Valued for their companionship like dogs, cats are independent creatures. They also have the ability to hunt rodents. Known to be clean animals that lick their coats almost every time, cats have excellent night vision, too. They are most active during the early hours of the morning and towards the evening. But sometimes, cats can act a bit selfish by wanting all their needs met without giving any thought to the needs of their owners. On some days, you’ll ask yourself, why do cats knock things over? There would be a bottle of water from the kitchen counter or your favorite flower vase that it will knock down and make you clean up the mess.
Watching them knock some things down was hilarious at first. But when you keep losing vases and cups, you will begin to wonder why your cat is determined to break everything in its sight.
Why Cats Knock Things Over?:
That’s the big question. There are various reasons why cats knock things over, here are four (4) reasons why your little kitty cat keeps knocking things over
1. Cats have hunting instincts – Do big cats knock things over?
They are carnivorous by nature, whether domesticated or not and have good hunting skills. Possessed with a good sense of smell, sense of hearing, and they have excellent night vision.
Do big cats knock things over? All cats have the instinct to go after their prey; it might be a mouse, a bird, or any other small animal.
When a cat captures its prey, it uses its paws to test and confirm if the prey is still moving or if it’s dead. This also happens with a book or pen on your desk, their hunting instinct kicks in and they explore objects in their path with their paws the same way they would a prey.
So, do big cats knock things over? I think they have more reason to.
2. Cats get bored too.
What do you do when you’re bored? You try to engage in fun activities. You play games, go out, listen to music or chat with friends. Cats knock things over because they are bored. When cats get bored, they try to do things that seem like fun to them. They find ways to play; they knock objects down and watch them fall.
3. Cats like the attention – why do cats knock over water glasses?
Some cat owners ask, why do cats knock over water glasses? Especially glasses with water in them. Cats are intelligent animals, they study their surroundings and their human companions closely. Once your cat notices how quickly you respond when he breaks a vase or a glass, they realize that this is a means to grab your attention when they feel neglected.
Why do cats knock over water glasses? They know that you would surely come running to save your carpet. It doesn’t matter to a cat if you come screaming or if you give them a calm reprimand like “bad kitty”, to them, attention is attention.
When you are busy and you can’t give your cat any playtime, occupy them with things that would keep them busy. Things like their favorite toys, for example, can keep your cat busy while you work, but they can get bored of the toys easily. Once you get the chance, give them some petting time for as long as you can.
Also, make sure that their food and water bowls are not empty when it’s feeding time, your cat might be trying to gain your attention to remind you that they need to eat.
4. Curious cat
There’s a popular saying, “curiosity killed the cat”. This isn’t just a saying but it is actually very accurate. Cats are also known to be big with curiosity. This inquisitive behavior has helped them survive for centuries.
Cats like to understand objects around them and they love exploring. Cats can climb the curtains, jump on the kitchen counter to see why a particular object is a way it is. Ranging from boxes to small spaces, cats have been known to satisfy their curiosity about things especially their owners. Their need to staying aware of their environment is a means for survival.
How Can You Stop Your Cat From Knocking Things Over?
Cats will always act like cats, it’s in their nature. They would always look for reasons to knock objects over. It’s a cause for concern to a lot of people but there are ways you can reduce your cat’s tendencies for breaking or knocking things down.
- Get enough toys for your cat to play with. Moving toys seem more interesting to cats as they try to run after them. Another interesting toy that can occupy a cat’s attention is a shiny toy.
- Try as much as possible to spend quality time with your cat. Five minutes every hour or two can help curb its attention-seeking tactics. Nobody likes to feel neglected.
- You can move breakables out of your cat’s reach; places like your tables, kitchen counters or your dresser are easy for cats to get to. Take them to an area of the house where the cat cannot go to or somewhere under lock and key.
- Creating activities for your cat that can allow them to exercise their paws or hunting skills would also help keep them entertained and away from your breakable wares.
- Since your cat sometimes knock over objects to gain your attention, ignoring it (if you’ve already met all its needs) when it knocks some things down can also give the cat a better behavior. It would either look for other ways to gain your attention or find something else to play with; at least you wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning up any mess.
Conclusion:
We listed the major reasons already above why do cats knock things over. It is understandable that you might already be feeling frustrated knowing that your cat can knock just about anything on the floor, especially if you’re a neat person. Take up the precautionary measures and things would be fine.
