I have never been a “cat person” but a cat adopted us 2 years ago. He walked right in one autumn evening when we were airing out the house and has been with us since. We’ve never had him declawed or neutered because he has zero bad habits. When he was a kitten,he looked more like a squirrel than a cat and still has an absurdly long and bushy tail. If you step on it you’re going to get slapped and it’s going to bring blood. Other than that he’s a perfect gentleman.
However,at least once every day he goes absolutely berserk. It looks like a cartoon when a cat goes zooming around the room about halfway up the walls. He doesn’t damage anything (knocking over lamps,tearing up curtains etc…) so he has to be in control of his actions but he’s so fast he’s almost a blur. His “mad moments” last 2 or 3 minutes and he’s back to his lazy,lay around self. Is this normal cat behavior?
My only evidence is anecdotal, but my cat does the same thing. Cats hunt with short bursts of speed, so I’d guess that galloping from one end of the house to the other is a way to stay in shape.
Some cats do this before and/or after taking a crap. In the wild they have to watch out for predators who might sniff them out, so they quickly distance themselves from any odor that might attract others’ attention. Of the cats I’ve had, about half have done this.
I just call this “Attack of the Kitty Vapours”. My critters do this on a daily basis. I’ve always assumed it’s their little hyper moments since they’re indoors all the time and I’m sure their energy levels desire a more active lifestyle.
And yes, now that panache45 mentions it, one of my females mainly does this after taking a poop. We joke that it’s because she’s so much lighter afterwards she needs to celebrate with a victory lap.
Our cat (indoors, mostly) does this occasionally. (At least one every few days, though perhaps she does it when we’re not there too). Run run run run run run upstairs-down-the-hall-into-the-living-room-STOP! Then run run run run run downstairs again.
