Cats maintain a strict grooming routine, so their guardians are not usually alarmed to see them carefully lick every corner of their body to remove dirt, impurities and dead hair. However, it is important to be aware of the possible changes in this hygienic routine of felines, especially if they start to bite or lick themselves with great intensity.
It is important to highlight that each feline is a unique individual, so each behavior can have different meanings and causesThis may depend on the routine, environment, education and he alth status of each individual. In this article on our site we will solve your doubt about why a cat bites itself explaining different causes and also talking about the necessary treatment to solve it.
Why is my cat biting its tail?
If you are the lucky guardian of one or more cats, you probably already know that they love to chase their own tail. This behavior is quite common among cats, who retain a powerful hunting instinct and express it in their daily lives as an innate part of their nature. Of course, your feline must also have an enriched environment where he finds toys and accessories with which he can exercise his instincts and his cognitive abilities, not always resorting to his tail to have fun for a while.
However, be aware if your cat begins to repeat this behavior with great intensity or frequency. If your cat bites its tail too often or intensely, it could end up self-mutilating and causing woundsthat can become infected and lead to an infectious process in your body. In addition, it will be essential to identify the cause of this behavior in order to control or correct it, preventing the kitten from continuing to hurt itself.
Again, we emphasize that only a duly trained professional will be able to reach an accurate diagnosis, after examining each individual, their symptoms and their state of he alth. Then you can prescribe the most appropriate treatment. The figure that can best help us is a veterinarian specialized in ethology
But surely you still want to know why my cat bites his tail, correct? Below we will review some of the most common causes that explain the appearance of this behavior:
- Boredom or stress: If a cat lives a sedentary routine and does not have an enriched environment, it will probably show symptoms of stress and/or or boredom. Then, he may start to develop certain negative behaviors in an attempt to burn off energy, release stress and improve his entertainment, such as biting himself or chasing his tail continuously. There are also other things that can stress cats and lead to this type of behavior, such as sudden changes in their environment, a house move, the introduction of new individuals or stimuli in their environment, etc.
- Parasites or he alth problems: organic causes can also explain why a cat bites itself or bites its own tail. Fleas, ticks, or mites on your skin and fur can cause significant discomfort. In this case, we will observe that the cat not only bites its tail, but also scratches excessively, causing injuries and losing its coat. Other common reasons are food allergies and certain diseases. It will be essential to take him to the vet.
- Demand for attention: if you don't reserve a special time to play and show affection to your feline, and/or spend long days away away from home, your cat is likely to be lonely and try to get your attention. He may start engaging in hyperactive and anxious behaviors, such as running and jumping around the house. If we ignore him, he will begin to engage in behaviors of greater intensity, including aggressiveness, even if this implies a negative consequence on our part. In the most extreme cases, when the feline is ignored, self-mutilation can occur, in this case while tail chasing.
- Stereotypes: we are talking about repetitive and constant movements. They usually appear in serious cases of lack of animal welfare, such as overcrowding, phobias, high levels of stress, problems in the environment, animal abuse, etc. In these cases, the cat bites its tail continuously, repetitively and constantly. If you have adopted a feline and you observe that it shows stereotypes, do not hesitate to immediately consult a veterinarian specialized in feline ethology and behavior.
Why is my cat biting its paws?
In general terms, the possible causes of why a cat bites its paws or licks them excessively are practically the same as those that can make a cat chase and bite its tail. Stress, boredom, the presence of external parasites in their legs, pathologies that affect their limbs or their mobility, allergies, and the desire to capture the attention of their owner are some of the aspects that can explain this feline behavior.
But when it comes to the legs, we must also consider the possibility of the existence of injuries, cracks, traumas or the presence of sharp objects or foreign bodies between your fingers or on your pads. In general, cats that have access to the outdoors are more likely to injure their paws, walk on uneven ground, and thus step on sharp objects. However, this can also happen with cats that live indoors after a domestic accident, such as a broken glass, plate, cup, ornament, etc.
If your cat bites its paws or licks them very intensely, we advise you to check them immediately to check for wounds, stuck objects or if his skin is dry and cracked. If you notice any superficial wounds of low complexity, you can follow our advice to heal wounds in the paws of cats. But if you see a deep wound, the presence of foreign or sharp bodies, as well as if you detect bleeding, the ideal is to go to a veterinary care center urgently.
Why is my cat biting its tongue?
This behavior is not very common among cats, so their guardians often worry when they identify it in their kittens. A cat usually bites its tongue when it feels discomfort, itching or pain in the mouth, especially in the teeth or gums. Almost always these oral discomforts derive from inflammatory and progressive processes, such as gingivitis and periodontitis in cats.
Unfortunately, oral diseases in cats are much more common than we would like them to be. The vast majority of dental problems derive from the formation of tartar between the teeth and gums of felines, so they can be easily prevented by adopting a adequate oral hygiene with regular brushing.
On our site, we want to help you take care of your feline's oral he alth, for this reason we have prepared a special article in which we show you how to clean your cat's teeth step by step.
How to prevent my cat from biting itself?
As you have seen, there are many reasons why a cat bites itself and, regardless of the specific cause of this behavior, it is essential prevent it to preserve the physical and emotional well-being of our felines. Likewise, when they appear, we should go to a feline behavior specialist In no case will we apply guidelines or use medication to try to solve this problem.
How to prevent a cat from biting its paws, hair, tail or tongue?
To achieve effective prevention, we will need to pay attention to the following day-to-day guidelines with our favorite felines:
- Offer adequate preventive medicineto your cat throughout his life, respecting his schedule of vaccinations and regular deworming of him, in addition to providing complete and balanced nutrition. We remind you that the ideal is to make preventive visits to the vet every 6 or 12 months.
- Maintain optimal oral hygiene, regularly brushing your cat's teeth to prevent the accumulation of food debris between their teeth and gums, which causes the formation of tartar.
- Enrich your cat's environment, leaving intelligence games, toys and accessories at his disposal that allow him to exercise his body and his mind, expend energy, have fun and fight the symptoms of stress and boredom.
- Provide a positive environment, where your cat feels safe and free to express their physical, cognitive, emotional and social skills. It is also very important to establish a daily play routine with your cat and avoid sudden changes in their environment and/or their habits, since cats stick to their routine to feel safer and not expose themselves to risks unnecessary, being able to maintain a more balanced and sociable behavior.
- Check regularly your feline's paws, fur, mouth and tail for wounds, parasites, signs of inflammation or any indication of abnormalities in your body. Ideally, your feline should get used to these revisions from puppyhood, always using positive reinforcement to encourage it to incorporate new habits into its routine and better accept this type of manipulation.
