{"id":57550,"date":"2025-11-05T15:20:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T21:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=57550"},"modified":"2025-11-07T09:33:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T15:33:43","slug":"why-do-cats-knock-things-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/behavior\/why-do-cats-knock-things-over\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Cats Knock Things Over?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your cat: Hmm, I see a bowl of salsa on the edge of the counter. Maybe I should give that a little tap, tap, tap\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a cat parent, you\u2019ve probably walked in on the messy aftermath of this thought process. Batting stuff off of <\/span>countertops<\/span><\/a>, tables, shelves or your desk seems to be a fun pastime for most cats. But why do they like to watch an object fall to the ground? Surely they\u2019re not just doing it to be mischievous little kitties\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few reasons why cats like to push things around, and most of the time it\u2019s not to annoy their humans. From curiosity to attention-seeking to ancient hunting instincts, let\u2019s learn why cats knock things over.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Do Cats Like to Knock Things Over?<\/h2>\n

The ancestors of domesticated cats had to hunt for their food, and that hunting instinct is still present in today\u2019s cats, who now have their food delivered in a bowl. It’s in their nature to chase fast-moving objects \u2014 whether that\u2019s a real or toy mouse, a cat wand or a cup that is now rolling around on the floor. It\u2019s why cats love chasing toys that move, and if they don\u2019t have a toy, they might just make something else move instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Do Cats Push Things Off Tables and Counters?<\/h2>\n

If there\u2019s one thing we know about cats, it\u2019s that they\u2019re curious. They naturally have a \u201cWhat if?\u201d mindset, and they love to explore their environment and experiment with items in it. They are also keen observers; many cats will spend hours watching birds and squirrels from their window perch. So, when they see something new, it\u2019s natural for them to be curious about it. \u201cThat bowl wasn\u2019t there last time I was here. I wonder what happens if I just push it a bit\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cats will also push things off surfaces purely for their own enjoyment. A bored cat will cause mischief, much like a bored dog who digs holes all over the backyard. And if a cat pushed something off a table one time and found it entertaining, well, they\u2019re probably going to do it again. Especially if you started paying attention to them because of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Do Cats Knock Over Cups?<\/h2>\n

Cups are an easy target for frisky felines and the best part (in their eyes) is that the result is you paying attention to them. It doesn\u2019t matter that the interaction is probably negative as you wipe the spill off the floor \u2014 you still reacted to their behavior. Cats will quickly learn that knocking over a water glass (or anything else) elicits a reaction from you. So if they\u2019re craving some attention, that cup on the counter is an easy target.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Do I Stop My Cat from Knocking Things Over?<\/h2>\n

Cats knock things over for many reasons, so one of the first steps is to try to work out why your kitty is doing it. Are you paying enough attention to them? Do they have enough toys and window perches to keep them mentally stimulated while you\u2019re not home? Do they have cat toys with movement that satisfy their natural instincts to hunt prey? Once you\u2019ve worked out why your cat is in the habit of knocking things over, you can work out a plan to help curb the behavior.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the ways you can stop your cat’s knocking-over behavior is to make sure their environmental enrichment and mental stimulation needs are met. This involves giving them access to a variety of cat toys, cat trees, vertical spaces and other products that allow them to express their natural instincts and keep their brain stimulated. By scheduling more playtime in your day and purchasing new toys that are interactive, hopefully you can prevent the boredom and attention-seeking behaviors that lead to a bowl on the floor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also try <\/span>positive reinforcement training<\/span><\/a> by attempting to catch them before they\u2019re about to knock something over. Act quickly by redirecting your cat’s attention to something you don\u2019t mind them playing with, like a toy, and reward their good behavior. If your cat really likes knocking items over, you may need to put breakable or valuable items in a cabinet or in a room that your cat can\u2019t access.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cats knock things over with their paws, it\u2019s just what they do. If you\u2019re not a fan of this feline behavior, make sure their attention, enrichment and mental stimulation needs are being met. Lastly, if you have household items that you\u2019d rather not see on the floor, put them out of your cat\u2019s reach. Keep that bowl of salsa in the fridge until you\u2019re ready to eat it.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your cat: Hmm, I see a bowl of salsa on the edge of the counter. Maybe I should give that a little tap, tap, tap\u2026\u00a0 If you\u2019re a cat parent, you\u2019ve probably walked in on the messy aftermath of this thought process. Batting stuff off of countertops, tables, shelves or your desk seems to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":57549,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Why Do Cats Knock Things Over?","_seopress_titles_desc":"Find out why cats often knock things over & how to stop it. From curiosity to attention-seeking, get behavioral insights & a few helpful tips to curb the habit!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[201],"tags":[202,100,461,12,134],"class_list":["post-57550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behavior","tag-behavior","tag-cat","tag-cat-behavior","tag-cats","tag-diamond-pet-foods"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}