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Why does my cat chase his own tail?

Bateluer

Bateluer

Lifer
Found a wealth of information on google, but nothing specifically about tail chasing.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
 
Anybody?

I got him from a household where he did not get along with the other cats. He was depressed and intimidated, resulting in gulping of food, vomitting, and a very dull coat. Now, he never vomits his food up and his coat has a healthy looking shine.
 
Most likely it's a way to keep him/herself entertained. I have two cats that chase their tails without needing to be asked twice. They'll start out cleaning, "discover" that they have a rear appendage, chew the fur on it for a few mins, then run all over the living room/kitchen/bathroom trying to catch their tails. Most of my other cats will play with their tails but don't chase them.

I don't see a reason to worry about this - personally, I'd take it as a sign that the kitty's happy and healthy and is learning to let him/herself relax and have a bit of fun.
 
Originally posted by: voodoochylde
Most likely it's a way to keep him/herself entertained. I have two cats that chase their tails without needing to be asked twice. They'll start out cleaning, "discover" that they have a rear appendage, chew the fur on it for a few mins, then run all over the living room/kitchen/bathroom trying to catch their tails. Most of my other cats will play with their tails but don't chase them.

I don't see a reason to worry about this - personally, I'd take it as a sign that the kitty's happy and healthy and is learning to let him/herself relax and have a bit of fun.
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He just sits in the corner and goes in circles. 🙂

He has other behavior with leads me to believe he's happy and content. Kneading his paws, sleeping right next to me, belly up, etc.
 
One of my kitties will do this until she gets dizzy and then gets disoriented and stumbles around. Bahaha. I usually give her a nudge when she starts doing this.
 
...try rubbing bacon fat or peanut butter on the front paws..might distract the kitty and change it's behavior. 🙂
 
Cats were not made to be on there own, in the wild they have a pride so when they are are there own they have to hone there hunting skills by themselves instead of wrestling with other cats in the pride.

Taking a wild guess here I could be completely off the mark.
 
Tail-chasing is a very common behavior in an active puppy. Wolves and
foxes do it, too, as do many members of the cat family. Why? Because
the tail is always there. It wiggles in a most intriguing fashion. It
follows them everywhere. At an early age, young critters haven't yet
got a clear idea of where their own bodies end and the rest of the
world begins, so the tail seems like an independent entity to be
pursued. And, of course, once they start to chase the tail, IT MOVES.
Fascinating!
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more: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=346593
 
you know what's more fun than watching a cat chase its tail? having a cat chase a red laser pointer. it's hilarious. they cost like $2-3. you should get one. you'll have a lot of fun.
 
Your current kitty is doomed.

Go to a blackmarket Kitten dealer.

You can usually find them at Chuckee Cheeses, ect...

2 for $20, 4 for $60.
 
It is just having a little exercise. There is no problem in that (not more than for a dog to chase his tail).
I saw someone tieing a ball of paper from the cat's tail. That was "tail-chasing" 🙂
 
Usually it's because they are bored. Sometimes it's because they want to clean their tail but are too excited to relax enough to clean it normally. Whenever my cat does it, I take it as a sign that I am not playing with her enough. My other cat only does it once in a while when he's super excited and his tail seems to be pointing at his head. It surprises him for a moment and he paws at it, then stops.
 
Originally posted by: NightCrawler
Cats were not made to be on there own, in the wild they have a pride so when they are are there own they have to hone there hunting skills by themselves instead of wrestling with other cats in the pride.

Taking a wild guess here I could be completely off the mark.
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you might be off the mark, i think housecats have gradually evolved from a more solo living kind of cat, like a Jaguar or panther type of wildcat, as opposed to a Lion........

like you i might be wrong, but im guessing that as generally cats prefer to have their own territory. Ok you do get cats living together in a household, but not always are they massively happy about the situation...lol.

My cat doesnt chase his tail on his own regard, altho i have seen it in other cats, but what he does is lie down on an armchair and curl himself around slightly so his paws are sticking up, sometimes when im tickling his tummy i pull his tail up between his legs and wiggle it against his nose, instantly his paws and teeth grab at it and try to munch on it....for all of a split second, then when he realises its his he starts to groom it with that 'i knew it was mine, i was just humouring you' expression on his chops....hehe
the sad part is he isnt a kitten, he's 6 years old...and still falls for it...lol
(mind u, he grew to 3 months old in a house of pot smokers....my friend and his mum..lol)
 
Originally posted by: NightCrawler
Cats were not made to be on there own, in the wild they have a pride so when they are are there own they have to hone there hunting skills by themselves instead of wrestling with other cats in the pride.

Taking a wild guess here I could be completely off the mark.
Click to expand...

Cats are most certainly capable of being on their own. They are not pack animals. I've never known a domestic cat that had to hone its hunting skills; they seem to have an innate ability to capture anything that moves. Chasing their tail certainly doesn't constitute practice.
 
My cat plays Fetch...


It's so funny, throw a toy she likes and she'll bring it back time and time again until she starts panting like a dog when she's out of breath.

more weird than tail chasing..

One time she dragged a teddy bear off a small table and took it behind the sofa...
 
My cat played fetch when she was younger. She likes to play on the bed now. So if a toy falls off, she goes and retrieves it and jumps back on the bed. That's as close to fetch as it gets now. My other cat will go to get something, but rather than fetch he plays hide the stash under the refridgerator.
 
Originally posted by: DnetMHZ
My cat did that when she was a kitten, but grew out of it.
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I can't wait till my cat grows up! The damn thing runs around my place like a Dog is chasing him 😉


Ausm
 
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