Do you notice your cat suddenly running around the house, or if she has a sudden surge of energy that ends with meows? It’s possible for cats to display unusual behavior, which may surprise you. A cat’s body language can be difficult to understand. You may be wondering why your cat is acting strangely or weirdly out of nowhere. There are some possible explanations.
6 Reasons your cat may be acting crazy
Why are cats so crazy?
Every breed of cat has moments when they run through a room, make crazy meows, and act like they’re racing to the finish. They move faster and faster, sometimes looking around the room, but then they stop.
If it happens at night, this wild behavior may be called the “midnight freaks”. You may see your cat engage in wild behavior or jumping on your bed, pawing at your elbows or face, to try to get you to join them. There are many reasons your cat may engage in wild, sometimes amusing behavior.
Predatory Instinct
Domestic cats are naturally predatory cats, but domestic cats do not have this instinct. A cat acting out of control may actually be hunting, fighting, or escaping techniques.
Although a cat is not required to hunt for its food, its pent-up energy can still be used. It may manifest itself in bizarre behavior. Catnip mice and laser pointers, feather wands and food puzzles are all toys that encourage cats to follow their instincts and grab, chase, jump and chase. If your cat is not outdoors, this exercise will be especially beneficial.
Nocturnal Instinct
One reason your cat might be acting crazy is because they are active at night and nocturnal. It may be especially crazy if the cat doesn’t get enough exercise during the day.
Many domestic cats live alone in their homes while their humans work. If the cat’s owner is home at night, it may be very active and eager to play. Cats that have no outlet may display bizarre behavior. Kittens are very energetic.
Senility
An older cat may be acting strangely due to cognitive dysfunction, senility or other causes. As your pet gets older, it may have a different brain function and exhibit strange behaviors.
Fleas
Sometimes a cat can act crazy and look like something is biting its face because it has fleas. If your cat is meowing, it could be extremely sensitive to flea bites.
Treat all pets in your household, including cats, with a flea treatment. To determine if your cat is suffering from allergies or secondary skin infections, you should visit your veterinarian. If your vet recommends, you can also treat the environment by vacuuming and washing clothes. After the fleas have gone, your cat will cease to exhibit this behavior.
Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS)
Feline hyperesthesia syndrome, also known as FHS, is a rare cause of crazy behavior in cats. It affects older cats more often than other conditions and is not well understood.
Talk to your veterinarian about FHS if you have any concerns.
Your cat’s skin appears to be rippling when it runs.
Even after treating it for fleas, your cat may bite its back more than its tail.
Petting the base of your cat’s tail or back can trigger it to groom, bite, scratch or bite the area, and then run around the house wild.
Next Steps
Sometimes, it is difficult to determine what caused your cat’s wild behavior. Cats are difficult to understand! Although many people are able to recognize basic cat behavior and vocalizations, not all of them can comprehend basic dog behaviors.
Dogs can communicate with their owners using expressive facial expressions and body language. They make different sounds to let others know their moods and wag their tails. Cats, however, are more known for their emotional ambiguity and stubborn behavior. It is becoming more common to believe that cats can communicate just as well as dogs. Problem is, people often don’t get it or misunderstand what their cats are trying and how they communicate.
Your cat will go on the run after the sun sets… to find madness and mayhem What is it about nighttime that brings out our cat’s friskiness?
You may think that Midnight Madness is a sale at the local mall late at night, but those who live in close quarters with their feline companions know better. Fluffy can race around the house until the early hours of the morning while emitting a bone chilling howl.
My tiny tabby Shelby thought it was a clockwork. It would begin at 3:00 am with a guttural, throaty cry and tap, tap. My bed was filled with her favorite soft toys, which she “killed”, and had brought to me all night.
This kind of manic behavior in cats is not unusual. Your cat may feel that the witching hours is the best time to relax and let out steam. Here are six common beliefs about the feline phenomenon.
Is it nurture or nature? Wild cats usually hunt at night. It doesn’t matter how well-fed your girl is. However, her desire to hunt predators and stalk them can drive her late-night antics. If your wild cat doesn’t run around the house all night, it is possible that she prefers to be outside hunting at dawn. Cats are usually most active between dawn and dusk. It is also when they are most likely to find prey animals and make it easier to catch them. However, regardless of whether she is most active at night, or at dawn, she can wake you up at any hour, which could be annoying.
When hunger strikes. Your cat may be acting up at night because she is hungry. Even though you may be sleeping soundly, your cat could be hungry and ready to eat. You might notice her running around and making a lot noise in an effort to grab your attention. Another possibility is that she might do this in the early morning when her instincts tells her it’s time to go outside and find breakfast. It might help to determine the right food schedule if your cat goes crazy at night.
Lazy, crazy or both? Most felines spend their days indoors searching for a ray or two of sunshine. They usually sleep, eat and sleep some more. This was once done in anticipation of the night’s big hunting, but this is not the case anymore. All the lying about leaves them with an excess of energy and they need to get it out. Even though it might be just that your cat is releasing the energy from her inactivity, it’s important to remember that she may also be more active at night as she wants to attract your attention. If she hasn’t had any company during the day, or if she is feeling bored, she might release all her energy at night. You might find that your pet needs to be able to interact with you during the day.
Guard duty is required. My crew goes ballistic when another cat appears outside a window during the night (not for raccoons, possums). Those threatening yowls are accompanied by racing from one window or another in an effort to keep the offender away and protect her turf. It is possible to form a tag-team with multiple cats if they are yowling at the same time.
