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Fun Behavior Experiments

post #1 of 18
5/20/11 at 10:37pm
Thread Starter 
Put your head down to something, like say some blankets, and start sniffing in and out short and rapid.

For my two cats, they run up, and start searching for something in the vicinity, and meow when they can't find it.

Another one is look at your cat and the instant you make eye contact blink once somewhat slowly and deliberate. Your cat should blink back as a "hello".

Got any of your own?
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post #2 of 18
5/21/11 at 9:26am
I haven't tried the blanket thing but one of my cats will spend hours lying on my bed purring and trading eye-blinks with me. She's a sweetie. She will also get close to my face (within 2 feet) and sort of smack her lips just a bit. When I copy her, it's a bit like I had just gotten a tiny bit of some food and I'm being a bit noisy about enjoying it. I REALLY want to know what means in cat-speak. But the eye blink seems to be a relaxed, affectionate thing with her.

Edit: forgot to say, the smacking is something she will trade back and forth with me over and over too.

The male loves scouting the windows, and we have lots of birds and squirrels, so sometimes I will go to the window and make the chattering noise if I see one. He's instantly in the windowsill, chattering along with me.
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post #3 of 18
5/21/11 at 5:52pm
I enjoy sticking things to the cats to see how they react. Some people cry "ANIMAL CRUELTY" but I don't stick duct tape to them or anything. Rub a receipt
on their fur and let it stick. Or unsticky tape a bit by touching it, and place it on their side and watch them walk sideways. Place it on their back and watch them belly crawl and other various body parts.

Cats are amazing animals, yet very sensitive to certain things (even over dramatic).

I love doing the blinking thing with them though. However, its mostly Parker that responds to it. He will "blink" back at me for hours if I keep doing it.
I also stare at him with my eyes wide open and he almost always gives me a soft meow back.
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post #4 of 18
5/21/11 at 6:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LuvMyParker View Post
I enjoy sticking things to the cats to see how they react.
LOL!!!! laughing so hard right now! We played a similar game at my parents' house (and I'll probably play it when the kittens are old enough to sit still for more than five seconds!) - our game was called "It's Time to Put Things On the Cat." We'd lay ANYTHING on them - shoes, papers, watches, the remote, etc., just to see how much they'd tolerate.

We also extrapolated this to family members "It's time to put things on the mom" was a particular favorite.

Hehe. Some people are very sensitive about perceived cruelty (and probably for good reason), but when you know for sure that you have a calm, mellow, well-adjusted cat, it IS fun to see what they'll tolerate. Pumpkin LOVES to be "swept" - and that's exactly what it sounds like. Take the broom and brush it down his back, and he lays down immediately and lets you "sweep" his whole body. He absolutely LOVES it!
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post #5 of 18
5/22/11 at 5:19pm
My cat is super affectionate, like if I stop petting her, she will force me to or nibble at my hands. If I give her a kiss face, she will lean up and kiss me right on the lips!! It is the most precious thing EVER!
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post #6 of 18
5/23/11 at 4:47am
i usually like to get the laser pen out and wiggle it on the floor, my cat loves to chase it around the house, it does tire him out after a while though.

or when i am putting laundry away i put a cloth over him and he starts to run about under it and i love to mess about with him when he does that he loves it
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post #7 of 18
5/23/11 at 5:56am
under the covers of the bed, I'd scratch the sheets to create different sounds. Loud and soft, fast and slow.. just to see which he'd react to. It's usually the swift, loud he'd pounce on
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post #8 of 18
5/23/11 at 6:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Draco View Post
under the covers of the bed, I'd scratch the sheets to create different sounds. Loud and soft, fast and slow.. just to see which he'd react to. It's usually the swift, loud he'd pounce on
yeah i love doing that to my cat too, it gets him all excited
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post #9 of 18
5/23/11 at 7:18am
I'd love to try the "what can stick to a cat game", but Ritz' background (formerly feral feline) precludes that. It would scare her too much.
Ritz is a big sniffer; she sniffs the same floor/chair/sofa numerous times. I think I'll try to copy her behavior and see what she does--and maybe figure out what smells so interesting to her.
What I do do--especially at 10 p.m. when I'm trying to get to sleep after being up since 4 a.m.--is to meow right back at her when she is meowing at me in her last-ditch effort to get me up to play with her/entertain/keep her company/feed her yet another teaspoon of dry food (a treat). Usually shuts her up.
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post #10 of 18
5/23/11 at 9:41am
I'll talk to Peanut- if he meows at me I'll say "Yeah?" and then he'll meow again and I'll be like "Really?!", and this can continue for literally five or so minutes. It's very cute!
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post #11 of 18
5/23/11 at 9:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by orangeishcat View Post
I'll talk to Peanut- if he meows at me I'll say "Yeah?" and then he'll meow again and I'll be like "Really?!", and this can continue for literally five or so minutes. It's very cute!
lol, I do that too with Monet, but he has to be in the mood to talk!
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post #12 of 18
5/23/11 at 3:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by orangeishcat View Post
I'll talk to Peanut- if he meows at me I'll say "Yeah?" and then he'll meow again and I'll be like "Really?!", and this can continue for literally five or so minutes. It's very cute!
I used to do that too, until I realized that Wesley's meow actually meant "shutup". He kept saying "shutup" because I wouldn't stop talking at him... jk!

Hey Wesley!
-meow (shutup)
Who's my fluffy butt?
-meow (shutup)
Who's the cutie kitty?
-meow (shutup)
My little furmuffin!
-meow (shutup)
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post #13 of 18
5/23/11 at 4:46pm
One other fun thing I like to do is make the laser pointer "hide" under the sofa -- have the cat chase it and when it gets to the floorline of the sofa, cut it off. Then I'll bring it back out from that general area, until I'm done playing - then it "hides" under the sofa for good. The boys stake out the sofa for the next ten minutes hoping it will come back
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post #14 of 18
5/23/11 at 10:05pm
LOL I do that with the laser. Russet can't resist it if it acts like real prey. I make it skitter along close to the wall, hug the edges of objects, "hide" under and inside things. If it gets away around a corner he HAS to go after it. Under the couch, he has to try to catch it and then watch if it comes out.

He also can't resist when the laser makes a break for it and runs across open space (unless he's feeling super lazy). And if it goes vertical up a wall or object, it MUST be caught before it gets out of reach.

I let it run up on his paw one day to see his reaction. No reaction. I thought he'd try to get it or at least move his paw away.

Crystal looks at him like he is dim-witted for believing in the laser. She will just stare at the pen in my hand if I try to get her to chase it.
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post #15 of 18
5/24/11 at 6:31pm
Sometimes I will get on my hands and knees and throw a sheet or blanket over me. Rocky looks from a safe distance, as he's not too sure what's happening. Moose is the first one over, sniffing the sheet, then jumps on my back. Lucy is not interested one bit.
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post #16 of 18
5/24/11 at 7:16pm
My two little black females can sometimes look so much alike so I'll say, "Which one are you?" If it is Lily, she'll squeak out, " Me!" If I keep talking to her, she'll keep squeaking because she's one of those that has to have the last word.

If it is Tonya, she doesn't say anything to the question, she just sticks her tongue out a couple times. What does that mean?

Robin
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post #17 of 18
5/24/11 at 11:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrystalKitty View Post
I let it run up on his paw one day to see his reaction. No reaction. I thought he'd try to get it or at least move his paw away.
LOL! I try this with the boys too - one will be chasing it and I'll move it onto the other's body - and it's like a blind spot! It's not like they don't attack and bite each other all the time!
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post #18 of 18
5/31/11 at 8:59am
I've trained Thor to give me a high five in exchange for a treat. If he reaaaally wants one, it's a high ten.

LOL @ "Stick Things on the Cat". When I was a kid, my dad would put little plastic sandwich bags on the cat's feet and very lightly put a rubber band around it. She would kick it off after about a minute but oooooh it made me laugh so hard

Pandora will go to the window if my husband is outside, and he can knock on it and she'll just meow and bonk her head on the window and prance back and forth. She's definitely daddy's little princess
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