My Cat Bites When I Scratch Its Butt
Overweight cats often chew at the air or anything nearby when you scratch the top of their tail. Because heavy cats can’t bend far enough to properly reach and bite the itchy area at the base of their tail, this behavior seems to be a reflex—an outlet for the chewing they’d prefer to do directly on their tail but physically can’t. This can become a problem if one person is petting the cat’s head while another is scratching near the tail, as the biting might catch a hand unexpectedly.
Some owners worry the cat is in pain, thinking the biting indicates arthritis or tenderness, but the cat is usually not angry or hurting. Instead, the behavior is likely a mix of pleasure and frustration.
Is there a way to address this? Yes, to some extent. Gradual weight loss can help cats better reach and groom themselves, but it must be slow to avoid fatty liver disease, a dangerous condition that can result from rapid weight loss. Therefore, food intake should be carefully limited, never fully withheld, and abrupt diet changes should be avoided to prevent the cat from refusing to eat. Typically, reducing food by a small amount—like a tablespoon or two per day—is effective for slow weight reduction.
If the cat is itchy (pruritic), treating the underlying cause of the itch can also ease the rump-scratching behavior. Corticosteroids may help, but because they pose a risk of triggering diabetes in some cats, their use should be carefully considered.
