If your cat has been attacking you at night, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why does my cat attack me at night? The most likely reason why your cat attacks you at night is that it is when your cat naturally wants to hunt things.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat attacks you at night and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my cat attack me at night?
Below are likely reasons why your cat attacks you at night and what would make each of them more likely.
Your cat wants to hunt at night
In the wild, cats are often nocturnal animals. This means they are most active at night, unlike humans, who are generally active during the day. Even though your kitty might spend a lot of his time sleeping or lounging around during the day, his internal “clock” tells him when to be active, and night is the prime time for him to be on the prowl.
The reason why your cat starts attacking you at night is likely to be that your cat naturally has a lot more energy at that time and naturally wants to hunt things. This would be more likely if your cat seems to be playing when it attacks you.
Intimidation
A part of the reason might also be that you interact with your cat differently at night. If you tend to be louder around it, you touch it more firmly or pick your cat up more at night, the cause could be that your cat is intimidated. This would be more likely if your cat also does things such as hiss and move away from you.
You move about
If your cat attacks you, while you are in bed, the cause could be that your cat sees you as prey because of how you move around in the bed. In this case, it would be an option to get your cat to sleep in a different room at night.
An issue with the room it stays in
It might be the case that your cat has been doing it due to something in the environment causing your cat to be anxious. This would be more likely if your cat attacks you more at a certain time such as when there are noises inside or another animals around.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
If your cat has always attacked you at night
If your cat did not always attack you at night, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started doing it. If your cat started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in its environment at night or a change in how you interact with it at night.
The timing of when your cat attacks you
It would also help to consider the timing of when your cat attacks you at night. For example, if your cat does it when you are in bed, it would be more likely that your cat thinks you are prey due to how you move about under the covers.
What to do about my cat attacking me?
Below are some things to options you have to deal with the behavior.
Distract your cat
One option would be to give your cat things to be distracted by such as toys or a scratch post so that it is less likely to bother you when it is full of energy.
Give your cat somewhere else to stay
If your cat currently sleeps in the same room as you and attacks you when you are trying to sleep, one option would be to get your cat to sleep in a different room by putting a bed down for it to sleep on somewhere else.
Limit reasons why your cat might be anxious
It would also help to limit reasons why it might get anxious at night such as by letting it stay in a quiet room where there is a safe place for it to sleep.
Get help
If your cat has been behaving very unusually, another option would be to take your cat for a checkup with the vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular cat and to rule out medical causes.