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Why Does My Cat Bite My Hair: Uncover The Secret | PUPPYFAQS

Why Does My Cat Bite My Hair: Uncover The Secret

cat lady
(Last Updated On: December 15, 2022)

In the past, I used to wonder “Why does my cat bite my hair?”. Not simple like it seems to be. There will be many things surprise you.

If biting your hair just happens sometimes, you can consider it as the way your cat shows its love and possessiveness with you – the owner. However, in case this action has become a regular behavior, which may reflect a serious health or behavioral problem: bored (light case), stressed, anxious even ill. It should push you to learn the motives, and you must be cautious of taking the suitable steps to stop or limit this behavior as serious as treating scabs in cat or fattening a thin cat.

Why Does My Cat Bite My Hair?

There are many causes which you need to pay attention and learn to determine the case of your cat. From that, you can tackle properly. Below are the most common causes:

Expresses Affection:

According to the article in the edition of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery in 2004, allogrooming which is a kind of mutual grooming happens when a cat grooms on the head and neck of another one. 

This is the way so that they express the love and affection. In general, with cats, mutual grooming is the aid in stress reduction and the creation of communal scent. Thus, if it does the same thing with you, that means your cat considers you as a part of its life.

Is Attracted By The Taste Of Your Hair:

On the market now, there are available a wide range of hair product brands which come with attractive smells with your cat. That’s why it loves biting your hair. When it comes to this problem, simply you just need to change another hair product, preferably unscented one. Or if you want a product with scent, put the following considerations in your list: grapefruit, lemon, or orange because cats aren’t prone to citrus scents.

Is Experiencing Pica:

Pica is a condition which your cat has the tendency to chew non-food things like hair or fabric. The causes of pica can include the nutritional deficiency or the medical problems: warns WebMD, feline leukemia and diabetes.

Biting hair also reflects the energy redirection of cats that are stressful or don’t have many physical activities. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said that in some situations, weaning too soon may end up being pica in the future. Compared to others, Siamese (Oriental breed) has the tendency to get the development of pica easier.

Wanting to know more causes? This video will give you essential information:

How to deal the hair biting?

Stay away from your cat if it wants to bite your hair:

When your cat licks, chews or bites on your hair and you just stay in place to talk, it may think that is an allowance. Therefore, keeping a distance with it is a must.

While sleeping or doing something in your bed, the position of your head ought to be under the sheet to make sure your cat can’t reach. There should be a pillow between you and your pet, although most cats are prone to climb on its top.

To achieve the success in the strategy of discouraging hair biting, be consistent. That means every your action of resisting your hair biting must be in no time. On the contrary, if you give it the inconsistent responses, it just creates your cat’s confusion. For example, sometimes, you allow it to bite your hair but not all the time.

Although this process might take you a long time about a few weeks even months, keep a peace of mind that they will know biting, chewing your hair or anything else similar aren’t allowed, and it can’t receive a reward from that action.

Give it a distraction:

kitten playing with feather

This is a good way to move its attention from your hair into something else. Give your cat a thing which it can bite and chew instead such as a piece of toy, cat grass or treat. Other great distractions are that physical activities and mental stimulations which not only provide more playtime of you and your cat but also help you save a lot of money.

As I mentioned, stress and anxiety of your cat are one of the causes leading to this unwanted behavior – hair biting. Thus, you ought to spend at least 5-10 minutes for helping it in the reduction of mental problems.

The use of feather wand or laser light is an ideal method to keep your lazy friend moving. Treat is also a consideration, but I don’t strongly recommend it due to overfeeding. No owners want their pet to be overweight or have some health problems. Keep in mind that what you use for distraction must be safe, not end up choking.

Help your cat cope:

There are many effective ways for your cat in anxiety and stress reduction. For instance, use the familiar things to create a safe space for the cat which is in a new place. If in your house, there is a new member like a baby or a furry friend, you should spend more time to stay together.

In case the cause of its stress is another cat out of the window, what you need to do is just to pull the blind so that it can’t see that cat anymore.

Consider feline pheromone products available in the market which come in diffusers, collars, sprays, and wipes. The contents in these chemicals are similar to pheromones of contented cats so they can help you tackle your cat which comes with hair biting.

Make an appointment with your vet:

This is a must-do if you recognize that the behavior of hair biting has become more serious. They do that constantly. There are no any distractions effectively. In some cases, applying a kind of mood altering drug like clomipramine or Prozac may be helpful to solve its compulsive behavior.

cat visits with vet

Conclusion:

At the end of my post, have you got the answer to the question “why does my cat bite my hair?” To make everything easily, read the rundown below:

  • The common causes of hair biting include expressing affection, being attracted by the taste of your hair, experiencing pica
  • Depending on each case, you can consider the following treatments: keeping a distance between you and your cat, giving it a distraction, helping your cat cope. If all ways mentioned are not effective, make an appointment with your vet.

How about you? Let me know which way you applied to deal the problem of your cat by leaving a comment below. Don’t forget to share the post with your loved ones.

Liz

I'm a self-employed blogger, life-long pet parent, and lover of dogs. I have always loved animals, especially puppies. So when my family got our first dog 15 years ago, it was love at first sight. We named her Sassy because she was so small, cute, and had a sassy personality! Once we got her home, I wanted to know everything about caring for her, so I researched online. Eventually, this led me to create the PUPPYFAQS website, where I write about nutrition, health, and care of puppies and the latest news in the world of puppies. In my spare time, I volunteer at my local shelter, which is run by volunteers who are passionate about helping homeless dogs find their forever homes. If I'm not working or volunteering for dogs, you can find me spending time with my family, friends, and my puppy. I have been writing professionally online since 2009. In addition to PUPPYFAQS, I also write for several other pet-related publications.

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