Cat Climbing Walls

First, I need to clarify that I am not a cat consultant; but I do have some contacts in the cat world, and here is what they have to say.

There could be many reasons for this behavior, but one of the most likely is that the cat is simply exercising!  He may see something flickering on the wall and be chasing it, or he may simply be bursting with excess energy.  You might try getting down on the floor and looking at the wall from the cat’s perspective to see what he sees, including changes in the wall which may appear to be a shelf, flickering lights or shadows, mirrors or other enticing things.  Pay attention to the cat’s body language just before he leaps onto the wall – is he wiggling his butt?  If so, this is a good indicator that he is playing.

For practical purposes, here are some things you might try to get him to stop climbing the walls.  You can get either decorative or clear corner protectors at any hardware store.  You can buy double-sided sticky tape in the cat department of most major pet stores; put it on the areas you do not want the cat to jump on – the first few times, it will probably come off, but just replace it until the cat stops jumping in that area.  If your scratching post is not made of sisal, you might want to get one that is; also, be sure the post is tall enough for adequate stretching – 4-5 feet.  Put the scratching post in the area where that cat is jumping.  Be sure the cat has plenty of high-altitude locations he can go to – cats do like to be up high!

Finally, you cat may be bored!  You should play more interactive games with him; chasing laser lights, feathers, toys on strings, etc.  Get rid of some of that energy.  Also, if you feed your cat any wet food, you might consider stuffing a small cat-sized Kong instead of feeding him out of a bowl.  For dry food, get a small Buster Cube or other interactive feeding toy.  This will use up a lot of energy just in eating dinner.

Raising Canine has a school for dog trainers which focuses on operant training for dogs, dog behavior, working with clients and addressing client compliance, and the science behind behavior modification.