If you are reading this article – There is a high chance that you are an owner of a cat and a dog, and your cat occasionally tries to hump your dog.
When you have caught your cat humping your dog for the first time, you must have a million queries. For example, “Is it normal behavior?” and “What’s the best way to stop this?” Luckily for you, you’ve found the right place to look for answers.
Cats sometimes do things that look sickening and strange to a mere human. Like humping dogs or other pets. But is it normal for a cat to hump a dog?
It looks quite disturbing, particularly if it’s a common incidence. And it could be a reason for embarrassment for you, especially when you are having guests at your home.
Don’t worry, I’m here to dive into this weird issue to explain each related doubt and query – Keep reading forward to understand the strange behavior of your kitty-
Key Takeaways
- Cats humping dogs is normal and can occur due to several reasons including showing dominance, stress relief, over-excitement, boredom, depression, marking territory, or affection.
- Humping is not always related to sexual arousal and can occur in both male and female cats, whether they are neutered or not.
- Humping is often associated with affection, playing, or other situations and has no sexual implications, but it can be a sexual urge in female cats in heat.
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Why Does My Cat Hump My Dog?
While your first thought might be that the cat is trying to mate with the dog.
Cat humping is not always about mating, sometimes it is a way to show dominance. You could equally say that it is a practice to banish excess energy and over-excitement and has nothing to do with sexual arousal at all. It could also be obsessive behavior shaped by stress.
Humping and mounting are also done by female cats. Cats indulge in humping for several reasons.
Sometimes they’re just so stressed that they don’t know what else to do and that stress burst comes out in the form of humping a blanket, toys, your arm…or even your dog. It can be a sign of over-excitement, boredom, or even depression.
In short, all cats might have some different causes for humping the dog and the whole thing is not a big issue, as it seems. But you can say indisputably that cats aren’t doing it for the drive of reproduction and it’s not possible for cats to actually mate with dogs.
Must Read: Why Do Cats Hump? Is It Normal For A Cat To Hump?
Is It Normal For Cats To Hump Dogs?
Yes…yes – It’s normal, but I can feel that doesn’t make it any less awkward for you.
“We all know that cats love humping – be it male or female and spayed or neutered!”
The reason your cat humping your dog can be – former is just feeling happy and comfortable around their canine friend and they’re stating their happiness by humping.
Moreover, cats usually choose to hump on things that are warm and soft, and dogs positively fit these standards!
Humping is often associated with affection, playing, or other situations. Let me be clear that, the words “arousal” in this situation has no sexual implication.
But that never means that it cannot be a sexual urge ever in this situation – in fact when your female cat is in heat, she can hump your dog with the sexual urge (though mating is not possible).
The cat is humping the dog out of boredom, a stress or anxiety release, or redirected play behavior.
According to Mary Jo Sminkey (B.S. with Honors in Biology & Minor in Education, VA Tech)
Also, read – Can Cats Mate With Dogs? Know The Facts
What Are The Factors Responsible For Cat Humping Dog?
1. To Assert Dominance
Your feline friend cannot tolerate dominance by your other cat, dog, or other pets that’s why they choose to assert domination first.
That can be one of the important reasons that your kitty is trying to hump your dog.
If you’ll notice you can observe that she tries to hump him mostly when he is close to you or close to you or your cat’s blanket or bed.
At that moment she feels anxious and insecure that your dog is trying to take her belongings – which is never acceptable for cats.
2. Marking Territory
Cats are certainly territorial beings, and, in the woods, they use to control large areas of land. To make sure other cats knew the boundaries, they’d use a variety of scent-marking practices including humping!
Try to relate a situation when your cat humps you to mark you as her territory – the same she does with your dog.
In simple words, your kitty is warning other cats – “Hey take your eyes off this dog is my property, he is my territory” by marking your dog by humping him.
3. Intact Cat
Humping is more common in intact, compared to fixed cats. It might be possible that your cat is not fixed which can be the reason for overwhelming emotions like aggression, excitement, or sexual urge.
In some cases, cats are neutered after the age of maturity which means they already know about humping.
Post- sterilization also this habit remains an addiction. So, this can be a reason that your cat is humping your dog as any other thing- as she is in the habit of humping.
4. Stress
Humping sometimes signifies stress and anxiety. So, your cat might be humping your dog because she is feeling stressed.
Male and female cats may use humping as a method to release stress. Is there a new baby or new pet in the house, or did you newly shift your home?
Occasionally, big or little variations in a cat’s daily schedule can lead to her feeling stressed, and every cat responds to stress in a different way. Try to understand what could be triggering your cat to be anxious and do what you can to make the situation better.
Try to solve the reason for stress immediately because once your kitty becomes habitual of humping your dog, then it will become difficult for you to redirect this habit.
5. A Way To Play
You might get confused sometimes between humping and playing. In a few cases, cats play with dogs by jumping on them which appears as humping.
This is most common in felines who didn’t receive a lot of collaborating play experience as kittens, whether alongside their littermates or any other young cats.
It’s common for neutered cats who enjoy playing, to take turns humping one another as they bungle around, more out of playing than sexual impulses. Redirecting your cat from this behavior will be the best way to handle it.
6. Sexual Frustration
Your cat may hump your dog when she is not getting a mate. Or, when she is not getting enough stimulation. If your cat is never involved in mating then also, it is possible.
If your intact or neutered cat is feeling this way, then there is nothing wrong with it – it is natural.
If you have an intact cat, then this kind of behavior is an alarm for you – not to delay any more in sterilization.
Interesting Read: Cat Humping While Kneading (Reason And Solution)
What Are The Risk And Drawbacks Of Cat Humping A Dog?
| Drawback | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Your cat may get injured | In the process of humping you, your cat might try to over-force and get injured. |
| It can injure your dog. | Though your cat doesn’t intend to harm your pooch through humping. But sometimes she ends up hurting your dog. |
| May harm the bond between your cat and your dog | Continuous humping by cats can irritate your dog and this will result in a physical fight between both – that even can harm their bond. |
| Transformation Of Disease | Humping is a physical interaction between both pets. So, the chances are higher that it will lead to transferring the diseases like skin allergies or urinary infections. |
How To Stop Your Cat From Humping Your Dog?
1. Play With Your Cat
A tired cat is a good cat. When your kitty is full of energy, she’s more possible to involve in behavior like humping your dog. Be sure to give him sufficient playtime. Try playing with your cat for at least 1-2 hours every day.
Try to bring different specific toys for both pets it will keep them more active and busier.
Give them space to run and jump so that they can easily burn their energy.
2. Change The Environment
If your cat started humping your dog recently, the first thing you need to do is monitor and modify the feline’s surroundings.
Observe the specific time of the day when the cat humps the dog often. When you notice, you will completely understand the weirdness in the cat’s surroundings.
Once you know the specific time and odds in the surrounding then it will be easier to control the situation. Try to keep both pets away from each other at that particular time.
As a next step make sure to make the surroundings comfortable for your stressed kitty. These steps will help in decreasing the humping.
3. Sterilize Your Cat
In some cases, sexual hormones can be the reason for humping. Intact cats are more likely to hump dogs – as they are mostly over-excited and aggressive in comparison to fixed cats.
So, neutering/spaying can save your doggy from a hump attack from your feline. But note that it’s not always just the hormones that are the reason for humping in a few cases it might be a factor.
4. Training Time For Your Cat
Whenever you notice your cat is humping your dog or she is about to start humping – Deny her by saying ‘NO’. Say ‘no’ verbally as well as express ‘no’ by your body language too.
Avoid enjoying or laughing when your cat tries to hump your dog, as it will encourage her more to behave like this.
In short, try to make your cat understand that humping your dog is not correct conduct.
5. Distract Her
The moment you notice the humping behavior, try to distract your cat with a treat or a toy. Whenever she humps the dog – pick her up or start clapping to draw her attention toward you. This will help to transfer her attention and, with some luck, she will stop the behavior.
If you’ve tried all of these methods and your cat is still humping your dog, it’s time to seek professional help.
A behaviorist or trainer will be able to help you understand why your cat is indulging in this behavior and how to stop it. They may observe patterns or initiations that you haven’t been able to see and can help you make a strategy to address the issue.
You may like to read – Why Does My Cat Slap My Dog? Why Are They Attacking Them?
“Do not physically punish your pet for blanket humping behavior, verbal reprimand may be enough to banish him/her to the other room.
According to Shawn-haubenstricker Licensed Veteniary
What Are The Benefit Of Introducing Your Cat To Your Dog Gradually?
Bringing a new pet can be such a joyous and exciting occasion, but if you already have another pet at your house, you’ll have to take some prior and post-protection.
Start gradually with the introductions by keeping the dog in a crate at first, then on a leash, while the kitty wanders free.
When introducing your feline to a pooch, it’s adequate to bring up her for 5-10 min only in front of the dog.
It is also significant to have at least two people available, one to oversee the dog’s leash and the other to manage the cat.
In the initial curtain-raiser, make sure that the two creatures first clearly visit and become familiar with each existence of each other.
In this way, it will be easier for both pets to understand each other. The gradual meetings will help your kitty – not to be anxious and insecure about the new pet.
The slow meeting will result in good bonding between cat and dog – which will help in decreasing humping by the cat as well.
Interesting Read: Why My Cat Humps Me?
Frequently Asked Question
Can Cats And Dogs Mate?
No, it is not possible. Cats and dogs cannot indulge in mating behavior as their genetics are too dissimilar to produce descendants. Cats and dogs have genetic differences that make it impossible for one to become pregnant from the other.
They might hump as a way to play or dominance, but it’s not about mating.
Why My Female Cat Is Humping My Dog?
Female cats try to find a mating partner during their heat as it is their reproductive period, and their sexual urge becomes higher than on normal days. So, the heat cycle can be one of the reasons that your female cat tries to hump your dog.
They are more likely to hump in heat, and somehow your dog is the nearest possible partner for this behavior.
Final Words
It is unquestionably true that cats are dominating in nature and that leads to humping activity. So don’t be too much stressed about your cat’s habit of humping your pooch!
But somehow if you feel that your cat is too frequently your dog than normal then it’s time to approach a cat behaviorist or vet to address the issue and solution.
Let us know in the comments section if your cat ever tried to hump your dog and how you deal with it? Is it too frequent to stress you or do you find it normal?
Interesting Read: Will Male Cats Try To Mate/Hump With Other Males?
Interesting Read: Why My Cat Humps His Toys And How To Stop It?
