Grandpa Mason making biscuits and love "biting" Puck the kitten - TinyKittens.com

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So, what's the deal with the neck "biting"? In the video, Mason is very relaxed, sleepy, and feeling snuggly. You can tell because of the enthusiastic biscuits he's making on Puck, as well as the purring. He then escalates his behavior by appearing to bite her throat and hold on. It can look scary when you're watching on the livestream, but he's actually just putting his teeth on her and holding her in place. In his case, it is never an act of aggression. In this case, it is an expression of his feelings of comfort and affection.

It is similar to Nel comfort nursing on her pacifier. My other cats do it all the time to each other - snuggle, put their teeth on each other, groom each other, and sometimes that progresses to play fighting. Cassidy the #MiracleKitten will bite my neck when he's really into his biscuit-making. We've seen almost all of our mama cats do this to their kittens once the kittens get older and the moms want to start playing with them.

We also see it when kittens get overly exuberant with their moms, and the moms want to teach them to behave. Mason has done this too, which is great since the kittens don't have a mom to teach them proper kitten manners. :)

So, rest assured we are observing Mason closely and he is not doing anything concerning. He is not being aggressive, and is actually helping with the kittens' socialization.

All of that said, he is supervised when he has play time with the kittens, because he is so much bigger than they are and gets SO excited. :D

It is important to note that in some cases, neck/throat biting IS a sign of aggression and/or dominance. If this is happening with your cats, it is important to monitor them closely and observe their behavior to try to understand what is motivating it. Take videos when it happens, and document what each cat was doing leading up to the incident. Bring this to your vet to help them come up with a plan to address any inappropriate or potentially harmful behavior.

Hopefully that helps!

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