If your cat bites your ear a lot, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why does my cat bite my ear? Likely reasons why your cat bites your ear are that your cat is playing, your cat is being affectionate or that your cat wants extra attention.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat bites your ear and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my cat bite my ear?
Below are likely causes and what would make each of them more likely.
Affection
The reason why your cat has been biting your ears might actually be that it is showing affection. Sometimes, when cats are very happy, they will start biting and this might be why yours has been doing it. This would be more likely to be the cause if your cat does it when it is showing positive body language signs such as purring a lot.
Your cat is playing
The reason why your cat does it might also be that it is playing since your ears move around somewhat like a mouse might. This would be more likely if your cat does it when you are playing with your cat yourself.
For attention
Another possible reason is that your cat is doing it for extra attention. This would be more likely if your cat tends to bite your ears more when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it more attention when it bites you.
Your cat wants you to let go of them
Another possible cause is that your cat wants you to let go of it. This would be more likely to be the cause if your cat bites your ears when you are holding it.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
If your cat has always biten your ear
If your cat did not always bite your ear, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started doing it. If your cat started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in the way you have been holding it or a change in how you interact with it, it might also be because your cat has actually become more comfortable around you.
The timing of when your cat bites your ear
If your cat seems to bite your ear more in certain situations, it would also help to consider what is different about the timing. For example, if your cat normally does it when you are interacting with your cat with your face by doing things such as kissing it, the cause would be more likely to be that it is intimidated.
What to do about my cat biting my ear?
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Avoid intimidating it
If you have been petting or holding it a bit forcefully, it would likely help to try holding or petting it more gently. Another thing to try would be to pet it in a different manner. Often cats prefer to be rubbed below the chin instead of having their bellies or backs rubbed. It could help to try scratching below its chin instead.
Give it distractions
It could also help to give your cat distractions such as toys to play with so that it is less likely to want to play with your ears.
Avoid encouraging it
As mentioned earlier, it might be the case that your cat has learned that biting your ears gets rewards. Instead, it would help to reward your cat when it behaves the way you want it to and to avoid rewarding it when it bites your ears by getting it off you when it does it and ignoring it.