You are playing with your pet kitty and suddenly, out of the blue it licks you and  bites you!

Has it ever caught you off-guard?

I've felt that lots of times, and it seems that its a kind of natural behavior for our beloved felines.

It maybe because your pet kitty is trying to tell you something or some other reason.

In this article, we're going to be taking a look at why your cat maybe licking you and biting without a warning. Let's get started!

Why does my cat lick me then bite me?

Your kitty likes grooming you!

Cats, and not just our domestic ones- even the big ones like tigers and leopards are into grooming their dear ones.

It seems that this adorable behavior is also common in birds as well as dogs, and apes too! 

A cat doesn't have access to a good-old fine-toothed comb to prune themselves but they do have their tongue with serrated papilla. This helps pick up loose strands of hair as well as any dust from their fur.

Licking and biting on fur is also a way for them to reduce hairball by reducing the amount of loose hairs they ingest.

Your  kitty licking you and biting may just mean that your cat likes you enough to think of you as family!

It's play-time

In some ways, cats really are like kids. They are quite smart and like playing around. Imagine a kid that doesn't need to do any homework, gets free food and tasty snacks and literally naps most of the day!

Growing cats have a lot of energy to spare.

You may have noticed young kittens assuming a playful arched position all ready to pounce. Old cats do not have much energy but young ones have a lot of stamina!

A cat may want to play with you and so, may be trying to get you stop lazying around by licking and biting you.

Annoying human!

As much as our feline friends enjoy goofing around and sleeping on our laps, they are also natural predators.

We tend to forget that they are powerful creatures fully capable of surviving in the wild alone. Odd as it may sound, sitting around and lazying can get boring for them too.

You excessively petting them or rubbing their ears also doesn't help the fact that they need some alone time. 

Stress

Like humans, cats can also get anxious and sad. 

If your kitty hasn't had enough to eat or adequate play, or is just gloomy, it may act out by biting you.

Cats don't like change at all. A sudden change in your routine, like you coming late or you inviting your friend over can worry them.

Cats literally wait for you to show up consistently and can even get sick just from worrying about your messy routine.

Mating time can also be why your cat is feeling stressed. Even if your kitty is neutered, the feline can still feel urges and not being able to act on them while being cooped up to you can cause them to feel upset.

Should I be worried about this behavior?

There is absolutely nothing for you to worry about your cat licking and biting you. It's most likely a sign that your cat is into you!

Seriously though, our feline friends like grooming their close ones. They learn this from their mamma while they're still tiny kittens.

A mother cat licks and bites her young ones to remove any loose hairs and to groom them, and this behavior is passed on to a cat when it grows.

Cats probably think of us as chill big cats that take care of them, so they try to be there for us too.

So, it's nothing to be concerned about, but, if your kitty also shows her teeth and seems angry, you may have done something wrong. Cats do not hold grudges but it's a great idea to look into what the cause of that behavior might be.

Should the licking part hurt?

Now that we've established that your cat licking and biting you is fairly normal unless your cat seems aggressive, let's talk about if your cat's licking should feel hurtful.

Well, it depends. Your kitty's tongue has pointed papillae which sure hurt a bit but not much.

A playful cat doesn't bite too deep, so it shouldn't be an issue to you. 

If your cat really wants to hurt you by biting, you should monitor your kitty for behavioral issues and try to figure out if something is wrong.

It can be serious sometimes, and taking your kitty to a vet is also a good idea.

Does your cat seem uncomfortable? Is it incapable of finding itself around you or doesn't play around much? These problems can be solved with cat caves. Get to know more about how your adorable little friend can benefit from cat cave.

Final Thoughts

Your kitty licking and biting you is probably nothing and your beloved pet just wants to shower you with love or play with you.

There's also a slim chance that it's because you are annoying your cat by petting excessively, so you might want to pay attention to that.