Unlike other pets, cats are generally pretty easy to deal with.. until they go crazy. Some of the most popular house pets in the world also seem to be the ones that cause the greatest amount of damage – from curtains to glasses or precious items, nothing can escape the rage of a beautiful kitten!

Okay, we know that everybody does mistakes and sometimes cats really aren’t knocking things over on purpose. But let’s face it: we’ve all seen our cat look us straight in the eye while knocking that expensive, beautiful vase over.. with absolutely no regrets at all. Those things are definitely done on purpose, right? But why would they do it?

As always, science gives us the answer. Almost every feline hunter in the world is used to playing a little with its prey before devouring it – and cats are no exception. Therefore, when our furry friends knock things over, this is because they sort of practice how they would play with their prey.

Dr. H. Ellen Whiteley went on to explain that  “Your cat’s instincts tell her that paperweight or knickknack could turn out to be a mouse. Her poking paw would send it scurrying, giving her a good game (and possibly a good lunch).”

But that’s not all there is. As soon as a cat realizes that knocking things over gets your attention, she’s actually do it for that purpose alone! Whiteley explains that “Once a cat learns that knocking something to the floor will bring humans on the double-quick, she may actually do it on purpose to get your attention, particularly if she feels that a meal is long overdue.”