If there is one thing cats are known for, it’s for having very unique personalities, and while we cherrish their playfullness and loving moments, some of their behaviors can be a little strange and hard to explain.

One of the most fascinating behaviors we can find in our furry friends, has to be when they knock things off of tables, from the smallest object to even picture frames, cats love to knock things over.

So to finally understand what goes through their mind when they are doing this, we decided to investigate the scientific facts behind their behavior. One of the reasons involves their feline instincts, as they are known for being hunters, so your cat’s instinct might be telling them that any object on the table could turn out to be a mouse, which makes the perfect way for them to stop their prey when the time comes.

“When your cat nudges a small, stationary object with her paw, she’s practicing the same behavior. Your cat’s instincts tell her that paperweight or knickknack could turn out to be a mouse. Her poking paw would send it scurrying, giving her a good game,” reveals Dr. H. Ellen Whiteley to HowStuffWorks.

But cats are also incredibly smart, and when they notice that knocking things over can cause a great deal of attention from their owners, they are absolutely going to start doing it on purpose.

“Once a cat learns that knocking something to the floor will bring humans on the double-quick, she may actually do it on purpose to get your attention, particularly if she feels that a meal is long overdue,” Dr. H. Ellen Whiteley explained.

If you are worried about your cat breaking your stuff or damaging valuable objects, make sure to have them entertained throughout the day, invest in some fun stationery toys and try to rearrange some of your decorations so you don’t have to come home to a mess caused by your furry friend.