Experts Share The Reason Cats Go Wild At Night – And How To Stop Them

You love your pet cat, eccentricities and all, but you still have to wonder why they behave in such strange ways. Right now it’s the nighttime sprints that intrigue you the most. When you’re wide awake to see your cat flying around the room, it’s pretty hilarious to watch them lose it for a few minutes.

Cats and kittens tend to have these bursts of energy, and they only have one way to burn it up. They run around the house, bouncing onto and off of furniture. You can’t predict what they’ll do next but, like we said, their silly behavior can be hilarious if, you know, you’re not trying to sleep.

But remember that your cat can’t quite plan when they’ll get a surge of energy. Perhaps your four-legged friend tends to go crazy just as you’re winding down. Like we said, their hijinks are quite funny when you’re awake, but it can be hard to sleep in the same house as an animal that’s bouncing off the walls.

Yet now experts have looked into the reasons why your cat might be acting out as the clock strikes bedtime. And they’ve been able to explain the science behind this behavior and, most of the time, they’re not just running around for the heck of it. Yup, your feline friend is trying to tell you something.

Perhaps you’ve heard the colloquial name for your cat’s late-night running sessions. Many people call these bursts of energy the fur and blur, the midnight crazies or, most commonly, the zoomies. And it’s not just feline companions who exhibit this wild behavior: dogs famously sprint around during their own streaks of hyperactivity.

It’s natural for your cat to want to stay up when it’s dark and snooze when it’s light outside. Because their ancestral felines did just that to make the most of their well-honed night vision to make hunting easier. Yet these days housecats don’t need to go hunting, so they expel their energy in other ways.

Cat parents are more than willing to share the silliest ways their cats behave in the middle of the night. It’s not all zoomies, either. Sometimes cats will traipse across the bed while their owners sleep. Others let out their loudest meows in the middle of the night, much to the annoyance of the snoozing humans around them.

Some cat owners have noticed even stranger nighttime behavior in their kitty companions, which they shared through the BuzzFeed Community. One pet parent revealed that their feline kept himself busy until morning by “[licking their] husband’s armpits while he’s sleeping.” We imagine that would be quite a strange sensation to experience mid-snooze.

Another person’s pet had an even more shocking nighttime wake-up style. The feline’s parent wrote, “When I’m sleeping my cat likes to wake me up by giving me kisses… on the mouth. Which makes sleeping with an open mouth a horrible idea – she has a tendency to attack my tongue.” Yuk!

And then there are a few examples of feline behaviors that are downright bizarre. One feline companion decided to deliver their parent a present in the middle of the night. They shared, “My cat brought me two large potatoes in the middle of the night from the kitchen counter.” Oh well, better than dead mice.

One cat did something similar, although their move was infinitely grosser than the potato pusher’s. One feline’s owner said via Reddit, “Our cat would bring live cockroaches and release them on our face while we sleep.” That’s about as terrifying as pet behavior can get, right?

That makes the nighttime zoomies seem a bit tame in comparison – and that’s a good thing. Sure, they can be disruptive to your sleep, but it’s quite funny to watch your cat zip around and on and off of furniture. One feline parent described their pet’s unique nightly fur and blur via Reddit and, well, it sums up the habit pretty well.

They wrote, “Every night at around 12 my cat will start running around like a maniac and will meow constantly.” The animal would eventually calm down, so long as her owner followed an exact series of must-dos. It started with the owner “[going] near her,” which would prompt the cat to run away.

Then the cat’s owner would have to “chase her to the bedroom” and shut the door, or else the cat would run away again. They’d then herd the feline onto the bed and lay very close to the animal. She’d then start purring loudly and relax – but only if every single step was followed in succession. And we thought humans could be particular about stuff!

Otherwise, the cat owner explained, “If you miss any of the steps above she will come back to running and meowing after around five minutes. If you touch her it’s game over, no petting or holding.” They then declared the zoomies-prone puss to be the “weirdest animal [they’ve] ever owned.”

The zoomies have a scientific explanation, of course, as do many other weird cat behaviors. Has your cat ever hopped on top of you and started kneading your body like a ball of dough, for example? They aren’t sharpening their culinary skills – they’re simply trying to show you that they’re content and chilled out.

Because kittens use this same kneading motion to help them get the nourishment they need. They gently press their mom’s tummy to boost milk flow while they nurse. So your cat’s little bread-making motion is just a throwback to their childhood days. The only time it might be a problem is if they have long claws, so be sure to keep them clipped to protect your skin.

Your cat might also live by the famous feline philosophy, “If I fits, I sits.” Our feline companions love to squeeze themselves into tiny places to sit down and relax. We’re talking empty boxes, dresser drawers, bathroom cabinets… any receptacle that’s got enough space for them to curl up.

You might be able to guess why your cat squeezes their way into the smallest little corners for a snooze. Turns out, they started doing this long before they became domesticated animals. They had to find safe spots to sleep at night in the wild – and a self-contained space would do the trick.

Another weird behavior – one previously mentioned briefly – is that cats love giving their owners presents. We’re not talking about nicely wrapped gifts, of course. These animals like to capture mice and other small animals and bring their bodies to their owners’ feet – as a treat.

Yet this deadly drop-off is actually meant as a sweet gesture from your cat, even if it comes across as odd. Yup, they want to show their appreciation for all the wonderful things you do for them. So they try and share their amazing catches with you, while thinking, of course, that you’ll enjoy them, as well.

And then there are the weird nighttime behaviors – the ones that wake you up and freak you out. Maybe your feline friend likes to knock stuff off of your tables and shelves, and the crashing sound jerks you from a peaceful slumber. Turns out, your pet’s not trying to ruin your snooze session.

Your cat actually uses its paws to feel things out – they’re very sensitive, just like our hands. So if your pet swats at things and knocks them over, they’re just feeling inquisitive. But experts say that excessive swatting could also be a sign that your cat’s trying to get your attention for some reason.

You’re probably thinking that your cat’s zoomies capture your attention, too – how could they not? And it turns out that experts know why they partake in such frenetic cardio activity. In most cases it comes down to one of three common causes. Your cat’s late night laps could have to do with their own sleep schedule, for starters.

Your cat sleeps a lot, as you know. Most felines clock between 12 and 16 hours of shut-eye each day. So when they wake up, they need to snap themselves into a more alert state. And now you know precisely how they may do so.

Yes, your pet’s zoomies could be a way to reactivate their body and mind after a long stretch of rest. But that’s not the only reason why a feline might run rampant through your home. Your pet might be racing around because of their primal instincts to go hunting.

Don’t panic – this doesn’t necessarily mean that your cat is chasing down mice and other creepy-crawlies in your home. They could just be in hot pursuit of invisible, imaginary creatures they’d prey on in the wild. You can test to see if your feline might be giving into such an instinct, too.

Try tossing a few treats down a hallway or other open stretch of floorspace. If your cat races after the kibble, then you might have a nighttime hunter on your hands. But if your pet trots their way from bite to bite, it could be something else that’s triggering their nighttime escapades.

It turns out that some cats run a lap after they go to the litter box, but not because they’re proud of the present they’ve left for you there. Dr. Mike Paul told the Pet Health Network that they might run around after going to the bathroom because they feel uncomfortable which “could be caused by infections or inflammatory processes involving the urinary tract, colon or rectum.”

So if your cat seems to race around every time they use the litter box, then you might want to take them to the vet for a check-up. Once the doctor gives them a clean bill of health, though, you can rest assured that your cat has no toilet troubles. Thus try and see their post-bathroom run as a celebration of what they have accomplished.

You might worry that your cat’s zoomies are a sign that something troublesome is brewing beneath the surface, in any case. As we said, any bathroom-related sprints should inspire a trip to the vet. But if your pet is racing around and partaking in other strange behaviors, then they might be trying to tell you something.

Let’s say your cat has the zoomies and then lets out a series of strange meows. Or perhaps they start racing around at night and they’re losing weight. These combinations – along with strange litterbox-related behaviors – should prompt a trip to your cat’s doctor. Much of the time, though, these types of changes come with age.

If your cat gets a clean bill of health and continues zooming at night, you’ll want to find solutions so that they calm down and, you know, let you sleep. And your best defense against late-night sprints is to help your cat get rid of their energy during the day.

Cat experts agree that it’s best for your pet to get bits of exercise throughout the day. Otherwise, they might save up all of their energy for a nighttime zoomie session. So aim to helm a handful of five-minute play sessions while the sun’s out so your pet will be more likely to relax when you do.

But make sure your play is preventing your cat from going mad – because it turns out that some methods can actually worsen the zoomies. Yikes! This means your feline should have a chance to catch the toy they chase, for example. So while it’s fun to watch your pet bound after a laser pointer or swipe at a fish on the TV screen, they need to eventually be successful. Otherwise they’ll try and hunt again later.

Once you’ve got your daytime play sessions penciled in, analyze your cat’s feeding schedule. Do they eat a lot at once, or do they chow down on small portions throughout the day? Because the latter is much better if you want to ward off nighttime bursts of energy.

Thus giving your cat less food, more times throughout the day, can help them balance out their energy levels, thus avoiding that big burst at night. And get two things done at once by investing in a puzzle feeder, which makes them work a little bit for each piece of grub. This will stimulate them both mentally and physically, which is just what you need to ward off the zoomies.

One of the tendencies we’ve previously discussed can work to your advantage here, too. Remember how we said that cats like to curl up and relax in small spaces? Try providing them with some places where they can do so and help them doze off in peace.

Even if you take all of these steps, you have to remember that your pet is, well, an animal. You won’t be able to stop them from giving into the zoomies, should the mood strike. So try and laugh at their escapades as best as you can. This is the weirdness you signed up for when you got your cat, after all.