Cat seems compelled to barrel through whichever nearby surface has the most objects on it, help

[lailakat]

My two year old female cat Laila has recently ramped up a behavior that used to be a very, very occasional part of her getting "zoomies" into an isolated multiple-times-per-day habit and I have no idea what to do about it. I'm not even sure what search terms to use to research this and what someone could possibly do about it, but basically she will all of a sudden just jump up onto a surface and run straight through everything on that surface, almost like it's a challenge. It's not regular counter surfing, or nudging things over, or "zoomies," or any other situation that I'm aware of a name for. It happens in the blink of an eye and then it's done. It's almost as though her brain is like "I have to get over there, and I have to get there by going through the path that has the most stuff in the way possible." I wouldn't even classify it as "destructive behavior" because she doesn't even seem to want to destroy the things, the destruction is just a side effect of seeming compelled to run through them. This is something she might have done in the past if she was amped up and running around the house but it was extremely rare and usually at least made a little bit of sense why she would take that path, like it would actually be the quickest path from point A to point B of where she appeared to want to go. Now, it makes no sense. If I didn't know any better I would think she honestly believed that the quickest way to get somewhere she wanted to go was the way that is obstructed with the most stuff, if that makes sense.... and of course, I'm not even entirely sure the driving factor for this is "getting somewhere," it just seems that way. She will all of a sudden just barrel through a bunch of things then lay down or walk away calmly. Maybe she just likes the feeling of running through a bunch of objects, I don't know.

She's broken so many things. I've taken down all my fragile heirlooms and collectibles but I really don't want to leave my home barren forever. My family are antique collectors and I have a lot of items with sentimental value that were passed down to me or other things that just make me happy that I wish I could have out on display. But even taking down decorative objects doesn't help when she will do this with anything. I can't do crafts, or set the dinner table, without running the risk of her running through everything and causing a huge mess. Where do I even start with this? I've never really had a behavioral problem with her before and I don't know what to do. I've always heard that you cannot use negative reinforcement on cats, so how do I deter this behavior when it comes out of nowhere and is over just as soon as it began? I'm just so tired and sad and lost with this. Maybe this is stupid but I've always felt like she was in tune with my emotions, like she could tell if I was sad and always seemed to want to come keep me company and make me feel better in those situations. Well, this has been making me so, so sad and I can't help but feel even more saddened that for the first time, she seems completely ignorant to it. Again, maybe this is silly but it just makes me incredibly sad.

I don't know what to do at all but maybe I'm just searching for the wrong words or something. I had read about deterrents like double-sided tape, foil, and sprays with smells cats are supposed to be averse to, but she doesn't seem to care about or be bothered by any of them (probably because she's already up and down from the surface so fast she doesn't even register they're there). If anyone has any ideas I would really appreciate it.

 

[ArtNJ]

So this isn't part of a zoomies episode, and there is nothing unusual before or after? Its like those movies where the dog decides to chase a squirrel and clears the reception table with the wedding cake, except there is no squirrel, and before and afterwards its like nothing happened?

I've never heard of that either. Last time I had a path of destruction outside of the zoomies, it was when a cat had a plastic bag / parachute attached. Otherwise, as far as I've seen, cats are normally pretty careful of their path, unless they intend to knock something over. If they intend to knock something over, its usually fairly obvious as they whack it with their paws, they don't body check it, not that I've seen. Of course there are accidents as they navigate to where they want to go...I used to have a 6 inch wide bannister with pictures on it, and a cat would occassionally decide it needed to go up there even though it was too narrow to actually navigate the pictures. But it sounds like you have something else going on.

Our default with an unusual behavior that comes on suddenly is to recommend a vet visit. Maybe someone will have some additional thoughts, but a vet visit will likely be part of the recommendation regardless.

 

[Snickersdoodle]

Display case. I moved all my breakables to an enclosed case. After we super-glued them all back together.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Does your cat have other climbing places to use? I know of people who have placed shelving on the walls specifically for the cat to use so they have places to climb and also hang out, sometimes with a cat tree at the end - sort of as an 'end goal'. You could even place cat toys on them, in case she just likes to knock off stuff for fun. I think your cat is bored and looking for ways to entertain herself, and get your attention.

Are you home more often now because of the pandemic? If so, that could be impacting her behavior too. Lots of folks on this site have noted behavioral changes in their cats since they are home a lot of the time.

 

[KarenKat]

How often do you play with her? Olive gets all crazy if I’m not playing with her enough. She loves running from across the room and nose-diving into packing paper. We leave paper strewn across the floor for her. Maybe you could set up a distraction area of paper towel rolls and packing paper and see if that distracts her?

 

[susanm9006]

I think it is an unfortunate game she has learned. Could be the feel or the sound of hitting things she likes or just being able to clear a path. I would first make sure that there is a clear path by moving things or putting them away, preferably the latter. If you must absolutely have them out then attach them to surfaces with Velcro. You may not need to do this forever but just long enough to break the habit. And I would also make sure she has a way to get to high spots or her preferred spots without going through your things, like with shelves made for sitting and jumping to and multiple cat trees.

You can also try setting out some motion activated toys or Halloween decorations that talk or shriek when they sense motion. That may be enough to keep her away.

 

[fionasmom]

Can you use QuakeHold or museum putty in areas of high risk? It might save some things. I never had the exact problem that you described, but I have had the whacker cat that A ArtNJ mentions and it did solve a portion of the problem.