Cat randomly and furiously runs around house?

Question

My husband and I adopted our cat, Sammy, in July. We noticed immediately that Sammy would run furiously from one room to the other or up and down the stairs...almost as if something was chasing him! He is very aware of the furniture and doesn't hurt himself. We've taken him to the vet and I was less than impressed with her answer. He has epilepsy, but she doesn't think that causes this behavior. Anyone else experienced this situation and is it a serious problem? We love Sammy and desperately are seeking answers.

Answer 1

I have a cat and my cat will also just start going crazy running from one end of the house to the other, avoiding all the furniture and any people in the way. My cat tends to get more like that when its a full moon or going to be raining within a few hours - but she will also just start going crazy for no reason. I think its just a cat thing and something they do to expel energy, if Sammy starts running into things or breaking things than maybe get worried then, but if he is just running around its nothing to be too concerned about just shows he is an energetic cat.

Answer 2

I have 3 cats and every night around 11:30 p.m. two of them get the kitty sillies. They run all over the place, over the chesterfield, over the bed, over me if I happen to be in the way, through the kitchen, livingroom and bedroom. I had a cat who lived to be 22 years of age and she did the same thing every day of her life. I think she was a little inconsiderate as she used to do it around 1:00 a.m. After she was over she would sleep for hours. It really was very funny. I had some friends visiting from England once and they told me their cat did the same thing. They called it "The Midnight Madness Run"

Don't worry about Sammy. He is just having a little fun. It would be really good for him if you got a high cat perch/cat tree for him to run up and down. You might even consider getting another cat for Sammy to play with :)

It's the best way for an indoor cat to get its exercise. It's wonderful that you are concerned and looking after Sammy with his condition. A lot of people wouldn't bother and considering Sammy does not have perfect health, he sounds like a happy cat and you should be proud of yourselves.

Answer 3

I had a twelve year old cat who would do this every morning. He would eat his breakfast, then run from the front of the house, out the cat door in the bedroom, and back in the kitchen door as if all the demons of hell were after him. That was about all the energy he expended in a 24-hour period. The rest of the time he napped and groomed and ate!

So unless Sammy is doing this day and night I wouldn't consider it a problem.

80% of a vet's practice is usually with dogs and many don't even have cats of their own so they are not always the best resource when you have questions about your cat's behavior.

Answer 4

Used to have a Siamese that did that. Run from one end of the house to the other and right up the curtains to the ceiling, back down and back to the other end of the house.
One day mom moved the living room furniture and Sammy came barreling down the hall and ran right into the coffee table.
He was never the same after that and I found him about three weeks later out in a field, dead. He was just laying on his side like he was running full stride and just fell over.

Answer 5

It is natural. Cats have moments were they go scitzo and others when they sleep 16 hours a day. I wouldn't worry about it. I doubt that it has anything to do with the epilepsy. My cat tears up and down the house, around the lounge and the bedrooms. It is so funny to watch. Only thing to watch out for is when he forgets where you are sitting and might jump over or on you. My cat freaked out when she realised that I was sitting in her path and had to make a quick detour. It's all harmless fun, enjoy the fun moments with your kitty.

Answer 6

There's a specific word for this behaviour, which I am trying to locate.

Basically, indoor cats don't have the room to fully exercise themselves. This leads to hyper activity.

My cat also does this, and also tries to climb door frames.

You cat just needs to get more exercise. Try a toy that will require lots of running and jumping and swatting.

I'll update once I find the term for this.

Answer 7

I have two cats and one of them has always randomly run around the house, sometimes she gets going so fast that you would think the carpet is coming up...SHE'S PLAYING. The other cat will sometimes get involved, but she would prefer to sit around the corner and wait for Bella to come zipping by and then reach out and tap her...when Bella gets tapped she turns around and races the other way. This behavior has been going on for 8 years...kitties love to play....just like dogs.

Answer 8

trust me there is NOTHING wrong with your cat. because they nap so much throughout the day the have all that energy (especially if your cat is strictly indoors) they have to let it out. my cats do it all the time. they're playful animals and love to run, it's instincts and there's nothing wrong with that. but just to keep your cat safe, keep baby gates up where you think your cat could get injured running past your things, the gate may not stop the running but it will slow sammy down

Answer 9

Almost all cats do this; I've always called it the Cat Crazies. It's just a way for them to release pent up energy. Cats are born with the instinct to hunt and kill their prey in the wild, but since domesticated cats do not need to chase down their food they end up with all that extra energy.

Answer 10

I choose I knew. At around 5 this morning my cat did the circuit around the homestead at finished velocity 4 situations. This consists of leaping on the rocking chair so it crashes into the wall.