Like all animals, your Savannah cat will likely bite you from time to time. There is typically a reason behind the bite. Depending on what generation your Savannah cat, it will likely be more domestic than feral from its serval side. As such, the cat bites in order to tell you something.
Here are some of the scenarios that may lead to your Savannah cat biting you.
The first is that the cat may be trying to tell you that it’s done being pet. While Savannah cats love being social and pet, everyone has their limits. If your cat is done being pet and wants to be left alone, then it might bite your fingers or hand to tell you to go away.
Another situation may be because it wants to assert its dominance. Because it shares some feral genes, your cat may feel a need to prove itself the alpha of the family. This is especially problematic if you have young children that the cat is trying to dominate.
In this case, the cat might bite your hand or ankles. It may even try to pin your limbs. For young children, this can be a terrifying and confusing encounter. Yet the cat is just trying to establish its place in the chain of command.
Because there are only a few generations separating a Savannah cat from a serval, it may also feel the need to claim its territory. This is true of most pets. Even dogs that have been domesticated for centuries feel the need to mark their territory.
A Savannah cat may do this by biting when someone encroaches on a spot they’ve claimed for themselves. They may hiss a warning. If the intruder continues to encroach on their territory, then they might bite if a hand is extended to it. This is just a way for the cat to tell you that you’re not welcome in their private space.
Finally, a Savannah cat may also bite because it’s being playful. Nibbling is a sign of affection among most animals. While you may not particularly enjoy the feeling, the cat is just expressing how much fun it is to play with you.
What Does It Mean When Your Pet Cat Bites You?
It can be difficult to understand exactly why your cat is biting you. It pays to understand its ancestry and how animals communicate to derive the meaning behind the bite. If your cat is hissing at you, then it’s warning you to stay away. This may be because it wants to be left alone. While Savannah cats are typically social creatures, especially compared to other cats, it has its limits as well.
It may also hiss at you if you’re encroaching on its territory.
If you hear hissing, then you should back off from the cat. It’s trying to tell you that it wants to be left alone. If you force your presence on the cat, then it’s naturally going to give you a different indicator that it wants to be left alone. A bite is that next indicator.
To tell if your cat is biting you because it’s happy, you have to consider the rest of its body language and the context of the situation. Were you playing with the cat? Was the cat just hunting in the house? If so, then it may be biting because it’s feeling playful. After a hunt, its instincts may still be on alert. It may prompt the cat to bite instead of playfully swatting with its paws.
Understanding your cat’s body language can help you determine the emotion and meaning behind its bite.
Are Savannah Cats Aggressive?
If your cat bites often, then you may wonder if it’s aggressive. While Savannah cats stem from servals, which are aggressive and wild, your cat has a few domestic genes floating through its system as well. This curbs any form of aggression that your cat may have inherited from its ancestor.
In the event that your Savannah is acting aggressive, then it’s usually with a reason. They may not be receiving enough playtime or mental stimulation. This can make them bored. When they’re bored, they tend to perform destructive behavior like dogs. They might destroy some property or bite at your fingers.
They’ve learned that if they want to gain your attention, then they need to be bad in order to receive it. To curb that behavior, you should regularly play with your cat and ensure they’re given the proper amount of exercise.
You can also give them lots of toys to work out any kind of aggression that they might have inherited. Instead of biting fingers and pouncing on people, the cat will run around the house with their toy instead.
How To Train Your Savannah Cat Not To Bite in 3 Steps
It’s possible to curb bad behavior like biting with training. This YouTube video below offers an extensive look at why cats bite and how you can curb this behavior.
Otherwise, you can follow the steps below.
- Understand Your Cat’s Triggers
A cat bites when it’s triggered. That may be because it’s playfully biting, scared, or annoyed. Understanding the trigger is the first step in correcting the behavior. First, make a list of the times when your cat bites and make a note of what was happening to and around the cat at the time. Were they grooming themselves? Did they just finish hunting or playing? Or had they been receiving a lot of attention?
Answering these questions can start to formulate the reasons behind why they’re biting in the first place.
- Find a Deterrent
To curb the behavior, you first have to associate biting with something unpleasant that will make the cat less likely to continue doing it. Some deterrents may be a spray bottle, a can full of coins, or even removing the cat from the room.
- Reward Good Behavior
Once your cat stops biting in the face of the trigger, you’ll want to reward it with treats. Only reward the cat if it doesn’t bite when its trigger is set-off. If it does bite, then use the deterrent. Repeat until the behavior is changed.