Danger: Feline Trip Hazard Ahead!

[lavishsqualor]

Greetings everyone. I hope your holiday season is going well.

I have a work acquaintance in her sixties who just agreed to take in a stray we found on another property. The stray is an all-black female who is one of the sweetest, most loveable cats I've seen in a while. The vet puts her at about a year old. The cat's name is Margo and she's never met a stranger! No matter who it is, she will come up to them and purr. The problem is that she doesn't seem to have any awareness of human legs. When you're walking she'll attempt to intertwine between your legs and feet, and it makes walking practically impossible. My older friend is terrified that the cat is going to cause her to trip and fall. At first I thought she was exaggerating because, honestly, most cats do this to an extent. But when I went to her house I was absolutely shocked. I've never seen a cat do this before!

The cat doesn't watch where she's putting her paws because she's staring up at the walking human . She does this anytime someone walks but it's CRAZY at feeding time! My friend had me feed her and the walk from the kitchen to her feeding spot was nuts. I literally almost tripped over her three times. Plus, I was afraid of stepping on her and hurting her, which is another concern of my friend's.

Just walking from the sofa to the bathroom involves an intricate dance to keep from tripping over her. My friend is an experienced cat owner but neither of us know how to go about modifying this cat's behavior.

Any ideas?

 

[susanm9006]

Shuffle your feet. She may get a little bump in the process because that is okay, and helps to to see that she doesn’t want to get too close to legs.

 

[lavishsqualor]

LOL, the poor cat practically gets punted on a daily basis but it doesn't seem to have any effect. My friend has a walker from when she had hip surgery and she JUST told me that she's begun using the walker again. Margo still gets under her feet but at least the walker provides her some stability.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. A rolling walker would be even better, as it wouldn't enable your friend to actually put a leg of the walker down on top of the cat. Other than that, I think shuffling her feet is the best bet. I also think that over time this cat will likely stop doing it as much, after she gets used to her new home and routines.

Another thing to try, maybe especially at meal time is to have a light laser to try to distract her from walking so close in anticipation of her food - that will probably the hardest time to break the habit. If not that, pick up the cat and place her a closed room until the food has been put down.

 

[Kat0121]

Hi. A rolling walker would be even better, as it wouldn't enable your friend to actually put a leg of the walker down on top of the cat. Other than that, I think shuffling her feet is the best bet. I also think that over time this cat will likely stop doing it as much, after she gets used to her new home and routines.

Another thing to try, maybe especially at meal time is to have a light laser to try to distract her from walking so close in anticipation of her food - that will probably the hardest time to break the habit. If not that, pick up the cat and place her a closed room until the food has been put down.

I think the laser is a great idea as a distraction. I'm so glad Margo found a good home!