Why is my cat eating my hair? Find out now!

So, the other day, I noticed something kinda weird. My cat, Mittens, she’s been getting really into my hair lately. Like, not just sniffing it, but full-on chewing and eating it! I was pretty confused, so I decided to do some digging and figure out what’s going on.

First, I observed Mittens for a couple of days. I noticed that she tended to do this hair-eating thing mostly when I was relaxing on the couch or in bed. It seemed like she was trying to cuddle or something. This got me thinking that maybe it was some kind of affection thing.

Then I started looking stuff up online. I typed “why is my cat eating my hair” into the search bar and, boom, tons of articles popped up. Apparently, it’s not that uncommon for cats to do this. I skimmed through a few of them, and a lot of them mentioned that cats might chew on your hair to show they care. It’s like their way of grooming you, just like they do with other cats they’re close to.

• Affection

I learned that it is a sign of bonding. Kind of sweet, I guess, but still kinda gross to have your hair chewed on.

• Scent

Cats are big on smells. It turned out that my hair probably smells like me, which might be comforting to Mittens. Makes sense, I guess. It’s something unique of my own scent, I thought.

• Texture

Then there’s the texture. Some articles suggested that cats might just like the feel of hair. Since she loves to knead on soft blankets, maybe my hair feels good to her too.

But then I saw some stuff about other reasons, like stress or health problems. One article even mentioned that kittens who are taken away from their moms too early might do this. I doubted that last one was the case with Mittens, since I got her when she was old enough, but I still decided to call the vet, just in case, make sure there wasn’t anything wrong health-wise. They assured me that it’s usually normal behavior, but it’s always good to check if it’s excessive.

So, I decided to try a few things to see if I could curb the hair-eating habit. I started brushing Mittens more often, hoping that some regular grooming on her own fur might satisfy her. I also made sure she had plenty of toys to keep her entertained and tried to give her more attention overall, playing with her more and giving her lots of cuddles.

I also made an effort to create a calm environment for her. I noticed that she seemed a bit stressed when there was a lot of noise or activity, so I tried to keep things chill and peaceful.

After a few weeks of doing all this, I started to see a bit of a difference. Mittens still nibbled on my hair occasionally, but it wasn’t as much as before. It seemed like a combination of showing her affection in other ways, keeping her entertained, and making sure she wasn’t stressed was helping.

It’s still a work in progress, but I feel like I’m on the right track. At least now I know it’s probably not something to worry too much about, and it’s just one of those quirky cat things. I guess I’ll just have to accept that my cat likes to “groom” me, even if it means having a few less strands of hair!