Cats are incredibly successful predators with outstanding hunting instincts, which is why they sleep so much. If they go after your feet at night, there’s not much you can do about it beyond locking them out of your room or getting really good blackout curtains, so they have trouble seeing the movement.
Of course, they’ll still hear the sound. Why do cats attack feet under blankets?
Cats attack feet under blankets because it triggers their innate hunting instinct to chase things. Although it may hurt, your kitty is trying to protect you, or at least play with you to teach you how to hunt better. Cats understand that the motion is your feet, but their instincts are on high alert to pursue prey.
Table of Contents
Why Does My Cat Attack My Feet Under The Covers
When your cat attacks your feet under the covers, it can be frustrating at best.
If they have claws and your blankets aren’t thick enough, you’re going to get poked in the feet, which can be incredibly painful, but they’re not trying to hurt you. Cats hunt and play by nature, and they want you to do the same.
Below are five reasons why cats attack your feet under blankets:
1 – Instinct
Housecats may attack your feet under the covers because they may be domesticated, but they still have instincts.
Hunting and eating small prey such as rats, mice, squirrels, and birds are part of their nature. Both feral and indoor-outdoor cats hunt.
Some strictly indoor cats also hunt insects and other pests. When your feet move under the blanket, it triggers the predator inside their brain.
2 – Amusement
Cats like to play. If your cat is attacking your feet under the blankets, they might just be doing it to entertain themselves.
Especially if you’ve encouraged this behavior at some point, then your kitty probably thinks it’s a game. Felines are curious, feisty, and fun-loving animals.
You can try getting them more toys to play with. Choose toys that move on their own. I recommend the ORSDA 2-in-1 Interactive Cat Toy from Amazon because it doesn’t roll around making tons of noise, and it doesn’t look like a creature under a blanket.
- 😻DOUBLE THE FUN FOR YOUR CAT - ORSDA 2in1 ambush interactive electronic cat toy has two fun ways to enjoy playtime! 1#The bright colored spinning ball zooms around the paw powered course firing up natural hunting instincts of batting fun. 2#The randomly-popping and unpredictable fluffy tail and feathers ignite a kitty’s desire to bat, pounce and kick.
- 😻RICH & REPLACEABLE ATTACHMENTS - Differ from other single-functional ambush feather cat toys, ORSDA cat feather toys add 4 types natural feathers with variability (3*Multicolored Feathers, 1*Purple Feather, 1*Fluffy Tail plus 1*Pearl Pheasant Feather) Cat loves it!! Reduce boredom setting in, while keeping your automatic cat toy remain long-lasting attractiveness!
- 😻EXERCISE & MENTAL STIMULATION - ORSDA cat enrichment toys will help keep your indoor cat stay physically and mentally active with multiple ways to play! Hands-off ways to keep your indoor cat entertained. More fun with multiple cats! Burn off your cat’s energy and stimulate their hunting instinct!
- 😻PAWS-FRIENDLY AND SAFE TRACK - ORSDA ball tracks cat toys with smooth and thick tracking edges ensures the safety of cats' paws. Pamper your fur-babies with ORSDA! We provide 18-month after-sales service. if you received a defective or used product, please contact us to get a satisfied solution.
3 – Saving You From A Threat
Your cat might think the movement under the blanket is a snake or other problem. In this case, your pet is trying to do you a favor.
They are protecting you from something they see as a danger in the home because they don’t understand that it’s part of you.
When your cat hisses and yowls at your feet under the blanket, it is trying to intimidate them or warn you that there’s a problem.
4 – Attention Seeking
Cats become very attached to their people, and they rely on us. Your pet could be attacking your feet under the blankets to get your attention.
Perhaps they are hungry, bored, or even lonely. Try giving them some cuddles and petting them because sometimes that’s all they need to stop going for your toes.
5 – Teaching You To Hunt
By far, the strangest reason cats attack your feet under the blankets is a combination of pity and good intentions. They think you can’t fend for yourself and are trying extremely hard to help.
Going for your toes under the blanket is just one of many feline attempts to teach us to handle our own pest control and get our lunch simultaneously.
When cats play with their kittens and peers, it is to help build hunting skills. Likewise, when they kill a mouse or other small creature, or even their favorite toy, and bring it to you, it is an attempt to show you the exact skills they’d show a kitten.
Plus, they’re making sure you eat. For the last several thousand years, cats have been making a concentrated effort to adopt people and teach them to hunt better.
Modern housecats are basically wild animals who are smart and take pity on humans in exchange for upgraded housing and a better medical plan.
As great hunters of small pest animals, cats appear to have shown up at human settlements around the time we stopped being nomads and began to cultivate our own food.
Food storage brought mice and other grain-eaters. That meant abundant cat food for them, but diseases and potential starvation for us.
The human-cat relationship is incredibly unique. For most domestic animals, we adopted them and purpose-bred them to suit human needs. Oddly, with cats, it seems it’s the other way around. Cats adopted humans.
National Geographic points out that the evidence for this is in their nearly unaltered DNA, which shows we didn’t breed them into their current form.
Cats are closer to their roots than any other domestic animal because they volunteered to be our companions and adapted their attitudes to suit the situation.
Helpful Tips To Know About Why Cats Attack Feet Under Blankets
If you’re tired of feeling like your pet uses your blanketed feet as a scratching post, you may need to put them out of your room while you sleep. Dealing with their loud meows of complaint is a whole different issue.
Here are some helpful tips to know about why cats attack feet under blankets.
- When your cat isn’t attacking in the traditional sense and tries to knead the blanket and suck on your feet once they’ve pounced, they may be woolsucking. This odd name is the term for when felines get in the habit of nursing on or trying to eat fuzzy non-foods. Try switching to a blanket that isn’t soft and fluffy on the outside like a cotton quilt.
- An ingenious contributor on Cat Forum recommends using an alternate lure. “Buy some catnip and sprinkle some in a corner of the room or a few foot from the end of the bed. Chances are the cat will become more attracted to that than your feet.”
- Not every cat gives love nips, but some use this as a sign of affection. When the attacks are infrequent and only involve a gentle bite or two, they may be showing love instead of trying to attack. Usually, this doesn’t happen to your feet under a blanket, but it could be the reason why they choose to give a little nibble.
Final Thoughts
Whether your cat is hunting you, playing a game, or just trying to get you to pay attention to them, it hurts when they attack your feet under blankets.
You can get thicker blankets and blackout curtains to help. However, your cat is still going to have the same instincts and excellent hearing.
Sometimes they even think they’re saving you from something dangerous in the bed, but that won’t stop you from catching a claw in the toe.
Ultimately, the best way to keep a cat from attacking your feet under the blanket is to keep them still, so there’s no target, or put the cat out of your room.
