[mgow]

My 8-month-old female kitty has an obsession with chewing on my hair. It seems that nothing brings her more bliss than to chew on my hair while purring and kneading my hair. Whenever I pick her up or pat her, she tries to get at it, which I don't let her do.

She is an otherwise well-adjusted, healthy kitty and gets along well with our other kitty, a male of the same age. They are both spayed/neutered. I have shoulder-length hair and don't use anything strange on it (not even hairspray or gel), and our other cat doesn't have any particular interest in it.

All I can think is that she thinks it might be her mother and she is looking for food or comfort. Shouldn't she be over this by 8 months old and having lived with us for almost 6 months? She is a sweet and affectionate cat, but I have to lock her out of the bedroom when I sleep because she keeps me awake all night kneading and purring and chewing. How can I get her to stop?

 

[kitkat]

Have you tried firmly saying "NO" everytime she does it? Sometimes even spraying them with water will get them to realize chewing hair = water spraying. I heard sometimes if they are taken away from their mommy too soon they can sometimes behave in ways where they are still acting like a baby when they are older.

One of my cats love playing with my hair when its swinging around b/c she probably thinks its moving curtains or something but then again, I have long hair and she only does this when I brush it or something.

I heard they have a bitter apple spray to repel cats from chewing wires and such but hey I wouldnt recommend putting that stuff in your hair just so your cat will stop playing with it! It may work though but not good for your hair I think. Just try disciplining them with a firm "NO" and water squirts, at that age they are still growing and learning :wink:

 

[Aonir]

Several of my cats LOVE my hair. It's to my mid-back. They really like it when it's wet to. Like you, I don't put anything in my hair. I just pull the kits away and hide my head, lol

 

[Wayne]

Cats playing in your hair is usually a kitten thing. I had one who would do this until I sprayed him a couple of times with a water sprayer. Sometimes when you get up in the morning your pet may not be as affectionate after being sprayed in the night for nursing in your hair. However, if you feed him something that he really likes, often the ill-feelings go away very quickly.

 

[stu]

My cat Jazz does that most mornings.
She comes in at about 5am (!) or later, jumps on to the pillow and licks my hair a bit, then takes a bite!
The first time it happened, I almost had a heart attack, but if I brush her away a couple of times, she gets the message.
But if it is a problem, I would tap her (not too hard) on the nose and say "NO!", or squirt her with water (but not in the face).

 

[arclyte]

kitties in my hair!

my two kittens seem to like my hair too, but not quite in the same way. my hair is getting pretty long now (for me at least) and whenever it hangs down they'll try to attack it. it's scary sometimes, i have this cute placid little kitty sitting in my lap and a lock of hair will shift and they look up at me with that devilish "about to prounce" look and launch at my head with their claws out. i haven't had them miss yet but it's a bit unnerving to have kitty claws flying at your face. otherwise it's pretty cute though, they just scratch at my hair and chew on it a bit. i usually just brush them off or put a hat on. i just blame it on them being kittens because they attack anything that moves, and even most things that don't, at this point. they haven't played with my hair when i'm laying down, though, just when it's hanging down like so many piece of string, just calling to them...

 

[JenUrich]

How neat, I always wondered if this happened to other people! One of my cats LOVES to lay in my hair when I'm sleeping or in bed. Actually, if I'm laying down ANYWHERE, he'll come over and lay next to me, put his face in my hair and just lay there for awhile. It's cute, except when he starts kneading and tangling my hair, that's where I draw the line. Ow.