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At one point in your cat’s life, he would constantly headbutt you when you don’t even realize it. While its name sounds problematic and even aggressive, this behavior is considered one of the most affectionate actions that cats can do in front of humans.
However, things start to get a little annoying when your cat not only just headbutts you, but also licks and bites you afterward. A lot of cat owners get confused after these actions because it could mean they want to play with you, or they want to be fed, or they just like to show their affection towards you.
So let’s answer the question furthermore: “Why does my cat headbutt me then bite me?”
They want to show their love towards you
“Why does my cat headbutt me?” – you may ask. In general, if your cat intends to headbutt you, it means that he cares a lot about you and he wants to get even closer to you. From your cat’s perspective, headbutting is one of his common ways to show affection and appreciation for the other that he wants to bond with. Moreover, after headbutting, cats tend to bite or lick afterward.
This is because they consider you just like other cats. According to some recent research, younger cats, especially kittens do have the habit of biting and licking each other for affection. Yet, their skins are much thicker and tougher than ours, so while they don’t think you will get hurt by these “love taps”, you do feel pain.
However, you shouldn’t push them away harshly or scare them away. Instead, slightly drag them out of your body and gently pet them, and they would intentionally stop.
They are marking their territories
Headbutting and biting is one of their methods to show love and affection, but only when you pet them first. You may think that “If not being petted, why does my cat headbutt me then bite me?” Without being petted, these actions just mean that they want to leave their scents and place their pheromones everywhere in your house and even in your body.
This is natural because they have the instinct to protect and nurture their home, and marking territories by headbutting and biting help them to indicate where they should belong, and who should they trust their life with (in this case, it’s you – the cat owner). So if you don’t mind, you can just let them headbutt and bite you.
You overstimulate your cat and they want you to stop
Sometimes, you want to play with your cat so badly that you tend to pet them a lot and indulge them while playing. However, these acts if done moderately and correctly can be fun, but not so much that will irritate your lovely cat. After all, they want to have some of their time alone and relax, just like humans when we have a rough day.
Moreover, there are spots that cats don’t want to be touched. One imminent example is the belly. Indeed, belly rubs can be fascinating for some, but not all cats like them. A lot of cats will walk away when they notice overstimulation from you, while others will tend to headbutt and bite you in such a rigorous way.
Other actions can be more than just “love taps”, and they want to signal that it’s enough and they want to go away for their time. As a result, they tend to act more aggressively than usual, including tail swinging, screaming and of course, headbutting and biting in a much harder force.
You forget something for them and they want to emphasize their message
After such a long working day, you just want to relax and enjoy yourselves. However, your cat just keeps headbutting and biting you constantly out of nowhere. So what does it mean when your cat headbutts you, then bites you like that?
The answer is quite simple. They want to get their idea across. For example, they want you to pet them in the afternoon – as you will normally do, however, you get busy or you may forget that activity. So, they will wait for a moment for you to relax, and then will constantly headbutt and bite you in a lovely, yet quite aggressive motion.
So if you are wondering “Why is my cat headbutting me in the middle of the night?”, try to remember what you forgot to do for them on that day, and ease yourself for indulging your cat for a short moment. He will thank you a lot.
They just want to play with you
If they tend to headbutt and bite you when you don’t pet them – of course, in a lovely way – you may ask “Why does my cat headbutt me then bite me like that?”. This could mean that it’s playtime for them, and they want you to be a part of it. This could be naturally cute, but it could sometimes be annoying when you yourself are not in the mood.
So if you don’t want to play with your cat in just that sensitive time of yours, don’t push him away too harshly or yell at him. Your cat might get scared and go away, and next time if you want to play, he will show such aggressive and protective behavior towards you, and eventually, you will become its enemy.
Instead, like the first one, you can just gently push your cat away, then pet him a little bit to let them understand that you are not in the mood. He will know and will go away in a nick of time, without hating you in the future. The same goes for his behavior, and you should know in order to have a healthy relationship with your cat.
A final conclusion
Headbutting and biting – from your cat – is certainly cute. However, you should know that every headbutt and bite is stimulated through your cat’s ideas and thoughts. So, if you are wondering “Why does my cat headbutt me then bite me?”, try to think that the actions may mean something your cat wants to say, therefore react to him in a more understanding attitude after that. Your cat will definitely want to bond with you more.
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