diff --git a/pandas/core/categorical.py b/pandas/core/categorical.py
index 1e3c8f89c0e05..b55c02a166754 100644
--- a/pandas/core/categorical.py
+++ b/pandas/core/categorical.py
@@ -308,6 +308,9 @@ def __init__(self, values, categories=None, ordered=None, dtype=None,
         elif isinstance(values, (ABCIndexClass, ABCSeries)):
             # we'll do inference later
             pass
+        elif getattr(values, 'ndim', 0) > 1:
+            raise NotImplementedError("> 1 ndim Categorical are not "
+                                      "supported at this time")
 
         else:
 
@@ -2331,6 +2334,8 @@ def _factorize_from_iterable(values):
                                       categories=values.categories,
                                       ordered=values.ordered)
         codes = values.codes
+    elif getattr(values, 'ndim', 0) > 1:
+        raise NotImplementedError('Factorizing DataFrame is not supported.')
     else:
         cat = Categorical(values, ordered=True)
         categories = cat.categories
diff --git a/pandas/tests/test_categorical.py b/pandas/tests/test_categorical.py
index b77e2d1dcda8a..d6221cc48bc1e 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/test_categorical.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/test_categorical.py
@@ -173,6 +173,12 @@ def test_constructor_unsortable(self):
         pytest.raises(
             TypeError, lambda: Categorical(arr, ordered=True))
 
+    def test_constructor_dataframe_error(self):
+        # GH#17112
+        df = pd.DataFrame(np.random.randn(3, 2), columns=['A', 'B'])
+        with pytest.raises(NotImplementedError):
+            Categorical(df)
+
     def test_constructor_interval(self):
         result = Categorical([Interval(1, 2), Interval(2, 3), Interval(3, 6)],
                              ordered=True)