Why does my cat like attacking our legs when we walk past?

Question

I have a 1 yr old kitty and she jumps on our legs as we are walking by she sits in a corner or she gets low to the ground and when you are close enough she pounces on you she doesn't scratch but she will bit and it hurts .Why does she do this and how can I get her to stop?

Answer 1

My cat did this until he was about a 1 1/2.  She's playing with you.  Try getting her some new cat toys, and spend some time playing with her.  If she spends enough time playing with other toys, she might be too tired to jump on your legs.

Answer 2

She is playing with you. If she hurts you, at any time not just with the pouncing, let out a high pitched yelp like a meow. It will surprise her and make her stop. It is what other cats do to let each other know they have overstepped the mark and have caused pain.

Young cats need to learn an "inhibited bite" which is where they only bite gently when playing so they don't actually hurt. Most have no problems learning this from their mother and litter mates, but some tend to get over-excited and can bite harder than they should.

If you yelp at her everytime she does it she will learn when enough is enough.

To resolve the pouncing problems quickly, play more often with her and never let her play with your hands or feet. She will see them as valid targets in the future. Use dangle toys or balls for her to pounce on and catch instead. Only ever dangle your fingers at her if you are happy to have the skin shredded off your hands by her.

Enjoy your kitty.

Answer 3

My 7 month old kitten does this ALL THE TIME.  I would be playing with her and then i stop playing with her and about 5 minutes later she jumps on my leg and starts biting it.  I think it's funny.  But your cat just wants you to play with you and give her attention.  cats want attention almost all the time so if she does that just play with her. i dont know if you would want to punish her just because she wants to play.  But if you really dont want her to do it you could try yelling at her and if her ears go back you know she is listening but if she still doesn't stop you can get a spray bottle and just spray her paws if she bites you.  

Answer 4

Lol my cat does the same thinq. But he scratches. He's ALL black. He's almost 4 years. We found him at a jail. We qot him some cat toys and we played with him nd that still didn't work =/

Good luck.

Answer 5

Cats are predators by nature, so ambush and pouncing are part of their hunting techniques.  She's just playing and practising her skills at the same time.  

Young cats that age do have a lot of energy to burn off, so make sure you set aside regular play time for her every day.  Toys that dangle off a wand stick are ideal because you can play a variety of hunting style games with those.  When she bites you tell her "no" in a firm voice or hiss at her (this will reawaken memories of a mother cat's discipline). If she doesn't stop immediately, tell her "no" or hiss again and walk away ignoring her as this will teach her that rough play is not acceptable and that the fun stops when she gets too rough.

Answer 6

Its called play :)

Answer 7

My cat does the same thing. She just wants to play. When she bites she thinks she is playing not actually hurting you. If she wanted to hurt you she'd scratch.