Dear Critter Corner: I have a feisty young tabby cat that wants to pounce and tackle me all day. It has started going after my ankles and it hurts! What can I do to stop this behavior?
Rough play is common in young cats and a normal behavior. Luckily, it is an easy one to address. To manage a situation where your cat has latched onto your leg like a lion hunting wrestling a small antelope, redirect your cat off your leg to an appropriate toy. If the intensity is too severe, tell your cat “uh-uh” and give them a timeout in a small, plain room, behind a closed door, for several minutes. Let them calm down before exiting the room and then repeat as needed. Remember that your cat is in play mode and not actually trying to attack you.
The root of the issue is your cat requesting more physical and mental exercise. For the physical part, I recommend having a lot of vertical areas for your cat to climb. Wand toys are a fun way for your cat to engage with you at a safe distance. Ping pong balls and cardboard rolls stuffed with tissues and treats are simple but entertaining for your cat. Have your cat “hunt” for food by hiding it throughout your house for them to find. Cats have excellent olfactory receptors and enjoy scent games. For more fun engagement with your cat, create a “shell game” by poking holes in the bottom of several paper cups and then hiding a treat underneath one and having the cat find it. You may initially need to lower the difficulty get them to engage.
For mental exercise, consider clicker training your cat (Yes, you can train a cat!). This is easiest if your cat is food motivated. A simple starter command for your cat is the “touch command. For touch, hold out either your hand palm side out or a wand slightly in front of the cat’s nose, when it touches you or the wand with its nose, click then treat. Repeat and start adding the command when you are confident the cat is going to do the behavior.