Why Your Cat Attacks Your Ankles and How to Stop It

Owning a cat can bring great joy, but it sometimes comes with challenges. One such challenge is when your cat attacks your ankles out of nowhere.

In this article, we will explain why cats tend to bite ankles and how you can train your pet to stop this unpleasant behavior.

Why Cats Attack Ankles? Putting It in Perspective

While we used the word “attack” in the title and introduction for clarity, it’s important not to view this behavior as a real attack that involves violence or intentional harm. It’s crucial not to demonize the cat; understanding the behavior and its motivations allows us to address the situation without unnecessary emotional baggage.

We won’t keep you in suspense: the behavior is rooted in play aggression. As Jackson Galaxy, a cat behavior expert, puts it, in a cat’s eyes, play is equivalent to hunting. Imagine the raw cat, the one from which our pets have evolved. This cat’s life revolved around hunting, eating, grooming, and sleeping. While our feline friends have been domesticated, their instinct for hunting remains deeply ingrained. As kittens grow up and learn how to play with each other, this process becomes a precursor to hunting behavior.

Furthermore, cats are known to sleep for 18–20 hours to recharge their energy reserves for hunting. Even house cats produce this energy, which they need to release somehow, especially when they no longer need to hunt. In the absence of mice, rats, lizards, and bugs, the owner’s ankle becomes the target. Make no mistake: the cat does not believe the owner’s Achilles tendon is prey. It’s simply a way of getting attention and demanding interaction. To put it simply, it’s the cat’s way of signaling, “Pay attention to me!”

How to Solve the Problem

The solution is much simpler than explaining the complete background. As you may have guessed, the cat needs to burn off its excess energy with some playtime. Essentially, your task is to provide a suitable “victim” for this play aggression. And what might this be? It’s simple: any interactive toy that moves like prey and keeps those sharp claws at a safe distance. Our favorite cat toy is the feather wand.

If ankle-biting occurs at specific times (usually in the evening before bed or in the morning after waking up), it means you’re doing something right. This indicates a routine that the cat is responding to, which makes it easier to build on. If your pet is accustomed to playing before bedtime or before you leave, and then receives food (the reward after a “hunt”), you can be almost certain that it won’t use your ankle bone as a scratching post anymore.

Conclusion

In short, the wisest action is to provide your cat with an engaging play session with some interactive toy before bedtime, followed by its last meal of the day. If you do this, not only will you solve the problem mentioned in the title, but your cat will also be more balanced. If you still observe occasional energy outbursts, feel free to use a wind-up or automatic toy mouse, a stuffed animal, or anything that rattles and makes noise to catch your cat’s attention. These tools will easily divert its attention, allowing it to play even when you can’t focus on it completely.