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My Joon-bug is fondest of pens, pencils, plushies, and paper cups. Any small object will do, however. Anyone with a cat is surely familiar with the behavior: a few pokes with the paw at first, and then a firm swipe to knock the object to the floor. Sometimes they skip the first step if they’re really into it. It’s kind of funny, but it’s also really annoying. It may even be dangerous depending upon what kitty decides to send plummeting to the ground. Why do they do this? Why must all of our pens forever be under the sofa? How did Joon even get a tissue box under there?
No one will ever know what happened to that poor tissue box, but it is possible to understand why our cats drive us crazy by knocking all of our stuff onto the floor. No, it’s not because they’re assholes. There are several factors that may play into the behavior. As is the case with almost every feline action, their hunting instincts are likely involved. Cats in the wild would spent most of their time hunting, and they are exquisitely designed in mind and body for this vital task. They know that their toys, or the other things they choose to make into toys, aren’t actually prey. That doesn’t stop them from treating the objects as such.
Cats are known to toy with their prey, and they exhibit the same behavior when nudging a small object. Dr. H. Ellen Whiteley explains, “Your cat’s instincts tell her that paperweight or knickknack could turn out to be a mouse. Her poking paw would send it scurrying, giving her a good game (and possibly a good lunch)” (1). And in fact, it sort of does if they knock it off the edge of a surface. The object falls to the ground, giving them something to watch and maybe something to chase if it rolls. As hunters, cats are fascinated by movement, so the satisfaction of watching the thing fall may be reason enough to push things over.
Cats are clearly excellent at finding ways to entertain themselves, if they can turn a paperweight on your desk into a game. This is often cited as a key to why cats are doing so in the first place. There is a lack of other fun things to do, so they make something up. A bored cat quickly becomes a troublesome cat. Jackson Galaxy, cat behaviorist and all-around cool guy, said, “Think about a toddler who has been given crayons, but no paper. Hello, bedroom wall mural! Ask yourself, ‘Do we have enough cat toys?’ If the answer is yes, would he still rather bat a cup off the table? If so, it’s time to get new toys!” (2).
Along the same lines, we know that cats are good at training their people. The first time or two that your cat knocked something off your desk or bookshelf, maybe it was just for fun. But then you immediately came running to see what fell, and your cat had a brilliant realization. Cats quickly figure out what actions get our attention, and they don’t always care if the attention is good or bad. Knocking something over gets your attention quickly, and that reinforces the behavior because it’s working as intended. Of course, if you hear a glass object fall and shatter, you can’t just ignore that, so what can you do if this is a problem with your cat?
Solutions
Ideally, remove all things that a cat might knock over from a surface that they could push it off of. For most of us, that is never going to happen, so at least move anything fragile away from the reach of your cat. If you have a lot of fragile collectibles, it’s probably worth it to invest in a glass-front case. If it’s just a few knickknacks, you may just need to get creative in finding somewhere your cat can’t go. I know, there aren’t many of those places. Small, inexpensive, wall-mounted display shelves (like these https://www.amazon.com//dp/B06ZYH411W) might be an option if you put them in just the right place. I’ve used them before with success. Items may be secured in their current location with museum putty if there is nowhere you can move them to.
Fragile items pose a danger to your cat, as the debris from breakage could hurt a cat who steps on it. We also tend to put more value on our fragile items. Make sure to secure any medicine containers as well, so there is no risk of any pills falling out of one that is knocked over.
Once any risk to your cat or your breakables has been eliminated, there is the matter of trying to curb the behavior. As Jackson Galaxy suggested, more toys, new toys, or different kinds of toys may help. Individual cats prefer different kinds of play, so even if your cat has lots of toys and you’ve just bought new ones, they may not be the kind of toy that appeals to your cat. Frustrating, I know, but on the bright side you can always donate any toys your cat doesn’t like to an animal shelter or similar organization. Additionally, playing with your cat yourself is more stimulating than leaving your cat to make their own fun and can help prevent all kinds of problem behaviors.
Sometimes cats try to get our attention because they want something specific–more water, food, a litter box cleaning. If you check these things whenever your cat starts knocking things over and making a fuss, you might find that they are trying to tell you something. Of course, some cats will beg for food at any and all times of day, so this may not be a feasible fix.
There are ways to prevent cats from jumping on certain surfaces altogether, if you prefer that approach. Double-sided tape and aluminum foil are textures that most cats don’t like. Affixing either of those to the table, desk, etc. might discourage your cat from going up there. If you have a cat like Joon who will eat tape and aluminum foil, there are also devices you can purchase which are motion sensitive and release a puff of air when the cat jumps or walks into its range of view. They will puff at you, too, so be prepared to spook yourself several times before you get the hang of it.
While you try to deter your cat, be sure to always provide an alternative that they should engage in. For example, if you choose not to allow your cat on the desk, put a cat tree nearby. If you see your cat fixating on an object like they might be about to send it flying, don’t yell. Break out the wand toy and distract your cat with something positive and more fun. If you have tried everything, provided plenty of stimulation, and your cat is still knocking things over, they are probably just doing it for attention. All you can do is ignore the behavior so they learn that they won’t receive that attention anymore. It may take a while, but they will get the message.
Works Cited
- Whiteley, H.E. (2006). How to solve cat behavior problems. HowStuffWorks.com. https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-solve-cat-behavior-problems.htm
- Nguygen, V. (2014, May 11). Why do cats knock things over?! My Cat From Hell’s Jackson Galaxy answers 10 feline questions. Parade. https://parade.com/288613/viannguyen/why-do-cats-knock-things-over-my-cat-from-hells-jackson-galaxy-answers-10-feline-questions/
Published April 3, 2020
Updated March 7, 2021
