Tonight, like every other night, I fed my cat delicious, expensive cat food, pet him, stroked him for 20 minutes and told him that I love him 423 times.
As an affirmation of reciprocated affection, he hopped in my lap and let me cuddle him for a little while before jumping down to play.
I felt honored. I enjoy the privilege of his hard-earned affection because I love my cat so much.
I turned on the T.V. to watch a crime show with a happy little smile on my face. I was satisfied.
Soon after, I heard a crash in the other room.
"What the heck was that!?"
I raced to the other room to see what was going on. To my dismay, I quickly learned that my loveably mischievous cat had knocked a snow globe, containing a picture of my family, off of my desk, shattering it.
"I thought you loved me!" I cried out. "Why do you do these horrible things to me!"
Why Do Cats Knock Things Over?
After cleaning up the mess, I sat in silence, wondering why my cat was such a jerk sometimes.
Seriously, dude? Come on, man, I feed you premium quality food, give you a wonderful home to live in, clean your stinky litter box, buy you toys and presents, play with you for hours, let you sleep in my bed, and give you copious amounts of love and affection.
Why do you hate me, bro? I love you!
And, no matter how mad they make us or how many things of ours they knock over and break, we'll still love them. An hour later, after we've cooled down, we'll be back to petting them and seeking their affection.
When it comes to cats, we love unconditionally.
But why does my cat want to ruin all my stuff?
If you own a cat, you've probably asked yourself these questions before.
There are perfectly plausible reasons why your cat knocks things over on purpose.
Let's dive into them right now!
Cats Knock Things Over Out of Curiosity
One of the most common reasons a cat knocks things over is because they don't know what the object is and they're curious about it.
Put something new in your house, and you'll see what I'm talking about.
When a cat is curious about something, it wants to touch it and bat it around a little to see if it responds. When the object doesn't respond, your cat will want to continue to play with it.
Their style of play, coupled with their natural hunting instincts, may cause them to be too aggressive with the object, causing it to fall off the edge of the table.
While it may seem like our cats knock over stuff because they're evil and want to torment us, that is not the case.
Cats lack the mental faculty to process complex, strategic or critical thinking necessary to devise and hatch evil plots against you.
Cats are excellent hunters because of their quick reflexes and killer instinct, not because they're evil geniuses.
They're just curious. When they're playing with our stuff and break it, they are not deliberately trying to cause you pain, sorrow or harm, even if they knocked it over on purpose.
Cats make no cognitive connection between the object it's about to destroy and your complex human emotions.
Rest assured, your cat doesn't hate you. Your cat loves you, even while it dreams.
Cats Knock Things Over Because They're Bored and Want Attention
Contrary to what some people may think, cats desire affection and want to be played with.
If you're preoccupied with work, watching television, doing taxes, building your marriage or relationship, chores, responsibilities, kids etc. your cat may feel neglected and unappreciated after a while.
When a cat feels bored and neglected, they will purposefully knock things over to get your attention, because they have learned that you will respond when things are knocked over.
The times when your cat playfully knocked things off the table and you rushed over, picked them up, talked to them, or interacted with them in any way were witnessed and learned.
Cats know that knocking things over will get your attention. So sometimes, they knock things over on purpose.
Yes, they're like onery toddlers who seek the attention of their parents who are doing grownup stuff.
If you want to reduce the number of things your cat destroys, then make sure you're giving them your undivided attention as often as you can. You are their servant and they are your master, after all.
Cats Knock Things Over Because They Think It's a Fun
Most people find certain forms of destruction or demolition entertaining and enjoyable.
If you don't believe me, wait until your city announces the scheduled demolition of a building and watch the large crowd of people in attendance to see it fall.
People like fireworks, shooting glass bottles, throwing water balloons. They watched Gallagher smash watermelons for pure comedic entertainment.
In the right manner, destruction can be enjoyable to watch or participate in. We don't fully understand why, but we know it's true.
Cats are no different. They have much of the same instinct as us.
Cats may be breaking things on purpose because they think it's fun.
However, they have no idea that the priceless heirloom they destroyed means so much to you. They cannot equate the sentimental value you have for the objects that they wish to destroy.
If your cat breaks something of value, don't be too upset with him. He didn't mean you any harm.
For extremely valuable possessions, make sure they're out of your cat's reach. Put it away somewhere safe.
The Bottom Line
While it may seem like your cat is just a jerk who hates you at times, rest assured that their playful and deliberate destruction of your property carries no ill will towards you.
Cats are not trying to hurt your feelings when they break your things. They're either playing, exercising their hunting instincts, bored and seeking your attention, or just having fun.
At the end of the day, so long as it's nothing too valuable, people enjoy watching cats batting things off of tables.
People spend hours watching videos on YouTube, Tik Tok and social media of cats knocking things over. It can be painful at times, but also it can be funny, depending on what they're knocking over.
People also love good cat jokes!
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