Understanding Your Cat’s Zoomies: Causes & How to Calm Them

I have gotten a couple letters on this topic. One lady wanted to know, “why does my cat run around like a psycho? Is there something wrong with him?” Another one wanted to know, “why is my cat running around the house like a maniac? Is my cat crazy? ” So, let me put things in perspective. First of all, there is nothing maniacal or psychotic about your cat running around the house like its tail is on fire. This is normal cat behavior. But why do cats zoom around the house? Why do cats get the zoomies? How do you stop cat zoomies? Well, first a story. It reminds me of my late cat, Ozzie.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. My wife had taken a bath and was coming out of the bathroom wearing a robe when all of a sudden, Ozzie zoomed out of the living room and past me. I knew what was going to happen. He usually did two or three laps around the house and his turn around point was the bathtub.

I yelled, “Ozzie stop!” English was not his forte. There was a splashing sound as water splashed straight up in the air. I could not help but laugh. He freaked out as he jumped out, slipped and slid out of the bathroom and under the couch where he stayed for a while.

The next time he had the zoomies, he stopped at the bathtub and turned around. He wanted no part of the bathtub after that.

Table of Contents

What exactly are the zoomies?

Cat zoomies involve your cat running around the house at top speeds, up and down stairs and or curtains for short periods of times. Just stand back. Do not interact with your cat when he/she runs around the house.

^{How long do cat zoomies last?}

Cat zoomies generally lasts for about 20 ~ 45 seconds. As a cat gets older feline zoomies decrease considerably. In fact, cats over ten years old generally don’t get them.

What causes cat zoomies?

Cat zoomies generally happen at. . . well, there really is no set time of day, however, some say cat zoomies at night are most common. Hillspet states that cats often get the zoomies after a long snooze. I have heard others say that the zoomies happen most often at dusk or dawn. And it all makes sense as well. Cats spend a great amount of time sleeping during the day. However there are other reasons why cats get the zoomies.

1. They have pent-up energy which needs to be released.
2. They have stress or anxiety.
3. They are young and trying to strut their adolescent stuff. A form of beating their chests.
4. Kittens tend to have the zoomies a lot more often than older cats which probably means they are a sign of youth and vitality.
5. Cat zoomies after eating can occur, especially with kittens.
6. Cat zoomies after pooping is quite common. They took a poop, and are pretty happy it is done and over with.
7. Unfortunately if cat zoomies happen after pooping for too long, you may need to seek professional help from a vet. In fact, Dr. Mike Paul, DVM, of the Pet Health Network wrote a great article on subject in which he says, cat zoomies could be due to infection and inflammation of the urinary tract, colon or rectum or due to constipation. Check out this article for more information on the subject.

How do you stop the zoomies?

I really do not believe there is one way to stop the cat zoomies. In fact, there are several ways, and all must be performed to be useful. A mentally and physically bored cat may get the zoomies more than others.