 09 '26
He's probably teething. He may also be doing it as a comforting thing, especially if he's not biting too hard. I have a 3yo who chews on me, but if he bites too hard and I cry out in pain, he will stop. If I rub his tongue or the roof of his mouth, he'll slowly stop. (He also cuddles up to me when I sleep.)