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Why does my cat suddenly bite me right after I stop petting him?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 20 lbs

Hi , My adult daughter keeps being bitten by our cat. She will pet him for a while and everything seems lovey-dovey. Then, when she stops , after a little while the cat will light into her. Do you have any idea why?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 7th, 2017

This could be because Peaches is overstimulated, or because he wants more attention. She may want to try very short sessions of calm petting followed by playtime with an appropriate toy. If he bites playtime stops and he goes somewhere by himself. If he seems overstimulated she should stick to very short gentle petting sessions.

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 16th, 2018

    NeeNee gets so excited when you pet her and love her, she does not know what to do with this excess excitement so that she unloads by swatting and biting. This is called Uebersprung. You can help your cat not get so excited or become able to deal with that better by observing her very closely when you pet her. When you notice her come close to that point where she would swat or bite you, you must stop petting her before she does that. This could be a sign of a tiny flick of the tip of the tail, or other signs. Immediately stop petting her and give her time to come down. It will take months, but I have a cat here who did the same. He was so happy to be loved, that he even bit me in the head at night when he was happiest lying next to me in my arms purring. He hardly ever bites or scratches now, but it took about a year to get him to be able to deal with getting excited when he loved being petted.

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