{"id":5503,"date":"2023-01-29T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-29T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=5503"},"modified":"2023-01-26T09:18:46","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T09:18:46","slug":"why-do-cats-and-dogs-get-the-zoomies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/why-do-cats-and-dogs-get-the-zoomies\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do cats and dogs get the zoomies?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n Shutterstock<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nSusan Hazel<\/a>, University of Adelaide<\/a><\/em>; Ana Goncalves Costa<\/a>, University of Adelaide<\/a><\/em>, and Julia Henning<\/a>, University of Adelaide<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

Does your cat or dog suddenly get a burst of energy and perform athletic feats around the house that would make even a gold medallist jealous? Welcome to the world of zoomies. <\/p>\n\n

Zoomies involve intense periods of high-energy activity including running, spinning, jumping and rolling. All at top speed. <\/p>\n\n

A proposed scientific name is frenetic random activity periods (FRAPs). In rabbits these high activity periods are called \u201cbinkies<\/a>\u201d. But many cat and dog owners simply call them \u201czoomies\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

So why do our animals experience the zoomies? And is it something we should be worried about?<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do animals get the zoomies?<\/h2>\n\n

Think about when your cat or dog gets the zoomies. <\/p>\n\n

You might see post-bath zoomies, dog park-zoomies, midnight-zoomies and good ol\u2019 out-of-nowhere zoomies.<\/p>\n\n

The trigger may be excitement or a sudden increase in stimulation. <\/p>\n\n

In cats, a commonly reported trigger is using the litter tray. This may be explained by \u201cpoo-phoria\u201d, a feeling of euphoria following defecation. This is possibly caused by large bowel movements stimulating the vagus nerve<\/a>, resulting in positive feelings and a drop in heart rate and blood pressure. <\/p>\n\n

Zoomies can be characterised as play<\/a> as the two behaviours share many of the same characteristics. This would make zoomies intrinsically pleasurable \u2013 in other words, a whole load of fun. <\/p>\n\n

If the zoomies are occurring as part of your animal\u2019s regular play routine, this indicates your animal is happy and enjoying themselves. <\/p>\n\n

While we don\u2019t yet know if zoomies are more likely to occur at certain times of the day, or more in some breeds compared with others, we do consider them a general indication of a high level of excitement \u2013 and likely a pretty good mood. <\/p>\n\n

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\n Does your cat ever zoom around the house at top speed, seemingly for no reason?<\/span>\n Shutterstock<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Humans are animals too and some people also experience what could be similar to the \u201czoomies\u201d. <\/p>\n\n

Ever get a sudden feeling of intense excitement and spare energy? Maybe you\u2019ve felt the need to jump, shake or dance, before it wears off and you\u2019re back to your regular settings.<\/p>\n\n

This can be caused by a multitude of things \u2013 an exciting or novel situation, a spike in energy after a extended period of resting or perhaps a change in your inner chemistry. Perhaps you got a rush of adrenaline<\/a> caused by excitement, over-stimulation or stress. <\/p>\n\n