If your cat has been sniffing the walls, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why does my cat sniff the wall? Possible reasons why your cat has been sniffing walls are that it is naturally smelling to see what other animals have been around, it is rubbing its scent on to the wall, or that it hears things in the walls.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat sniffs the wall 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.
Reasons why your cat smells the wall
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.
Nature
Cats will naturally sniff their surroundings a lot. Cats sniff their surroundings naturally so that they can find out what other animals and people have been around. The reason why your cat has been sniffing the wall is likely to be due to natural behavior. This would be more likely if your cat has always done it and it does not seem to have started doing it suddenly.
It hears things
Another possible cause is that your cat can hear things in the walls such as mice or just vibrations in the walls. This would be more likely if your cat does it more at a certain time such as at night or when it is very windy and if it sniffs a specific part of the wall.
It smells a scent
Another possible reason is that your cat can smell the scent of other people and animals that have been around. This would be more likely if your cat sniffs the walls more after other people have come over.
It is marking its territory
The reason why your cat does it might also be that it is marking its own scent around the house. This would be more likely if your cat also rubs itself against the walls and other things when it is doing it.
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 smelled the wall
If your cat has not always smelled the walls, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, an event might have occurred that caused it to start. If it did start doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as hearing things in the walls.
What is different when your cat does not smell the wall
If your cat does not always smell the wall, it would also help to consider what is different when it does smell the wall. For example, if it tends to do it after guests have been over, it would be likely that it is smelling their scents.
What to do about your cat smelling the wall
Below are some options you have when dealing with it.
Redirect its focus
One option would be to redirect its focus towards something else when it seems likely to start sniffing walls. Things you could redirect its focus towards could include toys.
Let it do it
It is natural for cats to sniff around the floor and most cats do it. If your cat has not been behaving unusually in other ways, it is likely natural behavior. In this case, it would likely be the easiest option to just allow your cat to naturally sniff the wallls and to keep things you do not want it to sniff out of reach.