Can you think of one reason why cats love to sit on the tables? If you’ve ever lived with a cat, you know that their graceful leaps and precise landings can quickly turn into chaos the moment when a cat decides to target a piece of pottery on the table.Within the pages of this pet memoir, “My Life with Cats, Cats, and Cats,” Alix Hallman Travis has beautifully captured this feline mischief through an illustration of her cat, Thomas O’Leary, purposely knocking objects on the fireplace mantel, one after another, onto the floor.

Alix Hallman Travis’s book is filled with charming and relatable illustrations of life with her cats, and one that stands out is the story of Thomas spying the yarn, a box and a toy on the mantel and his jumping from the floor to mantel to investigate While reading this book, readers can comprehend how Thomas was determined to explore every inch of his territory—including the mantel; his curiosity got the better of him, and in a single swat, or three single swats, he sent . the box, toy and yarn tumbling to the floor. Thomas O’Leary.
For Travis, this moment was one of many in her life as a cat parent, but it’s one that resonates deeply with anyone who has had a cat knock something over just for fun. It’s an all-too-familiar scenario—cats have a knack for finding the one thing you don’t want them to touch and making it their new favorite target something that will have to be swept up or rewound.
The question cat parents often ask is: why do cats seem to love moving things and what if they break—no problem . The answer, like most things with cats, lies in their natural instincts. Cats are hunters by nature, and knocking objects over is a form of play that mimics hunting behavior. They use their paws to test the movement of objects, swatting and batting at them as though they were prey.
To a cat, a objects resting up high might as well be a mouse hiding in the grass. Knocking it down isn’t about destruction—it’s about satisfying their need to explore and interact with their environment., Thomas O’Leary, in his moment of curiosity, was simply following his feline instincts. The fact that the scattered items had to be restored was just an unfortunate side effect for the parent of his playful nature.
Cats are known for their insatiable curiosity. They love to climb onto tables, shelves, and countertops, all of which offer a higher vantage point to survey their kingdom. In Thomas’ case, the fireplace mantel was not just a piece of furniture—it was a platform for exploration, where anything on it was fair game.
The act of knocking things over may also give cats a sense of control. Cats are creatures who enjoy having dominance over their environment, and by knocking an object off a table, they are exerting that control. Thomas, like many cats, likely enjoyed watching the pot pieces fall and crash because it was a direct result of his actions.
As frustrating as it can be to clean up broken pots and toys, or rewind yarn, there’s something endearing about a cat’s ability to cause chaos. Alix Hallman Travis captures this duality beautifully in her memoir, reminding us that while cats may be destructive, they’re also irresistibly charming.
Thomas’ mischievous behavior—like that of so many cats—is part of what makes them so lovable. They keep us on our toes, constantly surprised by their antics. And while we may groan when we hear the sound of something crashing to the floor, we can’t help but smile at their unapologetic expressions afterward.