Cat people ... why does my cat rub all over my dogs' feet?

[onelanerode]

I’m not really a cat person. I like them, but my knowledge and understanding of their behavior is nothing like what I have for dogs and horses.

Her name is Elinor, and lately she’s started coming over to both dogs, smelling their feet intently while they’re sleeping, and then flinging herself on them and rubbing rubbing rubbing with a rather ecstatic look on her face. I don’t know if this is normal cat behavior. But then I’m not sure she’s normal anyway. I’ve long suspected she may be part space alien. :lol:

Sometimes when she does this she tries to play with the dogs, batting any nearby body parts of theirs. They have been made to understand that she’s “above” them in the pecking order here, so they generally ignore her or will sometimes give me a somewhat pained look. Some playing is OK, but when the claws/teeth come out, or the dog is starting to look annoyed, I shoo her away, because I don’t think it’s really fair to expect the dogs to tolerate that nonsense, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.

So what’s up with the foot rubbing business? It’s really quite funny to watch, even if the dogs clearly don’t know what to make of it.

[RedMare01]

All cats are part alien. :lol:

My guess would be scent marking? I just have cats, no dogs, but whenever I see them rubbing, they then usually follow up with their lips to leave scent behind. My three follow each other around and “re-mark” items around the house by first body rubbing and then lip rubbing them…like the coffee table and couch!

Second thought would be…she’s figured out their blunt nails make a good back scratcher?

[Cammie]

Mine has JUST started doing this too! I have a terrier mix that comes over once a week for a play-date and slumber party, and the cat has started intently sniffing and rubbing delightedly all over the poor dog’s feet while she’s sleeping. The dog keeps twitching and moving her feet, and wakes up repeatedly. She’s very puzzled by what the cat is doing. :lol: When the cat starts to get too carried away and starts nibbling on toes, I make her move away.

She’s most fascinated by the dog’s feet after we’ve come back from the park, so maybe it’s all of the different scents she’s reacting to. Or maybe cats are big Frito’s fans, and like the dog paws because of that smell.

[fordtraktor]

I think she is claiming him as “her” dog. My dominant cat will do this to anything…people, dogs, chairs, doors, whatever he believes he owns which is the entire world.

[onelanerode]

Hahah, we don’t have any Fritos in the house, otherwise I’d test that hypothesis!

She did the feet rubbies thing again this morning to our other dog, who has been a bit reserved around her of late. Last week, he was sprawled out on the floor upstairs and had found some interesting smell in the carpet. She walked up to him, looked at him, and then launched herself at his head, bopped him on both cheeks with her paws (claws were not involved) and scampered off. He was frozen in shock, with this “WTH just happened” look plastered on his face. He gave her a wide berth the rest of the afternoon. :lol:

I will say I find her antics fascinating. She is neither the most coordinated or most nimble of cats, and sometimes she has an epic fail during an acrobatics session, which we find quite amusing. But then she races down the stairs at Mach 8, and I’ve never managed to figure out how she does that without faceplanting. :eek:

“Her” dog … hahaahha! Yes, she certainly does think everything here is hers. :lol:

[Snowflake]

Cammie beat me to it…

I was gonna say “Because they smell like Fritos!”

[Canaqua]

Is she all or part Maine Coon by any chance? I’ve found that those cats (I’ve had three now) really like dogs. We currently have a big Maine Coon and two herding mutts. The dogs would just as soon chase the cat as look at him, so he picks his spots for getting close to them. When they are sleeping or resting quietly, he’ll sneak up slowly, hoping they won’t notice, and lie against them and try to sniff and lick body parts…his favorites are feet, ears and tail. Sometimes he gets too enthusiatic in his affections and wakes them up, then he smacks them on the face with his claws in, they chase, he hisses and the snuggle session is over.

[TheRedFox]

Has she been fixed? Before my cat was spayed, whenshe came into heat, that one and only time, she was obsessed with feet and shoes.

[onelanerode]

She is a generic brown tabby DSH, and she was fixed about a month after she found us. She did not meet the minimum weight requirement when we first got her, so she had to fatten up a bit first. She is now about 3.5 years old.

The feet thing started a few months ago, and it’s been an intriguing new behavior. :winkgrin:

[Sansena]

Actually… it’s Doritos.