my cat does exactly the same thing. He even puts himself in danger of falling, by hurling himself from one side of the staircase to the other to avoid touching the carpet.
Some times he's so anxious about touching the floor he will jump on to unstable surfaces and ends up in a pile on the ground. Apparently not all cats land on their feet when they fall! Or maybe that's just another quirk of my cat's mad personality!
Jan 08, 2009 Rating
toenails too long? by: Anonymous
Check kitty's toenails. They may be too long and are hooking in the carpet. To keep from getting stuck, he's avoiding the carpet?
Dec 11, 2008 Rating
Freaky cat by: Carina
Well, strangely enough, he does not care for catnip that much. And its not that I believe he is afraid of it, I do think that he is just a weirdo and likes to hop around pretending the floor is lava. :P No, but really, its not a problem for me, I just thought it was kind of strange for him to do. Also, I wondered if any other people have had cats to do similar things. He's a great cat, really, and I hope he never changes!
Dec 06, 2008 Rating
You may never know why by: Anonymous
It's easier to address a problem if the reason is known but that's not always possible. It will most likely take a great deal of patience and perseverance to change your cat's behavior.
If I were in your situation I would try to make the rug very attractive to my cat by placing irresistible things like catnip on there or his food dish just at the edge of the rug and over time move it further into the room. He may start to regard the rug as a good thing and not be so afraid of it. Gook luck!
