Содержание
Have you ever wondered why some cats insist on knocking absolutely everything over? I know I sure have. If you are like me, and you have a cat that knocks things off of tables and shelves constantly, this article is for you.
Cats are loved and revered by both humans as well as the internet. Who doesn’t love to watch videos of kitties acting crazy? However, they are often feared by humans, as well. Who likes having their stuff knocked over all the time, anyway?
Not to mention, those jerk kitties that like to hide and attack feet as one walks by.
ARE THEY JERKS?
We all know that cats can be huge jerks sometimes. But, surprisingly, that isn’t the reason they knock all your pictures of grandma off the shelf. While cat behavior is certainly mysterious, finally, scientists have been able to nail down why they think cats continue to destroy your stuff.
Surprisingly, the answer is simpler than you think. A feline researcher told Inverse.com that kitties knock things down to get their human’s attention.
“A lot of cats knock things over because they have learned it is a quick and easy way to get their human’s attention,” said cat researcher Mikel Delgado, a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. “This behavior typically stems from boredom and/or a failure of the owner to acknowledge cats for ‘good behavior.’”
That isn’t the only theory on the matter, either.
HUNTERS
Remember, cats are hardwired to be hunters. We often forget that wild cats are fierce predators and the ones that live in our homes with us have that drive inside of them to an extent.
“Your cat’s instincts tell her that paperweight or knickknack could turn out to be a mouse,” said Dr. H. Ellen Whitley. “Her poking paw would send it scurrying, giving her a good game (and possibly a good lunch).”
Unless, of course, this happens to be your cat:
MAYBE THAT’S NOT WHY AT ALL
Of course, we are talking about cats here, so there’s a chance that neither of those things is the reason cats act this way. However, experts seem to think this is the case and they even have some advice for people who maybe have a cat that acts like a jerk.
Experts say that to keep a cat on it’s best behavior; it’s a good idea to spend some time every day playing with them. An occupied kitty is much less likely to knock things over than a bored one.
“Use clicker training to reward behaviors [cats] like, and if people have fragile valuables, use museum putty to secure them to surfaces so they can’t be knocked over,” said Delgado.
So, if you have a cat that acts like a jerk, now you know why and maybe you even know how to correct the behavior.
Do you have a story about something valuable getting broken by your cat? Please tell us about it in the comments section below.
