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We’ve all been there. You’re quietly lying in bed or on the couch and then suddenly your cat or dog starts bouncing off the walls.
But here’s why ‘witching hour’ occurs…
I hear you. Why, after a day of napping, they choose that moment to commence an intense interval sprint workout has always been a mystery. Leaping off beds, lounges and chairs in the pursuit of pure chaos. And here’s the biggest kicker. Witching hour always seems to coincide with when we’re trying to slow down and relax.
So why does it occur? Well, there are two genuinely interesting causes for the chaos.
First of all, it’s their body clock.
Dogs and even more notably cats, are crepuscular. Which means they nap during the day and the night and then are most active in the hour before sunrise and the hour after sunset. And internally, their body releases a whole load of energy and hormones that get them up and active. And while instinctively this was the time where their ancestors hunted, it now becomes their time to play.
The ‘Witching’ is a way of burning off all this energy their body is telling them to use up quickly! However, if you're experiencing something that looks more like Witching HOURS or you desperately need that nap not as interrupted, some Calm & Collected treats with L-theanine will really help here.
Then comes the quirky one. Poo-phoria!
When cats and dogs have a ‘package’ they need to ‘deposit’, that faecal ball actually does something interesting in their colon. It touches and stimulates the Vagus nerve. This then sends a signal to the brain leading to a feeling of exhilaration and even a natural high. Just look how many times Witching Hour (aka Zoomies) quickly then results in toilet time. It’s remarkable. So if you see a sprint session occurring outside of that dawn or dusk time, this is probably the cause.
So there you have it. Despite the dilated pupils and crazy facial expression, it turns out they’re not possessed. Instead, it’s probably excess energy, a poo-session or a play session that’s more on their mind…
