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Why does my cat bite my legs in the morning?

Cats are adorable, cuddly creatures who keep us company throughout the day. Sometimes, however, they do weird things, such as to bite your legs in the morning. This post will show you why your cat might be biting your legs in the morning and what you can do about it.

So, why does my cat bite my legs in the morning? Likely reasons why your cat bites your legs in the morning are that it naturally has more energy in the morning or that it is trying to get you to get up and feed it.

There are a number of possible reasons why your cat bites your legs in the morning and it might be due to a combination of them. 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 bites your legs in the morning

Below are likely reasons why your cat bites your legs in the morning and what would make them more likely.

Nature

In the wild, cats are often lively in the late evening and early morning. 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 the early morning is the prime time for it to be on the prowl.

The reason why your cat goes after your legs, in the morning, is likely to be that it naturally has a lot more energy at that time and naturally wants to hunt things. This would be more likely if your cat also does things such as run around a lot and play with things in the morning and if your cat chases your legs when you are moving around.

It wants something from you

Another likely cause is that your cat wants something from you, such as food, and your cat is trying to remind you to give it to it. Wanting something from you would be more likely if your cat tends to bite your legs more before you have given it food it in the morning. It would also be more likely if it does it on weekends when you get up later than usual.

Intimidation

It might also be the case that you have been causing it to get intimidated in the morning. This would be more likely if you interact with it differently in the morning and if your cat also does things such as hiss and scratch when it bites your legs.

It is anxious

The cause might also be that something has been causing your cat to be anxious. This would be more likely if grabs your legs it more when there are loud noises inside or other pets around that it does not like.

It wants attention

It could also be the case that your cat pounces on your legs in order to get more attention and it has learned that the behavior results in you giving it attention. This would be more likely if your cat does not sleep in the same room as you and it tends to attack your legs when it first sees you in the morning. It would also be more likely if you tend to give your cat more attention when it bites your legs.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been dong it.

If your cat has always bitten your legs in the morning

If your cat did not bite your legs, in the past, 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 the way you interact with it in the morning; which would be more likely if it does not only bite your legs, a change in the time you feed it or a change in its environment.

What is different when your cat does not bite your legs in the morning

If your cat does not bite your legs on every morning, it would also help to consider what is different when it does not bite your legs. For example, if your cat tends to bite them more on the weekend, the cause could be that it is expecting you to get up at the same time you do during the week.

What to do about your cat biting your legs in the morning

Below are some things you can do to get your cat to stop doing it.

Give it distractions

A partial solution would be to give your cat things to be distracted by such as toys. This would be more helpful if your cat tends to be very energetic in the morning and if your cat tends to do things such as chase your legs around.

Feed it sooner and give it access to water

If it seems like your cat might be biting your legs because it is trying to get you to get up and feed it, it would likely help to feed it and give it access to water as soon as you get up instead of making it wait.

Avoid encouraging it

It would also help to avoid giving your cat things such as extra attention when it does bite your legs since your cat might have learned that the behavior is rewarded. Instead, it would help to move your cat somewhere else, when it bites your legs, and to give it attention when it is behaving the way you want.