Have you ever been minding your own business when your cat starts tossing items off your counter left and right? This can be annoying when youโre in the middle of something, and it can be even more frustrating if your cat starts to knock over things that are easily breakable.
While both your home and the internet are full of cats knocking things over, cats actually have reasons for this quirky habit.
The Dodo spoke to Dr. Marci K. Koski, a certified feline behavior and training consultant at Feline Behavior Solutions, to find out why your cat knocks everything over.
Just like people, cats can get bored if they donโt have enough to do. And while cats are often thought of as lower-maintenance pets, thatโs not exactly true since they need a lot of mental and physical stimulation.
โThings like knocking objects off tables, chewing plants, attacking your feet, playing with the window blinds and other activities indicate that your cat needs more environmental enrichment,โ Dr. Koski told The Dodo.
If you tell your cat โNo!โ every time he knocks something over, heโll learn that doing it will get your attention โ and even negative attention is better than nothing. When you react, youโre reinforcing the behavior.
So if your cat wants to be fed or wants to play while youโre in the middle of a Zoom call, he may start knocking things over.
Cats could be expressing their prey drive when theyโre knocking stuff over.
โPeople mistakenly think that cats just lay around and sleep all day, and while this may be true for some cats, we must remember that our cats are small, predatory beasties who evolved to explore and interact with their environment!โ Dr. Koski said.
Cats explore their surroundings, and one way they do this is by testing things with their paws. So your cat could be trying to see if the object is safe for him as he would similarly investigate other things in the wild before eating them.
Cats will often toy with their prey when they hunt as well, and knocking things over may be a similar activity. They could also be trying to figure out if the object is dead or alive as they would with prey.
Knocking things over also might just be fun for your cat.
Cats can be really curious, and your cat may just enjoy knocking over objects because he finds your reaction amusing, he wants to see what the object will do or the activity is interesting to him for whatever reason.
So while you might think itโs weird that your cat likes to knock over your glass of water, he could just be trying to play with it like a toy.
There are ways to prevent your cat from constantly knocking stuff over, and you donโt have to just live with your cat knocking over all of your breakables.
Give your cat lots of activities to keep him busy.
โGive your cat daily play sessions with a wand toy to let them express their predatory instincts and provide them with opportunities to do what cats do,โ Dr. Koski recommended.
This wand toy earned The Dodoโs Paw of Approval. You can get it from Chewy for $3.32.
Fun and rewarding activities โ like food puzzles, cat grass, clicker-training, teaching your cat to use a harness, self-play toys (like catnip toys), cat perches and hiding spots โ allow cats to explore and engage their brains for a mental workout and keep them from getting bored.
โTry giving your cat something new to discover every day โ even if it's not a hit, at least it's something new,โ Dr. Koski said. โAnd novel experiences are the best thing in the battle against boredom.โ
This interactive Ripple Rug received The Dodoโs Paw of Approval. You can get it from Amazon for $40.11.
And when your cat does knock something over, the best thing to do is to ignore it. By scolding your cat, youโre likely giving him a reaction that heโs looking for, so it may encourage him to keep doing it in the future.
You should also move objects away from areas where your cat likes to hang out. That way, your cat wonโt be able to knock over anything breakable. Itโs also safer for your cat in case he manages to knock over something sharp or dangerous, like glass or a poisonous plant (but try not to bring poisonous plants or other toxic substances into your home at all, just in case).
So cats actually knock things over for a reason โ and itโs not to annoy you. But you should try to keep your cat busy so he doesnโt feel the need to constantly knock stuff over.
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