Why Cats Knock Over Your Things and How to Stop Them
Cats love to knock things over and push them off tables, which can break many objects. Are they mean goblins who hate your stuff? Sort of – but not quite. Here’s the truth about this annoying behavior and how to prevent it.
It shouldn’t surprise you that cats knock things over because it’s fun. That’s all the explanation. If you want to end it, you need to know why this particular hobby is so enjoyable so that you can give your cats a better, less destructive outlet for that energy.
This is everything cats love in one lesson
As explained inthis video from the YouTube channel Grady Veterinary Hospital , cats love to jump on things. They also love to probe potential prey – which could be any small object for cats – by prodding it with their paws and watching what happens. If it moves, great; if it makes noise, it is even better; if both are the jackpot . Once they find something interesting, they will continue until the victim finally dies, or they get bored and move on to their next victim.
Counter or table play combines all three activities in one, like CrossFit for cats. They have a pitch change and a real buffet of things to poke and nudge, and so much the better if it spins and makes funny noises when it hits the ground so they can play with it some more.
It gets their attention.
It doesn’t take long for cats to realize that sending an object to the floor makes a lot of noise, which can cause the caretaker to run off in search of it. As veterinarian and author Dr. H. Ellen Whiteley explains in HowStuffWorks, this is incredibly valuable information for a cat:
[When] a cat learns that banging something on the floor will make people have fun twice as fast, it may do so on purpose to get your attention, especially if it feels the food is out of date.
Getting you to jump out of your comfortable reading chair to scream and scream about another broken glass of water can be an important part of your task, so don’t give them pleasure.
How to stop them
Stopping this behavior is fairly straightforward, but you will need to tweak the environment a little. Since height change – is at least half the fun of the game with rollover, let your cats something else, what it will be fun to get on your side table or bookcase. Cat behavior expert Jakeson Galaxy recommends developing a superhighway for cats – a route that allows cats to get off the floor and move around the room without having to go back. If this is too difficult, try giving them a couple of seating areas on different levels.
Tired cats don’t get into trouble , so play with your cat a lot. Choose toys that give the same paw feedback as those that hit the counter, such as sticks or wire toys, toys with balls, or motorized animals. A laser pointer will definitely tire them out, but since cats cannot catch light, it may not satisfy their prey instinct enough to keep them away from your belongings.
You will also have to change your behavior. Do not leave precious fragile items where your cat can reach them; if they really are in water glasses, switch to plastic or metal until they get comfortable with their new dig and start playing. And remember: your cat probably loves being able to summon you from another room by simply causing something to collapse. Don’t give up what you are doing and run to the crime scene every time (or worse, feed them to shut up). Give it a couple of minutes to go around and then quietly clean up the mess. Over time, you will need to do this less and less.
This article was originally published on December 11, 2015 and was updated on May 6, 2021 with new links, updated information, and to reflect the current Lifehacker style guidelines.