Did you know that cat attacks are the leading cause of nocturnal leg trauma? There are many theories as to why cats go for legs at night and this post will show them to you.
So, why does my cat attack my legs at night? Likely reasons why your cat attacks your legs at night are that it naturally has more energy at night, you move your legs about, or that your cat has been getting anxious at night.
There are multiple reasons why your cat might attack your legs at night and it might be due to a combination of them. 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.
Reasons why your cat attacks your legs at night
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat attacks your legs at night and what would make them more likely.
Nature
In the wild, cats are often nocturnal animals. Even though your kitty might spend a lot of its time sleeping or lounging around during the day, its internal “clock” tells it when to be active, and night is the prime time for it to be on the prowl. The reason why your cat attacks your legs 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 could be the case that your cat has been attacking your legs 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 pets around.
It sees you as prey
If your cat attacks your legs, while you are in bed, the cause might be that it sees your legs as prey because you move your legs 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 things to consider to help figure out the main reason.
If your cat always attacked your legs at night
If your cat has not always attacked your legs at night, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started doing it. If your cat started pawing at your legs 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 legs at night
If your cat has only been attacking your legs on certain nights, it would also help to consider what is different on the nights that it does go after your legs. For example, if it only does it when you are playing with it, the cause would be likely to be that your cat is playing.
What to do about your cat attacking your legs on you at night
Below are 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 legs 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.
Wear it out during the day
Something else 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.