Whether it’s your hairbrush, a pen, or one of your most expensive vases, your cat may lay their eyes on it and decide that it’s the perfect item to knock off the table today. Sure, it’s improper and totally uncalled for, but does Molly The Cat care?  Nope, not at all.

Complaints from owners like you and millions of funny cat videos on the internet show testament to how unreasonable these feline creatures can be. They’re awfully cute but can be really strange. And sometimes, they do things that just leave you wondering why you even put up with their behavior. 

Knocking things off is one cat habit that most cat owners want to break. It’s cute and harmless on small doses. But when they start getting too frequent, it can get too obnoxious too soon. 

So why do cats knock things off??

Here are a few potential reasons:
 

They want to be entertained

In simpler terms, your cat is probably bored. They have too much pent up energy that they need something physically stimulating to use it for. Knocking bottles and pens may have been fuelled by curiosity but the item’s rolling motion provides the entertainment that they need.
 

They want to see if it’s dead

Cats are born hunters. They have this natural instinct to go after their prey and take them as snacks. If your cat spots a relatively new item on the counter and doesn’t know quite what they are yet, they might think of it as a potential snack. And how does a hunter confirm if they’ve successfully won their prey? By checking if it’s dead… by poking it using their paws until it falls off the counter. 
 

They want your attention

Maybe they need food or drink refills. Maybe they just want to play. Whatever the reason is, your cat thinks you’re too preoccupied to notice that she needs something. If they’ve been around you enough, they know that you’ll come running if they knock something off. 

Therefore, they can use this tactic to let you know that they need something. Although they might just think it’s funny to see you running to them over nothing important (it’s just an expensive glass they’re knocking off, after all).
 

How do you stop this behavior?

 

Make sure she’s fed, hydrated and the cat litter is clean

One of the best ways to keep cats from wanting your attention is to make sure that her necessities are fulfilled. Make sure that she has food and water readily available. It’s also important that her litter is scooped.

Keep fragile things out of reach

Put the expensive glasses and vases away. By keeping them out of reach, you will have fewer worries when your cat jumps over the counter or on the table.

Keep her entertained

Help your little furball manage her energy. Get all her toys and let her play them throughout the day one by one by having them on rotation. This will ensure that she has fun while keeping everything seemingly spontaneous.

Ignore the behavior

One of the reasons why cats repeat unpleasant behavior is because they get a response from you that they perceive as positive. The idea is to discourage unwanted behavior by ignoring it. Getting no response lets the feline think that it’s irrelevant, and therefore continuing becomes pointless.

 

Understanding why cats do what they do

While some behavior of cats leaves us scratching our heads, remember that there are legitimate causes for these behaviors. They may need something or want to communicate something to you.

Figuring out why they do what they do will help you find ways to manage their antics. Cats can be clumsy, funny, and might be a little manipulative. But they’re all adorable just the same. And let’s get real here, no matter how difficult they are, we’d still love to pet them at the end of the day.

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