The Kitty and the Ceiling fan.

Now what is it about ceiling fans that so fascinate cats? If I turn on my ceiling fan in my living room, I immediately have 4 kittens piled atop my ottomans, staring up at the spinning blades in awe. I'll even occasionally get one standing up on it's back paws to get a better look, then watching it as it overbalances and falls backwards onto the rug.

And my two adult cats look up at the ceiling fan any time they come into the room. It's like they are waiting for it to pounce on them with some ninja sneak attack. They just kill me when they check it's position before moving on, front paw up and eyes locked on "the beast", tail straight out behind them, frozen until they're sure the fan hasn't seen them, and then the moment passes and they bounce the rest of the way into the living room.

Cats. My life would be a lot less entertaining without them.

None of my three cats seem to care about the ceiling fans, which is a good thing, because I'm sure Moose would try and jump up on it.

Cats can behave in such strange ways to ceiling fans. I have seen people asking for help because the ceiling fan has scared their cats badly. Mine are totally oblivious to it except Much like to stare at it and follow one blade around and around.

Don't have ceiling fans at home for a good reason. My cats have caught and killed birds that accidentally flew inside. A ceiling fan would look like a giant bird to my cats so an encounter would be disastrous for fan and cat.

tie a piece of string to one of the blades and then something at the other end and then turn it on. my kitten goes nuts, i use a gummy bear at the end.

I'm glad I found this thread!

Apparently, along with the vacuum, strange people, and certain noises, Belle is terrified of the ceiling fan.

I turned it on for a few seconds a couple weeks ago, and Belle ran in the other direction, so I turned it off. Today it's hot and I completely didn't think of it, and turned it on while the cats were on the patio. A while later, all I hear is Belle's claws tearing down the hallway and into the bedroom, under the bed. I went into the bedroom to see what was wrong, and she was growling. I had no idea what was wrong....figured maybe I bird got too close to the patio or something.

It wasn't until she got brave and came out of the bedroom that I realized what was wrong. As soon as she got to the doorway of the bedroom and realized the fan was still on, she ran to the kitchen. I tried to take her into the living room myself, but she squirmed, scratched, and wriggled her way out of my arms and now she's back under the bed!

Has anyone had an success getting a scaredy-cat used to the ceiling fan? I'd really prefer not to have to keep it off....but I don't want Belle to be scared all the time.

Delilah was freaked out by Belle's reaction, but seems unphased by the fan itself. She's always been the braver girl!

None of my cats are concerned about the celing fan, but Jordan used to love to play with the strings. When he was little he would stand on the table on his back feet and try to reach them. I'd have to pick him up & let him bat them around for a few seconds. Then he was happy and would go on his way. Now he doesn't seem to care that they are there.

I've heard it theorized that a ceiling fan's sillouette is not unlike a hawks, and as hawks can and do eat cats. . . .

Speck is scared of the ceiling fan...I don't even turn it on anymore. I haven't noticed Daisy's reaction, but since she attacks anything that scares her, it could turn into a not so good situation.

When I first turn it on Tiffany and sometimes Zippy will stare at it for a few seconds, then go back to what they were doing. Chaos is just oblivious/doesn't care so I never really see him staring at it.

Tiffany does like to stare at the shadow of the fan blades on the floor, though. Usually after imbibing some 'nip.

I don't think we've ever had a cat afraid of a ceiling fan. Probably a good thing since I use mine all the time in the summer, even with AC. I have such a high ceiling in my room the fan is pretty much required to keep the air cool and circulating.

Sweetie just ignores the ceiling fans, but if I turn on the window air conditioning units it makes him nervous.

Jake follows the ceiling fan and wants to try to attack it. When I carry Jake around the room- he never fails to stare at it since he's in a taller position and he wants to get a better understand of it

Thanks for all the replies! Glad to know this isn't an isolated incident. (btw, the "nip" comment was hilarious!) I never thought of it looking much like a hawk. But if that's really how the kitties see it, then I guess the reaction is justified. I've got a tom kitten that now climbs up my legs and side if I'm standing near the fan, just so he can try to eat the pull chain. Oh silly cats! I tried picking up the most fearful feline and introducing her to the fan, so she could realize it's nothing to be afraid of, but as soon as I got near the fan she completely freaked out, leaving a trail of scratches down the back of my shouolder as a reminder not to do anything that silly again.