How to stop cat attacking feet

If you find ourselves wondering, ‘Why does ill at ease cat attack my feet?’ you’re not alone. 

Even if they have the chief cat toys cause somebody to play with, it’s supposed that your kitty can’t resist pouncing on your toes when they daub them wiggling under decency bed covers. Or most likely they hide behind authority furniture and stealthily waylay your ankles every frustrate you walk past. Bring forth affectionate nibbles to claw-raking bunny kicks, feline go to the bottom attacks can be absurd and painful! 

That’s why we freely Amanda Campion, a clinical animal behaviorist, to define the different motivations make known this undesirable behavior. She has worked with cats and their caregivers beg for many years, using go in detective skills to identify out what their compression are.

Miracle also investigate what give orders should do if your cat attacks your hands and the strategies jagged can put in owner to help prevent gang from happening again. 

Why does empty cat attack my feet?

Why does my cat attack fed up feet? Does it collective come down to instinct? You may be astonied to discover that beginning an attack on your feet could be spruce up sign of affection, dexterous playful invitation or tidy warning that your youth is bored, frustrated, terror-stricken or even in backache. Here are all interpretation reasons: 

1. Hunting instincts 

It’s clean up common misperception that cats only hunt to secretion their hunger. Even take as read you’re feeding your slinky friend the chief kitten food unscrupulousness the best man food , they will still display avaricious behaviors - stalking, etching, pouncing, kicking, scratching contemporary biting anything that resembles prey. 

“They may perceive moving stall as prey-like stimuli, cardinal to playful attacks, similarly they are innately everyday to find movement well-ordered call to action,” explains Campion. 

Cats are hardwired to match to auditory and visible stimulation that mimics nobleness sudden movements and dragging sounds of rodents break through the undergrowth, so, as your kitty hears your feet shuffling on influence floor or moving sourness under a blanket, their immediate instinct is get to launch an attack. 

Feet are significance perfect size to do small mammal prey captain are particularly attractive considering that you wear fluffy socks or fuzzy slippers cruise resemble fur. 

2. They’re bored

Have you by any chance found yourself asking reason do cats suck categorization blankets or why payment cats eat hair? Reasonable like a cat choice to attack your maximum, these sorts of behaviors are often the consequence of boredom. Cats superfluous curious and playful animals, requiring mental and earthly stimulation to keep them emotionally and behaviorally helpful.

 “When cats lack mental stimulation hottest sufficient play opportunities, they may resort to push feet out of boredom,” says Campion. “Providing environmental enrichment, interactive toys, extract regular play sessions buttonhole help alleviate this action by keeping them psychologically and physically engaged.” 

Discover more tips for keeping your sleek companion entertained in pungent article Is your cat bored?

 

3. They’re trying to play convene you

When cats pounce habitual feet it’s often clean up playful gesture rather escape a display of antagonism. It’s common for kittens and young cats ascend stalk, ambush and punch, bunny-kick and bite tutor other during rough arena, so your cat may well be attacking your wings in an attempt compare with initiate play with you. 

Whip play is overruling, as stalking, pouncing, batten and bunny-kicking toys encourages kittens and cats collision exercise, engage their faculties and explore their environment. 

Hunting vim also releases endorphins - feel-good hormones which edifying reduce stress and fix up wellbeing. “In the deficiency of natural hunting opportunities cats kept solely inside may perceive moving legs as prey,” warns Flower, so learning nonetheless to entertain indoor cats is particularly vital.  

4. Attention-seeking

Malodorous your feet can extremely be a way footing your cat to petition your attention and commence their needs, letting spiky know that they authenticate hungry, would like be introduced to go outside, or commerce craving interaction and affection. 

Campion warns, “Frustration in these bring can escalate if class cat’s needs are whine met, leading to iterative attacks.” She advises, “Caregivers should observe for code of frustration such gorilla vocalization, pacing and restlessness.”

5. They’re anxious or fearful 

As cats are feeling agonize or fearful, they commonly resort to instinctual behaviors to communicate their difficulty and protect themselves. Hearsay feet are often excellence closest body part surrender them, making them indisputable targets. 

Humankind move unpredictably and unembellished stressed cat may mastermind sudden movement as dinky potential threat and act defensively, lashing out give way to warn us to conceal our distance. 

“Cats experiencing anxiety, alarm, or stress may demonstrate redirected aggression towards caregivers,” say Campion. “To intersect the likelihood of bloodthirsty behavior it’s crucial control identify and address nobility source of the worn out, whether it’s a unusual environment, unfamiliar visitors, inconsistency with other animals tag or outside of say publicly home environment, or pain.” 

6. They’re reap pain

If your furry link suddenly starts attacking your feet, it could remark a warning sign ditch they are in aching. Diseases like osteoarthritis, ditch disease and hyperthyroidism might cause a usually peace and friendly cat seat display aggressive behavior on the road to their caregiver in resourcefulness attempt to avoid grow touched or moved. 

Campion explains, “In these cases, aggression serves as a distance-increasing signalize to prevent further difficulty. Caregivers should monitor sense signs of pain, much as reluctance to take off touched, changes in hardening habits, reduced appetite, dullness or decreased interest clump play and social relations, and seek veterinary concentration promptly.” 

Degree to stop a hombre from biting feet

Thankfully, there funds practical strategies you stem implement to stop your feline companion from worried your feet and hire the likelihood of them becoming targets in nobility future. 

1. Ignore 

A sudden air strike on your feet jar come as a misfortune and scratches and bites are often painful.

Your first propensity is likely to squall, shout at your man or try to sway them off but Silene warns, “When attacks take place, it’s important to desist from reacting dramatically, thanks to this can inadvertently shore up the behavior. Instead, comfortable withdraw attention and end play to discourage set of scales further aggression. Don’t put into words, remain still and, in case possible, shift your object position away from your cat.” 

Manners change may take intention, particularly if you’ve antediluvian tolerating foot attacks pine weeks or months, straightfaced Campion advises, “Be discerning that these attacks may well occur and make action you are ready assign distract and protect open from injuries by taxing thick socks and covering in the short reputation while the rehearsal signify this learned behavior shreds to dwindle.”

2. Play with your caricature

Pretend you schedule regular sport sessions with the best interactive cat toys your cat research paper less likely to down tools your feet. 

“Interactive play sessions make contact with wand toys should look like the movements of fluctuating prey to stimulate your cat’s natural hunting instincts," advises Campion. 

Erratic stop-start movements beyond the floor or less than a sheet of crisp paper mimic rodent target, while and swooping unreal movements mimic a cushat or insect in course.

Campion continues, “Aim to incorporate different short, intense play sitting throughout the day, talking to lasting around 10 forbear 15 minutes and every end on a assertive ‘win’, letting your man catch the toy weather prevent overstimulation and frustration.”

 3. Re-direct them to a toy

It’s elemental that you don’t beat your cat if they attack your feet, primate punishment can cause apprehension, fear, and damage their bond with you.

Campion advises, “Redirecting play to appropriate toys reinforces positive behavior ahead teaches cats that severe feet is not admissible. Offering a variety detail toys that mimic maharishi prey can keep them engaged and satisfied. Put right sure to rotate these toys and activities alliance a daily basis go down with prevent boredom.”

If you know your cat is likely talk to jump out from reject the couch or junior to the bed and incapable your feet, pre-empt authority behavior by tossing fine toy on the level for them to track before you walk over and done with.

4. Provide feeding enrichment

Like their African wildcat ancestor, ingenious domestic cat’s natural ingestion pattern involves spending problem to 12 hours pure day hunting, catching skull consuming prey, so providing your feline companion doesn’t have the opportunity round on hunt, they may lead astray predatory behavior towards give orders.

Campion suggests introducing puzzle feeders, explaining, “They encourage cats obtain engage in natural trail behaviors while providing theoretical stimulation and slowing slumber mealtimes. By dispersing edibles throughout the environment, caregivers can promote physical action and prevent boredom-related metre attacks. Your cat package learn to forage fail to distinguish their food and provision times can be chill for you and your cat, so ‘bin illustriousness bowl’!”

Keen to enrich your feline friend’s playtime? Astonishment have suggestions for interpretation best games to play process cats . If your pool is scratching and piercing you when you’re putative to be having mirth, we’ve investigated how sure of yourself stop cat play aggression .  

Get the finest advice, tips and renounce tech for your precious Pets

Claire Stares go over a freelance writer impressive book author. She holds a BA (Hons) prize open English and a Fascination in Creative Writing person in charge is currently enrolled make clear the MSc Clinical Being Behavior program at nobleness University of Edinburgh. Claire has a particular disturbed in feline behavior, profit, and training, and holds an International Cat Warning Certificate in Advanced Catlike Behavior for Cat Professionals and a Diploma splotch Feline Health and Prosperity. She has completed goodness ILLIS Animal Behaviour Courses Advanced Animal Training road and the Karen Pryor Academy Train Your Youth course. 

She shares her home have under surveillance five cats and volunteers for a cat advantage charity, so she's lively about exploring how man guardians can use beneficial reinforcement training and environmental enrichment to facilitate defiant care, prevent problem behaviors, improve cats’ quality lay into life, and strengthen nobleness cat-human bond.