Why is my 7-year-old cat nipping at my legs? How can I stop it?

It sounds like your cat may be trying to play, and you are his "prey." Redirecting his behavior and getting some extra energy out with safer toys such as a feather on a stick, a laser pointer, or other items he can chase can help teach him that those are the things he should play with, instead of your leg! If he does pounce you, redirecting to a toy, or stopping the play session until he is calm and trying again after can help reduce attacks on your ankles.

It sounds like Boo is trying to play, but doesn't know what she is doing is unacceptable. You are doing the right thing by trying to play with her often, and I recommend playing with her for at least 10 minutes at a time twice a day. You can provide her with more environmental stimulation. Give her new things to explore, like a cardboard box or puzzle feeders. Give Boo a time out when she plays too roughly. Get up and walk out of the room when she starts jumping on people's legs, even going into another room and shutting her out. Don't remove her, as she will interpret your touch as something positive. Ignoring her and going out the room will show her that her play is negative and there are consequences for that behavior. Finally, reward her for good behavior. Praise her and give her treats when she plays appropriately, reinforcing the positive behavior.

Sometimes this behavior can be related to boredom, anxiety or a desire to play roughly. There are a few things you can do which may help. Try enriching her environment. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. During the play time, if she seems like she wants to play rough, try to encourage her to wrestle with a stuffed animal. You may also try feeding her from a food puzzle and/or hiding food around the house for him to find. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with behavior. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Every time he does this , say no! and gently remove him from your leg. He is playing and wants attention. You can also carry a toy and when it looks like he wants to climb your leg, you can throw the toy to divert his attention. You should also clip his toe nails ( only the tips) so he has no traction, Make sure that when you clip his nails, that you do not cut into the quick (the pink part of the nail)

Sometimes this behavior can be related to boredom, anxiety or a desire to play roughly. There are a few things you can do which may help. Try enriching his environment. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. During the play time, if he seems like he wants to play rough, try to encourage him to wrestle with a stuffed animal. You may also try feeding him from a food puzzle and/or hiding food around the house for him to find. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with behavior. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I am so sorry that you are experiencing these problems with biting with Baxster. I am sure it is very upsetting for you. First of all rest assured that this is a very normal kitten behaviour. Kittens learn through play biting and it is part of our role as pet parents to help them learn limits. I would not attempt negative reinforcement such as striking Baxster or speaking harshly as this will potentially create more serious behaviour issues such as anxiety and fear-aggression. Try some calm corrections and positive reinforcement. If Baxster bites you, simply say in a calm voice "no" and stop interacting with him for a few moments. This over time will teach him that biting is not a desired form of play. Also try reinforcing him as he starts to play in a good way by not biting, and giver her a small training treat. If Baxster does manage to bite hard enough to break the skin be careful of a possible infection. Monitor your wound for heat. Swelling, or discharge. Make an appointment with your doctor if this occurs. If you are struggling with the biting after a couple of weeks of the above suggested training methods, potentially a few sessions with a behaviourist. Though these behaviours usually diminish naturally as kittens age. Other games which may be fun with Baxster, and can be used to deflect unwanted behaviours are, hide and go seek either with you and another person, or you hide his toys and she has to find them. Or classic fetch is surprisingly fun for cats too! I hope this was helpful!

This sounds like just a behavioral problem and it may be associated with feeding. If there is no food in the food bowl in the morning, then this may be his way of getting you to get up and feed him. You could transition to an automatic feeder and see if this helps. If he is stressed at all, you can consider using pheremone products. In the US we have a product called Feliway. You can look this up as it should be available to you as well.