If your feline companion has a habit of sending your prized ornaments crashing to the floor, they might be trying to communicate with you, according to a leading animal expert. Rather than mere mischief, this common behaviour is rooted in instinct and emotion.
The real reasons behind the chaos
Amanda Campion, a cat behaviourist with over thirty years of experience, took to TikTok to demystify this frustrating habit. She stresses that cats are not simply being "naughty" when they bat items off shelves and tables.
Instead, she identifies three primary motivations: instinctual prey testing, sheer boredom, and a clever tactic to gain your attention. This action is often linked to their natural predatory drive to bat at objects and observe the movement.
Practical solutions to save your valuables
Campion provides clear, actionable advice for beleaguered cat owners. Her first recommendation is to provide safe, approved alternatives that your cat is allowed to knock down, such as robust toys or treat-dispensing balls. This satisfies their instinct without endangering your possessions.
Perhaps the most crucial tip is to control your reaction. "It's important not to react when your cat knocks something down," she advises. A strong reaction, even a negative one, teaches the cat that this is a highly effective method for grabbing your focus.
Addressing the root cause
The long-term solution, Campion explains, involves understanding the "why" behind the behaviour. If the cause is attention-seeking, the answer is to provide more attention, but within a predictable daily routine.
"So giving a cat a predictable play routine will actually mitigate a lot of these attention-seeking dramas," she states. Dedicate specific times each day for interactive play or petting, so your cat learns to expect engagement then, rather than resorting to destructive prompts.
For cats driven by curiosity, she suggests offering items like pom-poms to let them "understand the theory of gravity" safely. Simultaneously, a simple preventative step is to remove fragile items from precarious edges to minimise temptation and risk.
By combining these strategies—managing the environment, not rewarding the behaviour, and fulfilling your cat's underlying needs for stimulation and connection—you can create a more harmonious home where both your cat and your knick-knacks can coexist peacefully.
