Why Does My Cat Attack My Feet? Reasons and Solutions

People get cats for interaction and joy, getting positive emotions, and introducing children to the world of animals. But no matter how much you love your feline friend, it probably attacks you periodically. Both medical and behavioral problems can cause this behavior. The problem is that you get bites and scratches, which are quite painful in themselves. Also, they can transmit certain diseases and cause nasty bacterial infections. If you don’t stop this type of behavior, it can start to pose a real danger to you. Cats have a bacterial environment in their saliva and mucous membranes and on the surface of their fur, claws, and skin. Pathogens can lead to infection, causing a pus discharge, swelling, and redness.

Reasons for Cat Attacks

Understanding the reasons for pet attacks and what you can do to stop such behavior will improve your relationship and communication with your cat. Perhaps the cat bites you because it wants to tell you something.

Here are some of the main reasons why do cats bite:

1. Children’s game

The kitten amuses itself with games; they like to track down a moving object and attack it. Also, kittens are too early weaned from their mother, and their siblings do not know the permissible limits of biting, so they are more likely to attack the owner and eat him. A kitten’s socialization period is from about two to eight weeks of age, and during this crucial stage, they learn how to interact appropriately from other cats as well as people.

Young kittens try to bite anything that moves, including their owners’ feet, when teething. This is normal behavior and does not require particular educational correction on the part of the owner. However, you can try to redirect this biting behavior by offering teething toys.

2. Bites and scratches of a pet in adolescence

During puberty, the pet’s behavior may change negatively. A cat throws itself on its feet and bites. This is how grown-up females and males show aggression and irritation to people. If you do not plan to breed, it is better to carry out castration or sterilization, depending on the sex of the animal. While there is no guarantee that this would improve aggression, it generally proves beneficial when used in combination with training techniques and other methods.

3. Hunting instinct

Attacking human feet, kittens, and adult cats realize their hunting instinct. Although this is natural, it is worth an owner correcting a furry pet’s behavior to protect their own limbs from scratches. Never punish a cat for this natural behavior. Instead, use positive reinforcement training. When the cat plays nicely and ignores feet, they are rewarded with praise and treats. As soon as any biting starts, we must completely ignore them; this means no talking to them or looking at them for at least 2 minutes. For most, this will drive them crazy, as their aim is to seek attention. They will soon learn that biting gets them nowhere.

READ MORE: Cat Scratching Ears

4. Boredom

Adult cats can attack their owners for lack of attention. The cat is forced to attract attention or find entertainment on its own if you do not play with your pet. Cats can bite because they want to diversify their daily activities somehow. Perhaps the cat attacks you because of a lack of toys and other types of stimulation that could occupy it. He may be bored, and you seem like an easy target for entertainment. An insufficient amount of interactive playing time can also cause pet attacks. A small problem can become a big one if you don’t stop the animal in time.

5. Sexual instinct

During mating periods, unsterilized cats may not be able to control their behavior. Regardless of gender, the pet is agitated continuously, so it can attack you for no reason.

6. Health problem

If the cat has never bitten you before and then suddenly started eating when you touch a particular place on the body, it may have something that hurts. Unfortunately, our pets can’t tell if they’re feeling ill, so when the pain comes, the cat can jump up and grab you. If you suspect that your kitty is not healthy — not happy, does not allow itself to be petted, and does not want to play — it is better to bring it to the veterinarian to detect the problem. Often, the issue is not something that an owner can quickly identify, such as a bad tooth, ear infection, or arthritis.

However, it should be remembered that these animals do not like people touching their bellies or the base of the tail — this is an instinctive behavior of protection, which you need to put up with.

7. Manifestation of love

Cats bite not only from pain or anger but also from love! In the wild, cats chew each other at the moment of courtship, as well as during friendly communication.

A cat’s “kiss” is usually not painful and won’t break the skin, because they have learned to measure their efforts in childhood, and is accompanied by tongue licking. It looks like this: lick, bite, lick again.

8. Stress is the cause of aggression

The cat bites and scratches your legs due to severe stress, anxiety, illness, or pain experienced by the pet. The cat may eat because it holds a grudge against you or one of your guests treated it with disdain. Stressful factors, such as the arrival of a new family member, rearranging furniture, or moving, can also cause aggression. A cat often bites a person’s feet when changing their residence because they are afraid. She may do this from fatigue, for example, after a long road trip or traveling with a pet.[1]

In this case, the owner must show patience and care to heal the animal to achieve psychological and emotional comfort.

Try to maintain a stable home environment for a cat and to establish a predictable routine to minimize stress. Promote calm by keeping a cat’s mind occupied with a combination of toys, puzzles, and activities.

9. Overstimulation

The cat may bite due to overexcitation from petting. This phenomenon is not uncommon in cats and is called pet-induced aggression. If the cat is not neutered, then this behavior is natural for him, as it corresponds to how male cat grabs the female cat with his teeth at the time of mating. They do not control this behavior. Also, the cause of bites can be a lot of unspent energy. The cat should be able to be actively awake, hunt (play), solve mental problems (how to catch a mouse? How to get food?) at least 6 hours a day. If the cat does not receive such mental and physical stress, then its energy will seek an outlet in other forms of behavior, including aggression.[3]

10. Frustration

Imagine your cat is sitting on the window and watching what is happening outside. Suddenly she sees a strange cat or other animals walking there. She immediately becomes very aroused, as she sees this as an encroachment on her territory, the cat adopts an aggressive posture, hisses, or growls. At this time, your second pet enters the room, and the excited cat attacks her aggressively. This is redirected aggression.

Redirected aggression occurs when a cat behaves aggressively towards a nearby animal or person that is not the immediate source of its aggression. Unpredictable and sometimes very violent, therefore dangerous, this aggression is one of the most common forms of feline aggression. It can have serious, life-changing consequences for the entire family. Often this behavior occurs when a cat sees an unfamiliar cat, but it can be caused by anything – a loud noise, a smell, a stranger, or any other source of discomfort.

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