As a cat owner, I can think of one or two (million) things about them I will never understand. Like why they randomly refuse to eat their favorite food—or any food. Why they love cardboard boxes but refuse to sleep in the little cat bed I bought you, Gina! And of course, why they think every object belongs on the floor. Cats are weird, but when it comes to that last mystery we might finally have an answer. Because science says they are constantly knocking things over because they want our attention. Of course.
The online magazine Inverse asked cat researcher Mikel Delgado from the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis (uh, where the hell was our high school guidance counselor on “cat researcher” as a profession?) about why our feline friends seem obsessed with knocking over stuff. She says it’s “because they have learned it is a quick and easy way to get their human’s attention.” So it’s basically their way of passive aggressively scolding us for ignoring them, which any cat owner will tell you is the most cat sounding thing ever.
But what if we would prefer them not to do that? Delgado says we could curb their destructive ways if we acknowledged their good behavior more, and that it helps to play with them frequently so they don’t get bored. Meaning if we don’t want all of our stuff ending up on the floor, our cats need constant attention and praise.
Of course they do. Cats are the best.
What weird cat behavior would you like to learn more about? Tell us in the comments below.
Just the Cats, Ma’am.
- Watch this cat try to catch fish under the ice.
- Did you know there’s a show about a samurai and his cat?
- And finally, here’s a fan film where the Super Mario Bros. are cats.
Featured Image: The Pet Collective
