Lamp Tipping - Reeses' New Hobby

Always reinventing her play/boredom time, Reeses has taken up Lamp Tipping. We have two end tables by our love seat and there is a lamp on each one. We've always thought she'd probably end up knocking them over with her tail when she gets up there and walks around but it never happened. Now she figured out she can do it on purpose. She'll stand on the arm of the couch, stretch up and put her paw in the top of the shade and pull it towards her. If nothing catastrophic happens she'll try it again, pulling harder *lol* She knocked them over 3 times yesterday.

Does anyone elses cat do this? They sure do have some weird hobbies. My in-laws cat would look into a glass on the table and see if it was full. If it was empty she'd leave it alone. If it was full she slowly paw at it until it fell off the table

My boys haven't tried the lamps, but are deadly with water glasses!

That is really cute, but there was a recent tragedy that was caused by cats tipping over the lamp. You may want to discourage this behavior.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=108426

One of the lamps isn't plugged in and the other one is almost never on.

What is the best way to discourage it? I'll have to see if she keeps up with it. It may have just been a 24 hour interest.

Originally Posted by AbbysMom

That is really cute, but there was a recent tragedy that was caused by cats tipping over the lamp. You may want to discourage this behavior.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=108426

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OMG Karen - I missed that thread before! What a tragedy! Those poor little kitties!

I must be really tired...I read that as "lamb tipping"

Originally Posted by Jenny82

I must be really tired...I read that as "lamb tipping"

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Baaaaaaaad kitty

one of mine, I'm not sure who, but I've got it narrowed down to 2 possible suspects, actually knocked over my floor lamp a 6 foot tall floor lamp, mind you. I believe that the culprit decided it would be fun to hang from the fake ivy that was wrapped around it when it hit the ground it snapped the top clean off

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

one of mine, I'm not sure who, but I've got it narrowed down to 2 possible suspects, actually knocked over my floor lamp

a 6 foot tall floor lamp, mind you. I believe that the culprit decided it would be fun to hang from the fake ivy that was wrapped around it

when it hit the ground it snapped the top clean off

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Anya has managed to knock over my tall floor lamp as well. And it has a stained glass lampshade!! Thankfully it didn't topple fully over because it fell against the wall. Knocked a big chunk of plaster off my wall though.

She is now discouraged from doing so with a firm NO and a blast of air from the Airzooka that Lookingglass recommended.

Originally Posted by Jenny82

I must be really tired...I read that as "lamb tipping"

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Cows are too big for kitties to tip...

Originally Posted by emily_325

Anya has managed to knock over my tall floor lamp as well. And it has a stained glass lampshade!! Thankfully it didn't topple fully over because it fell against the wall. Knocked a big chunk of plaster off my wall though.

She is now discouraged from doing so with a firm NO and a blast of air from the Airzooka that Lookingglass recommended.

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Ahhh... you have to pull out the big gun hua? The Airzooka (aka The Great Cat Equalizer) has really saved us a lot of: lamps, action figures only found in Japan, books, and book cases in the past few months. It's also a great trick to play on party guests.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/60b6/

The only off putting thing is that it's ugly.

Originally Posted by gemlady

Cows are too big for kitties to tip...

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I should hope so

Originally Posted by emily_325

Anya has managed to knock over my tall floor lamp as well. And it has a stained glass lampshade!! Thankfully it didn't topple fully over because it fell against the wall. Knocked a big chunk of plaster off my wall though.

She is now discouraged from doing so with a firm NO and a blast of air from the Airzooka that Lookingglass recommended.

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Wouldn't the cat eventually realize that once it sees you picking up the air gun what's going to happen next and run anyway? I used to use a spray bottle but Reeses eventually got the point where she'd run as soon as I touched it and it didn't stop her from doing what she's wasn't supposed to

Originally Posted by Jenny82

I must be really tired...I read that as "lamb tipping"

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We peeps do "cow tipping" here in the South....

Originally Posted by ReesesPBC

Wouldn't the cat eventually realize that once it sees you picking up the air gun what's going to happen next and run anyway? I used to use a spray bottle but Reeses eventually got the point where she'd run as soon as I touched it and it didn't stop her from doing what she's wasn't supposed to

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Unfortunately you're right. She sees us pick it up and she hunkers down and braces herself until its over and goes right back to what she was doing before.

What seems to work best is 5 minute timeouts in the bathroom (but you have to make sure you take all the kitty toys out of the bathroom first )

In the house i used to live in, Sophie would lie on the shelf next to the pc where a small lamp was. Several times i managed to stop the lamp from being pushed off by her, but Sophie did it in the end

Radar has an obsession with our 6' tall floor-standing uplighter. It used to be ok, but it now resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa because he insists on climbing up the pole

We unplug it when we're not in the room just in case.

I was thinking of a small air horn. Something that I can sound without aiming it at her, that way it startles her. I try making a loud noise but it doesn't usually work, and I figured maybe this would do alittle better.

I noticed she'll tip the lamp towards the couch almost like she wants to look at the top of it, but tonight after she did that she tried to climb on top *lol*

Thats cute though

Lamp tipping/climbing isn't the worst of it - I swear we can tell where Radar is by the crashing noises of things falling to the floor as he rampages around