As I got home after a long day at work, I came back to my bedroom where my cat usually likes to hangout and did the things I always do—pick up the stuff that’s supposed to be on my desk off the floor. 

Ever since I’ve owned a cat, this is something that I’ve gotten used to. 

My cat likes to knock everything that I have on my desk down and lay in bed. I don’t know why that is but, I have accepted my fate. However, one day I got curious and decided to look into it. 

As with everything feline, I decided to share this with you as well! 

Let’s look at why cats like to knock things over. 

Here we go. 

Hunting and Knocking Things Over: The Hidden Connection

As you may already know, cats are born to be hunters and have excellent hunting skills. Our feline friends enjoy chasing their toys around the house and are hilarious with lasers. 

If you look at the world from your cat’s perspective, she probably thinks of every inanimate object as something that she can run—regardless of the fact that it is safe or not. 

And, if the object moves, your cat will entertain you by chasing it.  

Cats love to paw on inanimate objects. Unfortunately for you, this means that your cat may knock some of your favorite—and, expensive—things over as well. You can also observe your cat jump down to investigate further when this happens!

She May Want to Get Your Attention

Another common reason why cats like to paw at an object is if they want to check it out to see if it will react. 

In some cases, your cat may be signaling to you that she wants to eat food or is hungry. Pawing at things is probably how your kitty gets your attention.

If your kitty has knocked things over in the past and successfully gotten your attention—or something to eat, this may be how your cat has learned to get your attention. 

Cats usually do this when they’re bored. 

According to experts, you should feed your kitty on a schedule and enrich her environment to prevent boredom. 

It is essential that you spend some quality time with your feline friend and try to make it a routine to prevent loneliness. In case you spend most of the day outside, you can get your cat another feline companion to play with. 

In case you feel that your cat is knocking things over to get your attention, we urge you to not react when it happens. 

This can be challenging for you however, the reinforcement your cat gets from knocking things over is removed which means that she’ll have to find an alternative way to get your attention. 

Let’s Talk About Prevention: Keeping Your Valuables Out of Reach!

If your cat has gotten into the bad habit of knocking things over, there are a few things that you can do to prevent or reduce this behavior. 

I understand how frustrating it may be for you. 

Trust me. 

First of all, I feel that you should keep all valuables away from your cat’s reach so that she doesn’t break them. So, keep all the glassware away from your cat’s prying eyes and paws. 

You should try to redirect your cat’s attention to other things such as toys.

To keep things safe on my desk, I have started using double-sided tape on them to ensure that my cat can’t knock them over. So far, I’ve had a lot of success with this technique. 

I’ve found that cats do well with play time—especially when they need a channel to release their energy. 

I recommend that you get your kitty some toys so that she can play with them instead of looking for things to knock over. 

Summing it Up: Why Do Cats Knock Things Over? 

Experts aren’t entirely clear on why cats like to knock things over so much. However, some of the reasons that I’ve mentioned above are the most common ones. 

You shouldn’t scold or punish your cat for knocking things over. 

The best way to address this is by ignoring the behavior and not giving your cat the attention she needs. In case your cat likes to knock things over when she’s hungry, you should ensure that she’s fed or arrange food. 

Does your cat like to knock things over? Let us know in the comments section.