If your cat has been randomly sprinting around the house, this post will show you why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my cat randomly start sprinting around the house? Possible reasons why your cat randomly starts sprinting around the house are that it is playing there is an issue with its diet or that it is anxious.
Your cat might sprint around the house for a number of different reasons and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things to consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why your cat randomly sprints around the house
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat sprints around the house and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.
Diet
The reason that your cat starts sprinting around the house could be that there is an issue with its diet. This would be more likely if it does it soon after being fed and if it started doing it more after you changed its diet.
It is releasing excess energy
The reason that it runs around the house randomly is likely to be that it has some excess energy left over. This is known as “zoomies” which is where it sprints around in order to get rid of the energy. This would be more likely if it does it when it has been sedentary for a while such as in the morning.
Anxiety
Another reason that it might be doing it is that it is releasing some nervous energy that it had built up. This would be more likely if it does it right after something, that could cause it to be anxious, ends such as guests leaving or a noise going away.
It is playing
Another reason that it might randomly start sprinting around the house could be that it is excited and playing. This would be more likely if it does it when it is running around with a toy.
Nature
It is common for cats to become more lively during the early morning and late evening. If your cat tends to do it more at around those times, it would be more likely that your cat has been doing it due to naturally having more energy at those times.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
How often it does it
When trying to understand why your cat randomly starts sprinting around the house it would help to consider how often it does it.
If it does it a lot then it would make it more likely to be due to things such as a problem with its diet or that you have inadvertently rewarded it. It might be due to other medical causes. In this case, it would help to take it to a vet for a checkup.
If it does not do it so often then it would be more likely that it does it due to things such as being anxious when guests come over or naturally feeling energetic.
When your cat first started sprinting around the house
The timing of when it first started doing it would also be something to consider.
If it started doing it suddenly and it didn’t use to do it a lot then it would help to consider what else happened at around the same time that it started running around. For example, if it started doing it since a change in its diet, the cause could be due to an issue with its diet.
When your cat sprints around the house
The timing of when it does it would also be helpful to consider.
If you notice that it tends to do it when you feed it a certain food then it would make it likely that it shouldn’t be eating that food.
How to get your cat to stop sprinting around the house
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Make sure that it is getting the right diet
As mentioned above, the cause could be due to an issue with its diet. It would help to ensure that your cat is able to get the right diet and that it eats the right amount of calories.
Give it other ways to wear itself out
Another option would be to give your cat other ways to wear itself out such as by giving it toys to play with and things such as a scratch pad to use.
Get help
If your cat has been doing it excessively, it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular cat and to rule out medical causes.