Why Do Cats Bite Feet In The Morning?

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Why Do Cats Bite Feet?

Sneak past your cat while she’s in full-blown ‘hunting mode,’ and she’ll clench your ankle between her razor-sharp teeth when you least suspect it. Innocently wiggle your toes beneath the duvet in the morning, and Fluffy’s eyes will bulge before she pounces — and gnaws — on your feet through the blanket. It’s a painfully adorable habit, but you can’t help but wonder: Why do cats bite feet – especially in the morning?

Cats bite feet because it mimics chasing, hunting, and pouncing on a rodent in the wild. This weird foot-chomping behavior can also be a cry for attention, a painful invitation to pay, or even mildly-aggressive (pent-up energy or boredom). How you react to the biting can feed into the behavior.

You can’t quite place your finger on your cat’s overzealous foot-biting obsession. But as painful as it is to feel those teeth sinking into your ankle, this behavior is rarely mean-spirited or aggressive. To learn about why cats bite feet, read on!

Why Cats Bite Feet: The Truth

This foot-gnawing habit only strengthens the belief that all cats are evil or devilish — which you know isn’t true. Like nearly everything else felines do (including those ‘zoomies’ after pooping and chirping at finches on the patio), this agonizing habit often stems from deeper instincts.

The most likely explanations for this behavior are:

The Thrill of the Hunt

It’s hard to believe as Fluffy’s purring up a storm or gently rubbing her face on your cheek (bunting) that she has a deeply-rooted urge to kill — even if she’s always been an indoor pet. But these swift and stealthy hunters are also wholly responsible for driving many rare bird species toward extinction, killing 2.4 billion birds a year (plus billions of more rodents).Why Do Cats Bite Feet?

While feral cats rely on these hardwired skills to survive in the wilderness, most hunts stem from one thing: Thrill-chasing. Your toes wiggling under the sheets get those hunting urges tingling (just like when Fluffy sees rustling leaves caused by a burrowing chipmunk). Your cat will crouch down and stalk your feet, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce and bite.

Beware: Cats aren’t known for being graceful hunters. On top of delivering a powerful clench around a rodent’s neck (your feet, in this scenario), felines have a disturbing habit of playing with their dead prey. There’s nothing like adding insult to injury.

A Desperate Cry for Attention

Cats among the neediest and attention-seeking solitary critters, desperately craving attention and affection from their empathetic owners but asking in the most unconventional ways. Sometimes it’s an exposed belly, pawing at your outstretched arm, or relentlessly meowing. Other times, it’s piercing your feet with her sharp canines until you finally cave and snuggle!

When these oh-so-subtle cues don’t cause a reaction, your cat will ramp up her efforts to something that always seems to work: Biting. If you’re lounging on the couch or working at your desk, your feet (and ankles) become prime targets, partially because Fluffy can get a firm grip on them with both her paws and teeth.

These foot bites can be your cat’s way of signaling:

  • I want to play.
  • The food/water bowl is empty.
  • It’s getting close to dinner time.
  • Stop petting her; pet me instead.
  • Why aren’t you petting me?
  • Hey, wake up already.
  • The litter box is dirty.
  • I’m bored.

Unfortunately, this often sets off a vicious cycle. Your cat learns that biting your foot shifts your attention directly onto her. Yes, even if it’s merely shouting “ouch!” or reluctantly petting her to stop the biting.

A Painful Play Invitation

While cats are relatively self-sufficient and offensively aloof until they need something, you’re also their ultra-large, absurdly hairless playmate. When the urge to chase or wrestle consumes her one-track mind, your cat will use what’s available to her to release this pent-up energy!

The downside is that it winds up being your bare foot, more often than not. On top of munching on your toes, your overzealous, rambunctious cat might:

  • Wrap her front legs around your lower leg
  • Bunny-kick your feet
  • Suddenly sprint away (‘now, you chase me!’)

These painful ambush attacks mimic how cats stalk, pounce on, and mouth one another. Of course, these unexpected play sessions are far less painful when you have thick skin and hair covering you from nose to tail.

How To Stop a Cat From Biting Feet

The first foot pounce is a little spooky, though you might clench your chest and chuckle when you realize it’s just Fluffy being her spunky self. But when your guests become unsuspecting victims or those clenched bites cause cat-scratch disease, it’s time to do something about it.

You can stop a cat from biting feet by doing the following.

Give Your Cat More Attention

A chomp-happy cat could be demanding attention from its favorite human, meaning you’re long overdue for a petting session or even playtime. Offer chin scratches, a 15-minute laser chase, or a cuddly afternoon nap to fulfill these demands before they take a more painful twist.

Toss a Toy to Redirect the Biting

Your bare foot reminds Fluffy of a wiggling squirrel in the wild, so satisfy this hunting instinct in another way. Toss a rodent-sized stuffed animal that your kitty can pounce on, wrestle, and finally ‘kill’ while she’s in peak hunt mode — the ultimate distraction.

Push Your Foot Toward the Bite

The only thing that’ll make this mock hunt more exciting is if the prey (aka: your foot) tries to escape her toothy grasp! Instead of yanking your foot away instinctively, push it toward the bite and make a loud noise (how cats let their feline pals know the play has gotten too rough).

Don’t Use Your Feet as DIY ‘Toys’

As enticing as an exposed cat belly or ‘teasing’ your cat by poking her paws can be, you’re also encouraging her to see your skin and extremities as toys. Play sessions should always involve toys, or she’ll redirect this urge to hunt, bite, and kill onto you!

Watch for the Signs

Once this foot-biting obsession settles in as one of your cat’s ‘quirkier’ habits, put on your detective hat and watch closely. You’ll likely recognize one (or even all) of these signs before those dagger-like teeth sink in:

  • Dilated pupils (the black part becomes moon-like)
  • Crouching down, with her butt raised in the air (sometimes wiggling or shimmying)
  • Quietly stalking your feet (crawling toward the bed or hiding behind the door)
  • Reaching for or swatting at your toes (cats love to bat their prey around)

When your cat darts under the table with her butt raised as you walk by, you can better predict what comes next. Toss her a mouse toy or shine the laser — redirect that urge elsewhere!

If your cat’s foot-chomping habit has gotten painfully out of hand, the obsession likely carried on from kittenhood. The video below explains how to stop those buzzsaws while they’re still ‘mini’:

Conclusion

The toe-nibbling and ankle-clasping won’t end with one spray bottle spritz or a solo cuddle session on the couch. Until these habits entirely disappear, limit the searing pain by:

  • Wearing fleece socks, slippers, or shoes around the home
  • Covering your feet entirely with the blanket while cozying up in bed
  • Not teasing your cat purposely by moving your feet under the covers
  • Teaching your guests how to respond to the nips (reinforcement)

Old habits die hard, but remember that Fluffy takes her cues from you. The less you encourage this mock hunting, the more it’ll fade.

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