If your cat has been climbing walls a lot, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why does my cat climb walls? Likely reasons why your cat climbs walls are that something is causing it to be fearful, it naturally likes to climb things or that it is playing.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat climbs walls and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my cat climb walls?
Below are likely reasons why your cat climbs walls and what would make them more likely.
Fearfulness
Cats will naturally climb things such as trees when they are trying to get away from predators. It might be the case that your cat has been climbing walls in an attempt to get away from something that has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if your cat has been doing it more when it is likely to be fearful such as when a dog is nearby or when there are loud noises inside and if it also climbs other things at similar times as well.
Your cat naturally likes to climb things
Cats naturally like to climb things and it is likely that your cat has been climbing up walls because it enjoys doing it. This would be more likely if your cat has not been behaving unusually in other ways and it seems to do it at random times.
Your cat is playing
It is also likely that your cat does it because it naturally wants to climb things when it is playing. This would be more likely if it does it in the early morning or late evening when cats tend to have a lot more energy.
Trying to get outside
It might also be the case that your cat has been doing it in an attempt to get outside. This would be more likely if your cat has been climbing walls next to the door or window that it normally uses to get outside.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.
If your cat has always climbed walls
If your cat did not always climb up walls, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as something happening inside that caused it to start getting anxious, something that it liked to climb became unavailable to it or it might have learned that it is fun to climb walls.
The timing of when your cat climbs walls
If your cat tends to climb walls more at a certain time, it would also help to consider what is different about the timing of when your cat climbs walls. For example, if it tends to do it more when there are loud noises inside, your cat might be doing it in an attempt to escape the noise.
What to do about my cat climbing walls?
Below are options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Avoid encouraging the behavior
When your cat does climb walls, it would help to avoid giving it rewards such as treats or extra attention so that it does not learn to climb walls for rewards.
Give it a scratch post or other distractions
It could also help to give your cat things to be distracted by such as a scratch post or other toys to play with so that it is less likely to want to climb things.
Limit reasons why it might be fearful
It would also help to limit reasons why it might be fearful inside such as by letting it stay in a different part of the house.
Encourage your cat to climb things you want it to
You could also try putting a cat nip spray on the things you want your cat to climb and to reward it with a treat whenever it does try to climb those things.