From bringing home birds to eating your hair, here are some of the most bizarre cat behaviors
explained:
12.
Jumping For Joy
If you’ve ever owned a cat, which you probably have since you’re watching this video, you
know that they can be a handful at times.
Sometimes cats will sprint from room to room, literally leap off of the walls, climb on
furniture, and just go wild.
This is completely normal behavior, especially for kittens; they’re simply trying to burn
off extra energy… and they have a lot of it.
However, this playfulness can also ensue after your feline friend gets into the catnip stash.
Catnip contains nepetalactone (neh-pet-alac-tone), which works to attract the cats to the plant.
Side effects of ingesting this herb are sleepiness, purring, running all over the place, and just
sort of acting insane.
But, these strange responses only last about 15 minutes; so, your cat will be back to normal
in no time!
Sometimes your cat will start jumping out of nowhere.
They’ll suddenly begin dashing around like madmen and leaping off of your furniture or
anything else they come into contact with; it might look a little crazy because cats
can run up to about 30 miles per hour.
Although this seems a bit different than their usual liveliness, it is merely another way
for them to expend stored energy.
11.
Chatterbox
One of the odd behaviors you may have noticed about your cat is that it likes to talk a
lot, especially when it spots a bird through the window.
This is referred to as “chattering.”
Us humans usually find the noise funny and like to record videos of our furry friends
doing this; but, it is actually part of an ingrained hunting technique.
Domesticated cats have no real purpose for this behavior anymore, but they still do it
out of instinct.
When the cat hears a bird or other critter making loud noises, it will chatter to lure
it in; it observes the bird and tries to copy its call.
Scientists made a discovery while studying monkeys in Brazil in 2010.
They were recording the monkeys’ vocalizations when a small, wildcat showed up.
This cat, called a margay, started imitating the sounds to draw in prey.
This was the first documented account of a cat mimicking a prey species’ calls in the
Americas.
10.
Pet Cemetery
We’re aren’t talking about Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, where your old feline companion
comes back to life; no, we’re talking about all of the fuzzy… or not so fuzzy… creatures
your cat likes to bring home to you.
Every once in a while, a cat will bring its deceased prey back to the house and offer
it to its owner.
They do this for a few different reasons.
The first could be that they want to share their meal with you, just like you give food
to them, and they consider you a member of their family.
Another reason they might do it is to show appreciation; they will offer the prey as
a present, even though you probably don’t want it.
A third possibility is that they are presenting it as a trophy to show you what they view
as an accomplishment.
So, don’t freak out if your cats bring you a critter now and then; it might seem morbid,
but they mean well.
9.
Face Sniffing
Cats like to smell everything, similar to dogs.
They use their sense of smell to communicate, be social, and to differentiate territories.
Compared to a human’s approximate 20 million olfactory cells, cats have about 67 million!
This means that although we can’t detect the same scents as them, they usually have
a reason to be sniffing certain things, one of which might be you.
This is just their way of greeting you, letting you know that they like you, and that they
recognize you.
Your cat might also do something called “bunting,” which is when they rub up against you.
They’ll usually bunt and smell you as a way to say “hello” and welcome you home.
Plus, it leaves their scent on you, which refreshes your “family aroma.”
8.
Stop Staring!
You’ve probably noticed that your cat likes to glare at you for long periods of time.
You might even become concerned after a while because you think it might pounce on you.
Since you have no way of knowing exactly what’s going through your furry pal’s mind, you
might even think they want to hypnotize you; however, no matter how often you play Pokemon
Go, your cat will not turn into a Hypno.
No, what they’re most likely doing is simply trying to get your attention.
They’ll probably want food or affection or both.
7.
Small Spaces
You’ve probably discovered your cat hiding in a lot of seemingly weird places before:
boxes, cabinets, maybe even some drawers.
But, there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for your cat’s unique lounging areas, and
it’s not as weird as you might think.
The most common theory is that they do this to protect themselves.
Although cats are predatory animals… they are also pretty small, the domesticated ones
anyway.
So, they feel much safer if they’re in confined, hidden places.
Maybe you’ve heard of a Thundershirt before?
This is a tight, body-hugging accessory your pet can wear to make it feel secure; it is
most often seen on dogs, but cats experiencing nervousness can wear them as well.
There’s something about the pressure that helps the cat feel guarded, similar to the
weighted blankets humans use to combat anxiety.
6.
All By Myself
It might be difficult for you to leave your furry friend alone.
They’re cute.
They’re cuddly.
They bring you gifts that maybe you don’t want, but that’s okay!
However, a cat needs space just like we do.
So, knowing when your cat is looking for some alone time will help you out tremendously;
you won’t get scratched, and they won’t get irritated.
One of the most obvious ones is when your four-legged pal is asleep.
Do you like being messed with when you’re trying to get some shut-eye?
I didn’t think so.
Just like you, your cat becomes unhappy when you pull it out of its peaceful slumber for
no good reason.
Another time your cat most likely wants to be alone is when it’s all curled up in a
little box as we discussed in the last segment.
If it’s trying to hide, then it probably doesn’t want you to find it.
Although you might want to play peek-a-boo with your cat while it’s in the box… it’s
better for both parties that you refrain; plus, your cat probably doesn’t understand
the concept of peek-a-boo anyway, and you don’t want to end up with claw marks on
your face.
A third sign that you should leave your cat alone is if you call to them and they blatantly
ignore you.
You probably know that cats can remember their names just like dogs; so, if it’s acting
like you don’t exist, then you should probably let it be by itself for a while.
5.
Surfing The Web
No, we’re not talking about your cat browsing the internet and impulse-buying things on
Amazon.
But, have you ever been trying to get some homework done for school, get some online
holiday shopping out of the way, or binge-watch YouTube videos, and your cat just won’t
leave you alone?
It crawls right on top of your keyboard and types some sort of indecipherable mess into
the search bar; this can definitely get irritating at times, especially when you’re trying
to get real work done.
However, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this behavior.
Your cat wants attention.
It sees that the laptop, desktop, etcetera is your center of attention, and it wants
to replace the object with itself.
Your feline friend won’t ensure that you have your needed alone time as you do with
it; so, it’s important that you don’t reinforce this behavior if it’s disrupting
your life.
Even though you want to pet the cute little ball of fur, try your best to calmly remove
the cat from your keyboard instead.
Giving it a comfortable place to lounge near you while you work could help as well.
4.
Junk Food
Another thing you may have noticed about your cat is that it likes to enjoy a nice meal
of inedible items now and then, including plastic, ribbons, hair, etcetera.
This is called pica (pie-kuh), a disorder that causes the animals or person to hunger
for non-nutritive or indigestible objects.
The cause for this isn’t entirely understood, but it is thought to be the result of genetics.
However, it has also been linked to various diseases, including feline leukemia, brain
tumors, diabetes, and other physical problems.
Pica could also be caused by psychological things, such as anxiety, boredom, or compulsion.
It’s best to consult your vet to figure out if they can pinpoint the reason your cat
is doing this, especially since it can be harmful depending on what they consume.
3.
Aggression
A common trait of cats that you’ve probably noticed is that they’re often aggressive.
This can be directed at other animals or people.
If you think they’re throwing a hissy fit for no apparent reason, then you’re wrong.
There are many reasons cats are aggressive.
The first is that they are very territorial; they will often act hostile toward another
animal or person who they believe has invaded their domain.
Typical territorial behaviors include hissing at, swatting at, stalking, ambushing, and
chasing whatever is in their space.
Another type of aggressive behavior comes from a natural hostility between males and
is most commonly seen in cats that aren’t neutered.
Sometimes it’s because they are fighting over a female.
This type of dynamic behavior is apparent through actions like stalking, staring, howling,
and puffing up their fur.
An additional reason for this hostility is defensive; if they feel threatened by anything,
then they will try and protect themselves.
Lastly, cats will act out toward other animals or people when they’re upset about something
else; this is called redirected aggression.
An example would be if your four-legged friend sees a big slobbering dog walking in its territory…
well, they’re not going to like that one bit; so, if you go up and touch your cat at
that moment in time, then it might just turn around and bite you!
Just know that there are good reasons for your cat to be acting out.
2.
Licking
This is one of the most common feline behaviors, but do you know why they do it?
No, your cat isn’t licking you to get a taste of its next meal.
It will lick you as a sign of affection.
It’s akin to you petting them, and they probably want some attention in return if
they’re doing this.
Another reason they lick is to mark their territory.
Your cat isn’t necessarily saying it owns you, but it is letting others know that you’re
significant.
Licking also serves to identify you as part of its family and is a way to comfort you.
1.
Knock Knock
Who’s there?
It’s your cat knocking all of your fragile glass vases off of the table.
You might wonder why your cat likes to throw stuff off counters and push things over.
Well, luckily for you it’s not because it hates you or is going through a rebellious
phase.
One of the reasons for this behavior is your cat’s instinct to hunt; they use their paws
to analyze whether or not an object is safe.
They might also do this to get your attention.
An even simpler explanation is that they think knocking things off tables is a fun way to
pass the time.
What is the weirdest thing your cat has done?