Finally figured out why my cat kept attacking my feet at 3am...

I spent six months thinking my cat was just being a jerk when she'd pounce on my ankles in the middle of the night. Tried ignoring her, tried spraying her with water, neither one worked for more than a day. Then I read about how cats need a structured play schedule, especially right before bed. So for the last two weeks I've been doing 15 minutes of laser pointer chasing at 10pm, followed by a small treat to simulate the whole hunt-catch-kill-eat cycle. It's made a huge difference. She still gets the zoomies sometimes but she doesn't go for my feet anymore. Has anyone else had luck with timing their play sessions to match their cat's natural hunting instincts?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel_rivera10d ago

Yeah totally. The play before bed trick worked for me too.

finleythomas9d ago

Whoa wait, hold up. You saying you went six months thinking your cat was just flat out being a jerk? That is wild to me. I would have lost my mind way sooner, probably would have been sleeping with socks on and shoes by the bed. I gotta give you credit for sticking it out that long without trying to figure out the 'why' behind it. Most people I know would have just rehomed the cat or started sleeping in a different room. It's seriously impressive you finally cracked the code yourself, though.