If your cat is out of control, this post will show you a number of likely reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why is my cat out of control? Likely reasons why your cat has been being out of control are naturally having more energy at certain times of the day, anxiety, it is playing, or that it is intimidated.
There are a number of possible reasons why your cat is out of control and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Reasons why your cat is out of control
Below are a number of likely causes and what would make each of them more likely.
Nature
It is common for cats to become more lively during the early morning and late evening. If your cat tends to be out of control 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.
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.
Zoomies
The reason why it becomes out of control temporarily 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.
It is playing
Another reason why your cat has been behaving that way 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.
An issue with its diet
It might also be the case that there is an issue with its diet that has been causing it to behave abnormally. This would be more likely if your cat is out of control when it eats certain things and if it has started behaving that way since a change in its diet.
Intimidation
Another possible cause is that it is intimidated. This would be more likely if your cat is out of control in an aggressive way and it become aggressive when you are approaching it and when you are interacting with it.
Injury
If your cat gets aggressive, another possible cause is that it has an injury. This would be more likely if your cat has started doing it suddenly and it has been showing signs of having an injury such as by moving around unusually. In this case, the best option would be to get help from a vet.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been being out of control.
In what way it is out of control
It would help to consider in what way your cat is out of control. If it is aggressive, it might be due to injury, intimidation or an issue with how you approach it. Whereas, if it is out of control because it is full of energy, it would be more likely to be due to things such as those mentioned above.
If your cat has always been out of control
If your cat has not always been out of control, it would help to consider what else happened when it first became out of control. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as injury, a change in its diet, a change in the way you interact with it, or another change in its environment.
What is different when your cat is not out of control
If your cat is not always out of control, it would help to consider the timing of when it is. For example, if it is out of control in the morning or evening, it might be because cats naturally have more energy at those times.
What to do about your cat being out of control
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Be calm with it
If your cat seems to be doing it due to getting intimidated, it would help to interact with it calmly instead. It would also help to pet it in a way that it likes such as by rubbing it below the chin instead of giving it a full back rub.
Ensure its diet is right
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 ways to release its energy
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 behaving very unusually, 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.