Stoic, mischievous, smart and temperamental, cats are some of the most interesting and fun pets that you can bring into your home. Anyone who has ever owned a cat knows all about their love for string, chasing lights and taking naps. Not to mention, those pesky cats who like to climb up onto your furniture and then use their cute little paw to push your belongings to their demise, down below on the ground.
It turns out there may actually be a scientific reason why cats like to knock over your stuff. They aren’t actually just looking to cause trouble or make you mad. Katherine Houpt is a professor of veterinary behavior at Cornell University. She claims that most cat owners say this behavior happens at night when you are trying to catch some z’s. Your cat is look to get your attention, though they don’t quite understand this is not the kind of attention they should be looking for.
Also, they might be trying to communicate something to you. It might be past your cat’s feeding time and rather than come up to you and sit patiently in your lap, they come up with the idea to grab your attention fully in hopes you will head over to the food dish. Let’s not forget that cats are predatory animals. While it might not seem like it when they are curled up on the couch next to you and purring loudly, they do like to hunt and attack things with their paws. While your docile Fluffy might be knocking your hairbrush off the counter, this is behavior that makes cats feel like they are at home and are true to their nature. Even deaf cats like to knock things over. They don’t have much of a startle reflex due to their lack of hearing, so they may be more likely to cause trouble in this manner.
While you might be able to pay a little bit more attention to your cat and their needs, chances are you might just have to accept your cat’s love of knocking things over. There are many great cat toys available that might deter your fur baby from getting your items and spending some quality play time with your pet daily can make a big difference in their behavior.