Why Does Your Cat Keep Walking in Circles Around You?

Feline behavior is full of mysteries. Why do they put their paws on your face? Why do they go from licking to biting in the span of a second? Why do they seem to love sleeping on your face if they get the chance?

I like exploring these behaviors and talking about why they happen, and what you should think about them. Most of the time, the answer is pretty simple: your cat loves you and wants to interact with you. Sometimes, though, a behavior might be a sign of an issue or a need, so it's worth thinking about all the weird, strange little things they do.

Today's topic of discussion is when that darn kitty seems constantly underfoot. If you're standing still, they aren't; they're walking in circles around you, rubbing on your legs, walking a few steps away, maybe looking up at you and whining for attention.

If you're walking, it's worse; they're still trying to circle you, but they have no preservation instinct and are perfectly happy to trip you, get underfoot, get stepped on or accidentally kicked, or generally be a nuisance.

What's going on? Why are they like this?

Your Cat Circles You Out of Affection

This one has a pretty simple answer, too: they like you, they want to spend time with you, and they want your attention.

When a cat is circling around you, it's part of a bonding behavior. They recognize you as a friend, and they're happy to hang out with you, but they're riled up or energetic enough that they don't want to just sit and watch you, or nap in your lap, or whatever else.

When they rub up against you, in particular, it's part of that bonding. Cats have scent glands in their face, so when they rub against you, they're spreading their scent on you. That helps them keep track of you, and helps other cats know you're theirs.

That's not necessarily the only reason your cat is circling you, though. Sometimes, they may have other ideas.

Your Cat Circles You to Get Your Attention

When your cat is circling around you, pay attention to what else they're doing.

If they're rubbing up against you, purring, and trying to lie on your feet, they're just being affectionate.

If they're not really touching you, but instead they're spending their time looking up at you and screaming their little kitty lungs out, they're probably after something.

Sometimes, they want to be held. If you look down at them and they prepare to jump up at you, that's probably what they want. Not all cats do this (in fact, I don't know many that are unsolicited jumpers, but I've met a few), though.

More often, they want one specific thing, and you probably know what that is. They're hungry, or they think they're hungry, or it's right around the time they're used to being hungry. And, as we all know, no cat has ever been fed even once in their life before this very moment, and it's well past time they get the food they so rightly deserve. Right?

Sometimes your cat might try to climb your leg. This is most often seen with kittens (older cats don't necessarily like climbing as much, since it puts more stress on their toes, since they're heavier than they were when they were kittens), but you still see it from time to time.

Often, this is also food-related, probably because you're standing at the counter preparing food for them, or just preparing food for yourself, but you happen to be making tuna or a turkey sandwich or something else that smells utterly delicious.

Or something else, you know. Anything they think they'll like, they'll be more than happy to cry until they get.

Your Cat Circles to Bring You Somewhere

This one is a bit less common, but you still see it, especially in cats that a) really trust you, and b) have some kind of separation anxiety or other anxiety disorder.

If your cat is a relatively new mother with mostly stationary kittens, she might try to get your attention and bring you to them to help out. Cats often co-parent, so a solo female mother might feel overwhelmed and might want you to help take care of the babies while she goes and eats, naps, or cleans herself.

Cats that aren't familiar with you are pretty unlikely to do this. A stray would only bring you to her kittens if she were desperate, for example.

More often, your cat feels most comfortable with you by their side and wants you there when they do something. I've seen cats that need a human by their side to enjoy their meals, for example. This is common with adopted strays who are used to living in a colony with other cats, and only eat when they feel safe to do so, usually because another member of the colony is playing lookout.

The slightly more annoying example is a cat that needs you nearby, so they feel comfortable enough to use the litter box. While it's nice that they recognize that they need to go and where, it's obnoxious to have to get up from whatever you're doing to go watch them do their business.

Now, if you haven't cleaned the litter box recently, that might be a sign they want it cleaned before they use it. More likely, it's an anxiety or fear thing, and they feel secure when you're around. Since they're vulnerable when they're doing the deed, it's a time when they want you to guard them.

Fortunately, you can often work on training and break them of this habit, which is good if you ever have to spend a long day at work or sleep through their neediness. They might also grow out of it as they get more secure living with you, where there are no threats.

Note: If there are potential other threats, make sure you deal with those. Putting the litter box in a hidey-hole can help them feel more secure. If you have a dog or a child that bothers them, teach the dog or the child not to. If you have another cat that is bullying them away from the box, you may need a second (or third) box so they can have one of their own.

Your Cat Circles Because They Want to Play

Another possible reason, and a similar one to getting your attention, is that your cat just wants to play. Circling you is a way to get your attention, and they can run in and around your legs as if you're furniture. If they jump around, pounce at your feet, roll over to tempt you into going for the belly, and have the behavioral signs of play (like a twitching tail and bright eyes), that's probably what's going on.

So, go ahead and play with them! It's not a harmful behavior by a long shot, of course. Though if you've ever tripped trying to avoid a cat that wants to attack your foot while you walk, calling it harmless is maybe a bit much.

Can a Cat Circling You Be Harmful?

Yes and no.

As I just mentioned, the biggest hazard with a cat that likes to circle you is if they're doing it when you're trying to walk or do something. If you're getting up to go to the bathroom and they end up underfoot, it's easy to trip or accidentally kick them. If they're some distance away and you're walking somewhere, they might rocket to catch up and could end up tripping you or getting kicked themselves.

You often see experienced cat parents walking with a bit of a shuffling gait. Lifting your feet high as you walk is a great way to accidentally step on a cat, after all. It's better to kick them than to step on them, even if it doesn't feel better to do.

The biggest danger is purely physical. If you trip, you could hurt a knee, or fall and land wrong, or hit something on the way down. Most of us with feline fur babies have had a bruise or three from exactly that kind of fall.

To the cat, the danger is partly physical and partly emotional. Unless you're in a hurry and stomping around, you probably aren't going to kick or step on them hard enough to cause real damage. They're very fast at reacting to things, after all. Obviously, it feels bad to hear the wretched noise they make when you do catch a tail, but they'll get over it. It's very rare to break a bone or anything.

The other risk is your cat running to your side when you're doing something like going out of the house, or coming back home after work or shopping. This is one of the big reasons why cats sneak outdoors and get lost. Keeping track of them helps, but it's easy to miss if you're distracted with groceries or something and don't notice, and they get sidetracked with the great outdoors and don't think to come back before you close the door.

When Does a Cat Circling Indicate a Problem?

There are, unfortunately, a few instances where a cat going in circles could be cause for alarm, though.

Circling can be a problem if they're doing it in an unusual way. Usually, this means they aren't circling you, or a bed, or a sunbeam, but just kind of wandering in circles anyway.

Basically, this can indicate something is throwing off their sense of balance. Ear infections are the most common cause, and you'll be able to tell if they do things like lean in a direction or scratch at their ear and shake their head. Ear mites and other ear issues do the same thing.

Cats also have a vestibular system, which is in the inner ear. Deeper infections or other vestibular diseases can cause a loss of balance and shakiness, and can make them walk in circles more often. Head injuries can also do the same thing. A cat playing around and running full-tilt into a wall can end up with a bit of a kitty concussion that can result in similar symptoms.

In rare cases, things like brain tumors can also cause this kind of odd behavior. If it has started out of nowhere and isn't getting any better, it might be time to bring them to the vet to check.

Can You Get Your Cat to Stop Circling You?

The answer to this one is a tentative yes. You may be able to, but it might be a long, hard road to do, and it may or may not be worth it.

First of all, if there's any reason to think that your cat is circling because of an infection or other problem, bring them to the vet. Check their ears, watch their behavior when they aren't engaging with you, check on their eating and toilet habits, and generally look for signs of illness to see if this is warranted.

If it's all out of affection, socialization, and attention-seeking, you're going to have to embark on a campaign of cat training.

• Give them enrichment they can use without you having to engage in it. Autonomous toys and things they can play with, scratching posts, and other items help them work out their energy and their urge to mark territory without needing your legs to do it.

• Redirect their behavior. When they're begging for attention or food, find a way to redirect them to something else.

• Make sure certain habits, like feeding times, don't break. Specifically, if your cat comes and begs you to feed them and you listen to them, they'll learn that begging you for food gets them fed. If you only feed them at specific times of day, they won't be rewarded for begging.

• Establish routines whenever you can. If they know when feeding time is, when playtime is, and more importantly, when sleep or work time is, you can get them to be more independent.

The good news is, for the most part, this is all just part of seeking affection. It's just a little tricky when that bond gets in the way of being able to go to the bathroom, you know?

It really just comes down to positively reinforcing the behaviors you want to see, and avoiding positively reinforcing the ones you don't. If they learn that being underfoot works, they'll keep doing it. If it stops working, they'll find something else to try.

Cat Circling FAQ

To round things out, here are a couple of other questions you might have.

Why is this stray cat I've never met before already circling me?

They're friendly, and you smell good, probably. People joke about the "cat distribution system," but the truth is, some cats are just friendly. They might be more than happy to be adopted right then and there, or they might just like seeking affection from people who pass by.

It's also possible that the "stray" isn't actually stray. They might be an outdoor or indoor-outdoor cat that lives nearby, so they're more socialized and friendly.

Redirection doesn't work. What now?

Sometimes, you can try clicker training. Some cats respond to it; others don't. Older cats might have a harder time caring about it, but kittens tend to be more receptive.

The more reinforced and ingrained the behavior is, the harder it will be to wean them off of it. Hopefully, you haven't waited too long to deal with a problem before deciding to do something about it.

My cat has severe separation anxiety. Can I do anything about it?

Maybe! That's a great subject for another post ( I have one for dogs), but cats are different enough that the way you deal with it might be pretty different as well. One of the best tips I've used is to steadily ignore your cat for 15-20 minutes before you leave the house and after you get home. This eases the transition between coming and going and helps teach your cat to be able to handle themselves without your constant attention.

You can also do things like pretend to get ready to leave and go somewhere, and then not actually go somewhere. This helps break the association between "getting ready" and "being alone" in their brain.

Any other questions? If so, let me know! I love exploring these strange cat behaviors, and I'm sure you've wondered why your cat does some weird thing I can look into for you, so just leave me a comment!