Expert QA

My 2-year-old cat has started to drag dirty clothes and bedding from the upstairs of my home and from the downstairs laundry area. Why?

From the Editors of The Daily Cat

Young cats like yours can sometimes do all sorts of wacky things, like drag shoes around the house, jump on curtains or even snatch and shred tissues out of boxes. All of these behaviors are simply boredom busters for your playful cat.

To work off some of that excess energy, schedule more productive, controlled playtimes with your cat. Usually felines will be predictably energetic at certain times of the day and sleepy at other periods. If possible, arrange the play sessions when your cat is at its friskiest. Pole toys, catnip-scented mice (if your cat is sensitive to catnip) and tossing around a few pieces of hard food could keep your cat active and engaged.

One other thought is that you could be inadvertently training your cat to misbehave. Like children, cats crave attention, be it good or bad. Whenever your cat drags down the laundry, you probably approach your pet and scold it. To your previously ignored cat, however, that might not be so bad. Sometimes ignoring misbehavior -- so long as you can secure your laundry in a good, covered basket -- resolves the problem.