There’s nothing quite like a cat attacking your head at night. There you are, sound asleep, then your cat whacks you on the face with its paws and claws. Why do cats do this? This post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my cat attack my head at night? Likely reasons why your cat attacks your head at night are that it is naturally more energetic at night, you move your head about, or that something is causing your cat to get anxious.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat attacks your head at night and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Reasons why your cat attacks your head at night
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat attacks your head at night and what would make them more likely.
Nature
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 attacks your head at night is most likely to be that it naturally has a lot more energy at that time and naturally wants to hunt things.
Something causing it to be anxious
It might be the case that your cat has been attacking your head due to something causing it to be anxious. This would be more likely if your cat does it more at a certain time such as when there are noises inside or another animals around.
It sees you as prey
If your cat attacks your head, while you are in bed, the cause might be that it sees your head as prey because 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.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.
If your cat always attacked your head at night
If your cat has not always attacked your head at night, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If your cat started doing it suddenly, it might be the case that there was an event that caused it to start. If it did start doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in the way you interact with it at night or because something has been causing it to be anxious.
What is different when your cat does not attack your head at night
If your cat has only been attacking your head on certain nights, it would also help to consider what is different on the nights that it does paw at your head. For example, if it only does it when you are playing with it, the cause would be likely to be that it is playing.
What to do about your cat attacking your head on you at night
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Get it to stay elsewhere
If your cat currently sleeps in the same room as you and it attacks your head when you are trying to sleep, one option would be to get your cat to sleep in a different room.
Wear it out during the day
Another thing to do would be to wear your cat out during the day by playing with it, giving it toys to use and things such as a scratch pad.
Make it easier for it to sleep
It would help to make sure that the room your cat stays in, at night, is not too hot, bright, loud, and that there is a safe space for it to lie down on.