Cat Chasing Tail!

I thought only dogs chased their tails! Today Seamus was running around in circles chasing his tail... he's never done that and I thought he was too smart to chase his own body! Is it just because he is understimuated with me going back to work and not playing as often or is it a normal thing I've just never seen before?

Very normal, I have one that does this ALL the time. It's quite entertaining.

I don't think I've ever seen it.

Sounds like Seamus was frustrated or bored, or both. Make sure you play with him -- interactive toys like Da Bird or Feline Flyer, or cat-safe laser pointers, are great for this! -- and make sure he gets plenty of loving!!! (I have to say, though, that I think it's adorable when they do this...)

It was hysterical watching him... I'm pretty sure it's the adjustment... I'm a teacher so he had two months of me at his disposal, so we played/cuddled/etc whenever he wanted... yesterday was the first day and he missed me so much he actually let me hold him on my chest, which is rare... today he realizes this is every day and is mad at me... wouldn't even lay down with me before! He's been a little fiesty... we got a good amount of playtime in and hopefully he won't be bouncing on me when I go to bed

He has plenty of toys so that's not a problem... last Christmas he got more than I did from friends and family!

haha. I was going to write a post last week about this. ( I forgot to) But Puff was chasing his tail as well and that's what I thought. [that only dogs do it]. Guess not.

yep its normal,
heck if had a tail i would chase it.

Hemmy loves to chase Friday's tail. He chases his own too but it's short and he has a round belly so that's tricky. My new kitten, Seti, chases his tail all the time. Last night, Friday and I were watching him turn circles and chase it. He started growling at his own tail which was funny until he laid down and kept growling. Something didn't seem right so I moved in for closer inspection. He'd gotten his claw stuck in his tail, poor little guy. It really wasn't funny but silly stuff seems to happen in my house all the time so I figured he fits right in.

My Sophie does it and it's hilarious! I've got her on video on my phone but i havent got a cable to download it or i'd show it.

Most cats I think figure out that it's their own tail, and some never do
Vash is three and still chases his tail, the funniest is when he chases it down the stairs.

Trust me, it isn't boredom, it's just silliness

I had one who liked to go into the bathtub, to do it! And she was very graceful and pretty about it, too!

Others ... not so graceful. LOL.

Harry used to do this a lot when he was younger and it was soooo cute! He'll very occasionally do it now when he's really hyper.

My Kitten always plays with his tail, it is really funny that cats can be so smart, yet so dumb. i think chasing tails is a very normal behavior

Are your cats completely oblivious to everything around them when they do this? Do they do it for more then 10-15 minutes several times a day?

Just curious because my cat does it and it doesn't look like anything that he's doing to entertain himself. He seems distraught and withdrawn. I've got another thread on my personal situation - you might want to check it out and see if it sounds like something your cat might be experiencing.

Juniper still does it, even though he has a buddy now. He's nuts. He's not bored, he just genuinely wants to chase his tail. Who knows why. He's been doing it less recently because if he starts chasing his tail or attacking it, Bixby will usually jump on him (because he figures Juniper wants to play) and then Juniper has something much bigger to chew on.

It's pretty sad, actually, because he didn't just chase his tail but would catch and attack his tail. Just the tip, of course, but it looked like someone took a pair of scissors to the hair and snipped it, like a bad haircut. Thankfully it's almost all grown back in, and they're both focused on ears lately.

Sometimes Popsie will play with his tail and he's 16. He's lazy about it though. I can't really say he chases it. He mostly just lays there and tries to grab it.