Why Cats Trample Us With Their Paws: The Reasons For The Habit, Which Means How To Stop Trampling Without Harm To The Pet, Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Why does the cat "trample"

Often a person wondered what underlies the funny and cute habit of a cat to trample with its front paws a place to sleep, various objects and even its own owner. An attentive owner tries to understand what drives the cat, and how to behave himself so that the cat does not feel misunderstood, offended and unloved.

The habit of stomping through the eyes of a veterinarian

From the point of view of veterinarians, the habit in adult cats of trampling and kneading various living and nonliving objects with their front paws is nothing more than a modified “milk step” of a kitten, an absolutely reflex action that accompanies a cat from the first days of its life. The tiny legs of a newly born cat are not yet suitable for movement, but they can be used to crush the warm and fluffy belly of a mother-cat to get more milk.

Thus, according to experts, the basis for stomping with paws in cats is a reflex that prompts a small kitten to massage the cat's mammary gland to increase the flow of milk to it.

Even with artificial feeding of kittens during their feeding, you can notice the characteristic movements of the front legs.

Thus, this action is firmly associated in the mind of the cat with the pleasure of delicious food, peace, care and love of the mother-cat, and it is to this wave that the cat is tuned in or tunes in when it starts "stomping".

The tendency to "trample" does not depend on the breed, age and sex of the animal and is determined only by its individual characteristics.

Kittens learn to "stomp" much earlier than walking

Reasons for trampling

Determine reliably what exactly the reason in each specific case prompted the cat to "trample", most likely, it will not be possible. Only one thing is clear - the cat-treadmill has the most peaceful intentions, and he does not wish anyone harm. The process itself clearly gives the cat pleasure, he purrs loudly, salivation may increase.

Depressant

It is possible that the cat turns to "trampling" as a well-known from childhood way to increase the content of endogenous endorphins - the so-called hormones of happiness, which cause feelings of contentment and peace, and relieve feelings of irritation and anxiety, in order to calm down and move into a more comfortable state for yourself. The cat may begin to "stomp" on a soft and tactilely pleasant thing, such as a blanket or even another pet.

The cat can "trample" any soft and pleasant object to calm down

Expression of appeasement

Staying in a blissful state of mind, the cat can reflexively begin to “stomp”, since these movements are for him an integral part of the feeling of being content with life, peace and security. A cat can begin to "stomp" when he is very comfortable and happy with everything.

The cat can begin to "stomp" in a comfortable environment for him

Preparing a place to sleep

The wild ancestors of the cat, settling down for the night, carefully trampled the place of the future lying down with their paws, trying to make the place to sleep comfortable and soft, as well as to expel possible unwanted neighbors with their movements - snakes, lizards, insects. The sensitive pads of the cat's paws determine the suitability of the material of the bed for resting, whether it will be comfortable. Similar behavior occurs in dogs and many other animals: spinning around, trampling down a place to rest, and lie down to sleep.

The desire to "stake out" the territory and the person

There is a hypothesis that when "stomping" a cat marks a person or an object with its smell, and, according to the cat, this should stop other cats in their claims.

The cat does tend to tag people, animals and objects that “belong” to her. Large feral cats mark their possessions with urine, saliva, head rubbing, and scratching trees; therefore, it is quite possible that, by touching its paws, the domestic cat also marks its "property".

Sexual behavior

The desire to "trample" visits a cat during estrus, and a cat from time to time, when a feeling of sexual desire begins. It is an integral part of the sexual behavior of cats and cats; they "trample", meow loudly, attracting partners; the behavior is playful or agitated. At the same time, cats can arch their backs, and cats can depict the mating process.

Host treatment

There is a version that cats in this way "treat" the owner, giving him a kind of massage. Previously, the cat by one known method establishes the localization of the affected area and then acts on it.

This hypothesis does not stand up to criticism, since the cat's "trampling" is always reflexive in nature, therefore, it is a reflection of the states experienced by the cat itself, and does not carry signs of conscious, let alone purposeful behavior, which cats are capable of, since they are very smart.

On the other hand, the application of dry heat in the form of a fluffy purring cat, as well as a placebo (pacifier) effect in a limited number of cases, may have been successful. The effect of this "therapy" has not been proven.

The therapeutic effect of trampling a cat has not been proven

Video: why cats trample

How to stop stomping without harming your cat

In some cases, the cat, carried away by the trampling of the owner, releases its claws and is able to scratch the skin or ruin clothing. You cannot punish a cat or treat him rudely - because it is at this moment that he shows his master how much he means to him, just like a mother-cat for a small kitten.

In order not to offend the cat and not break the existing connection, which the cat appeared to confirm, but not to suffer himself, there are a number of simple measures:

• knowing the cat's habits, lay a thick cloth, for example, a towel, on his knees, before the cat starts “stomping”;
• stroking the cat's paws when it starts to release its claws - it will hide them;
• you can distract the cat's attention from "trampling" by gently holding its paws at the very beginning and laying it on its side, continuing to stroke;
• some cats, releasing claws and receiving a voice signal from the owner, remove them;
• You can use polymer claws for a cat if you plan to have a long communication with him and "trample".

In any case, the habit of not causing unpleasant sensations to people and animals around the cat should be formed from a very early age.

Carried away by "trampling" and communication, the cat can release its claws

Paws trampling has the character of an innate reflex in cats, its original purpose - to stimulate the excretion of mother's milk by rhythmic pressure on the mammary gland of the mother-cat. Obviously, the process of "stomping" is associated in cats with a sense of peace, contentment, comfort and security and is realized when the cat experiences these sensations, and in some cases, to achieve them. It is not known whether "trampling" is used to leave marks with a smell, but it cannot be ruled out. The healing power of "trampling" a cat for the human body is not proven. Cats also "trample" during sexual behavior, and settling for the night. In cases when the cat, being carried away by the "trampling" of the owner, releases its claws, it cannot be punished, since in the future it will greatly complicate communication with the pet, giving rise to its distrust. There are simple and gentle influences on an affectionate and extremely intelligent animal that help to retract its claws.