Cat bites / Cat biting
When a cat bites you, is it a good thing? Or is a cat bite dangerous? "It depends" and we'll help you understand and react appropriately.
GOOD Cat Bites - believe it or not, there are times when a cat bite is a good thing.
#1. If a cat is feeling happy and is being playful, then he/she may grab you with his/her paws and then will bite you gently (not hard enough to pierce the skin) perhaps in a gnawing fashion, and may also flip over onto it's side and give you some "bunny kicks" with the hind legs. This might happen with your leg and your shoe or your hand and your arm, so it's good to wear long sleeves and long pants when playing with cats or you could end up with scratches on your skin.
#2. Another time a cat bite can be a good thing is when the cat feels the need to "correct you." In other words, you're doing something wrong (in the cat's opinion) and he/she doesn't really want to harm you but needs you to stop.
For example: You might be petting a cat and the cat seems fine with it, or even happy, and then all of a sudden it will bite you and it might be a little hard, or it might hurt, and it could catch you off guard and upset you. Don't get mad! Don't retaliate! Instead, stop everything and say to yourself "What did I just do?!" There could be a sensitive spot on the cat and/or an area that he/she doesn't want you to touch and/or you are petting a little too aggressively and/or the cat is getting over-stimulated. So stop, and leave the cat alone. Don't be upset. Wait a while for the cat to engage you again in a friendly fashion, and then be very gentle with your petting and scratching. Remember, if the cat wanted to, it could sink its teeth clear through to your bones!
BAD Cat Bites - you never want to be on the receiving end of a bad cat bite! This is typically done when a cat feels threatened and is either scared or angry. Usually a cat will hiss first. Don't take that personally, and don't give it the opportunity to bite you. Back off! Because if you don't, and the cat does bite you, then this will be a puncture wound that needs immediate attention. You might want to wash out the wound with water, then hydrogen peroxide, and bandage it up. You need to find out if the the cat has had its rabies shots, you might need pain reliever and to make a trip to an emergency clinic.
If a cat is scared of you, or feels threatened by you, don't go after it. Wait a little while. Use calm reassuring words. Remember you are massive in size compared to the cat! It knows you can hurt it. Its fear of you is justified in its frightened little mind. It can learn to trust you; however, this is where you need to be the mature adult human and earn it's trust by being calm, friendly, distant, whatever the cat needs to feel comfortable in it's environment until it does not see you as a threat. If you're the one feeding it, and are kind, the cat will watch you, listen to you, and eventually come up to you when it thinks it might be safe to do so. If the cat likes wand toys, you might want to try playing with it the next day, just for a moment or two. If the cat is not ready to play, that's fine, come back later in the day and try again. Earn the cat's trust gradually. You can do it!