Please share your quirky cat stories !!!

mservant

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@NewYork1303  That is one serious incentive to make a tidy bed!    
 

@GrizzlySapien   You could be right about Mouse being OCD, he has several other little quirks, like preferring all his resident humans to all be in one room  (otherwise he spends ages going between rooms to check up on us all).  He is happy to make his own messes though, it's only his humans that he thinks need to be tidy. 
 
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grizzlysapien

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Carrot hates unmade beds. If you don't make the bed, then he is guaranteed to pee on it. He has the same reaction to new blankets just for him. When we bought his new blanket he peed on it multiple times before deciding that he actually likes it and will sleep with it.
Oh, this reminds me:

When Grizzly misbehaves and we confine him in a room and there's accidentally a stack of freshly washed clothes (which happens almost ever other day), he'll pee on the stack, just to demonstrate his opposition of his "isolation".. 
 

Note: he doesn't pee on other clothes that might be around. ONLY the FRESHLY WASHED ones... 
 

catminionjess

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@NewYork1303, Sgt. Pepper loves shoes as well.. and feet. I keep a pile by the door and he loves to roll around on them. And I'm glad my cats don't mind an unmade bed, otherwise mine would be peed in every single day. Sgt. Pepper will not get off the bed when I change the sheets though. 

They reminded me of another weird quirk this morning. Boogie Bear and Sgt. Pepper will not eat at the same time. They have their own bowls, nest to each other. I fill them at the same time. But one will eat a little and walk off, then the other will go eat. They won't even eat next to each other when they're excited about can food time. They don't fight about who goes first. Usually it's just whoever is closer to the bowls at that time. It's more like, "Okay, I'll just wait til you're done then."
 

stewball

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My first cat, Softy, was a lap cat right from the day i brought her home from the shelter. I used to stroke her while she was on my knee. If she'd had enough she'd put my hand down gently with her paw. If I carried on she'd do it again, third time I got bitten!
On one wall of my sitting room I have plates from all the different countries I've been to including a bamboo plate I'm afraid I stole, about 50 years ago, from a Chinese restaurant
My air conditioning is under the plates on the wall, it also cools my bedroom, and had a flat top. Gentle used to have her mad half hour by racing round the sitting room across the tops of the settees and onto the top of the air conditioning and hit the Chinese plate! This was done 2-3 times a day, every day, and she always ended by hitting my ill gotten Chinese plate. I wonder why. She would also sit on my lap when I was on the commode.
The dog, a big boy, would come into the shower with me, a stand up shower, and lean against me while I washed. I had to dry him off as well as myself.
 

happybird

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Annabelle, one of our new cats, hangs out in the shower. It is so odd. She (and Leo, our other new cat) must have been abandoned at our old rental house by previous tenants. The day we moved in, Annabelle scared me half to death by sitting in the kitchen window and looking inside. I though she was a opossum at first, lol! In the time we lived there, she hung out in the yard all day, was very friendly and even let us pick her up. She was also super comfortable on both the porch and the patio, so that house was obviously her home at some point.

My roommate had 10 chickens and she made friends with them. It was the funniest thing to see. Anytime I went outside, a flock of chickens with a cat in the middle of it would come running over to me for treats. We had 4 little Silkie Chickens in the flock, so the whole thing was really goofy-looking. :lol3: We used to say instead of a sheepdog, we have a chickencat. The downside of that relationship is the chickens became cat food addicts. I just checked my photos and sadly I have no pics of Annabelle with the chickens.

So the shower thing. We moved about a month ago and brought Annabelle and Leo with us. The new house is in town, so they are both strictly indoor only cats now. The adjustment has gone really, really well, I am happy to report. Both seem very pleased to lounge around the house with my other cats. But Annabelle has chosen the bathroom as her room, which is not so odd by itself. Wheezie, my oldest, is a bathroom loving kitty, too. One day, I couldn't find Annabelle anywhere and was freaking out. I looked everywhere at least twice. You guessed it- she was in the shower. It's a shower only, no tub, just a tall lip with a shower curtain. At first, I thought she was hiding or afraid, but no. She loves the shower and hangs out in there a lot. When she is not in the shower, she is on the little cotton rug just in front of it. I'm trying to get a picture of her in there, but she comes out for love every time I pull the curtain aside.

I was worried at first that she might be uncomfortable here or having a hard time adjusting, but she seems perfectly happy and healthy. She does come out of the bathroom to socialize and sleep with me and my husband on the bed. She just loves her shower.

In the yard at the old house


Annabelle's chicken friends and Leo the Dude. I cannot believe I didn't get any pics of the cats with the chickens.

I love this pic! She looks so disgruntled, lol! I take photos with the iPad and she really doesn't appreciate having it in her face. By the third photo or so, I always start getting this look from her. This is at the new house.
 
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bonepicker

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@NewYork1303
, Sgt. Pepper loves shoes as well.. and feet. I keep a pile by the door and he loves to roll around on them. And I'm glad my cats don't mind an unmade bed, otherwise mine would be peed in every single day. Sgt. Pepper will not get off the bed when I change the sheets though. 

They reminded me of another weird quirk this morning. Boogie Bear and Sgt. Pepper will not eat at the same time. They have their own bowls, nest to each other. I fill them at the same time. But one will eat a little and walk off, then the other will go eat. They won't even eat next to each other when they're excited about can food time. They don't fight about who goes first. Usually it's just whoever is closer to the bowls at that time. It's more like, "Okay, I'll just wait til you're done then."
They need space from each other when eating is what this behavior is saying.
 

melbox

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my 3 cats cant stand for me to be in the bathroom alone. they want in my lap if im on the toilet and will scratch at the door and put their paws under the door and cry til i let them in if i take a bath or shower my cat oreo has to sit on the edge of the tub. the others will sit on the floor and stare at me til i get out then all 3 wanna play in the tub water. whenever i do a complete litter box change. oreo climbs  in it and digs and rolls around for hrs. also, is this an all cat thing? the food bowls, i fill them, they eat the middle out til u see the bottom but they cry for more food. they must think its empty becuz if i drop a few pieces in their full bowl, they stop crying for food.
 
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frankie the cat

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 I love these stories!!

Speedy has several toys that are attached to long stick/wands and she loves when we play with them.
 The quirky part is, that in the morning, I can hear the wand toy being dragged through several rooms with a strange cry until she makes it to my bed and delivers it to me!
 She looks so happy for herself when she does this!  
 Also, when I am taking a bath, I can hear the wands being dragged up the stairs with the same cry and then delivered to me in front of the bathroom door! 
 
Hahaha ! I had to laugh. Xena has tinsel balls that she loves to play with.  I always know when she is playing with it because she meows constantly until she delivers it to me in the bed.  Then will meow until I actually acknowledge her.  However, she runs off after her the pats.  It's like she says " notice me, but don't touch me"..... gotta love her though !
 

fyllis

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Let’s get down to the nitty-kitty, what’s up with the cats’ bathroom behavior. Several things are going on. Cats never do anything unless it’s of benefit to them, and they are rewarded in some form or fashion. 

First, the bathroom is a unique location in most homes. A perch on the vanity places a cat at human face-height when the owner is (ahem) seated. That’s ideal from the cat’s perspective for controlling the interaction—the human can’t easily escape, so kitty can approach or stay out of reach as s/he prefers. S/he has a captive audience!

Second, the bathroom also is a predictable location that’s very much part of established routines. Cats often chain behavior that includes a bathroom visit—drinking from the faucet, or tail-twining around ankles, playing in the bath water with paw-swipes and more. Cats also quickly learn about what amount of time owners spend in the bathroom during these visits. 

Kitties that spend time in the bathroom, and actually do receive special attention—brushing, or petting, or talking—are rewarded for the visit. That ensures they’ll repeat the positive experience! Even the paw-swipes under the door that are ignored for many minutes end up being rewarded when the door finally opens (cats may assume that their meows or paw-swipes magically opened-sesame). And actually, the longer the cat complains and paws the door and then ultimately is rewarded, the more it teaches the cat that persistence (purr-sistence?) pays off!

Not only are they rewarded with the affection, I think they might also associate it with food. 

When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is head to the bathroom. Yes, even before they get their breakfast, my needs have to be met.  They follow me into the bathroom. They show affection by rubbing against me and purring, and sometimes attempting to jump in my lap because they know what comes next. Food!

As predicted, I finish up in the bathroom and go to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast. They get rewarded for their affection. Essentially, I have conditioned this behavior in them. Whether it is Kricket, my naturally lovey-dovey boy who can never get enough affection, or if it is Keeker, my aloof and otherwise independent and snitty guy... they will do what they gotta do to get fed! And if following me into the bathroom and showing me love is the way to do it, that's what they will do.

Kricket will usually follow me to where ever it is I am headed after leaving the bathroom throughout the day, but Keeker will (90% of the time) head straight for the kitchen hoping I give him something to eat.

Another concept could be 'privacy'... not yours, but theirs!

My boys' litter box is in our bathroom snuggled between the tub and the vanity. Cat's are solitary animals for the most part (with the exception of lions who belong to prides). 
So, when I enter the bathroom I am essentially entering their main place of privacy -- it is 'their' bathroom. I think maybe they are following me in there to make sure I don't steal (or even use?) their litter box! 


That is why they sit and stare at me. They are keeping an eye on what I am doing!  LOL 

Wait! Could it simply be for momentary entertainment? Are they waiting for me to flush just so they can watch the water swirl around? "Hurry! She's in the bathroom again! Let's go watch the water disappear"! 

What ever their reason is, it's OK with me. They certainly put up with a lot of my behaviors that I am sure they consider pretty odd!  LOL   It's a Cat's World!

View media item 295802
 

melbox

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my male,Morris has this thing when he drinks water from his bowl, he looks like hes scratching his paws on the floor the entire time hes drinking. and whenever im on my laptop, oreo has to plop down on my arm so i cant use the mouse or move my arm. and my cats have an obsession with plastic bags. i come home from the store and put the bags down, they cry wanting me to empty the bag for them to play with
 

catminionjess

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my male,Morris has this thing when he drinks water from his bowl, he looks like hes scratching his paws on the floor the entire time hes drinking. and whenever im on my laptop, oreo has to plop down on my arm so i cant use the mouse or move my arm. and my cats have an obsession with plastic bags. i come home from the store and put the bags down, they cry wanting me to empty the bag for them to play with
My Sgt. Pepper does that paw thing with his water bowl too. Now matter where it's placed, he has to drag it, then paw at it, then drink. My girl Boogie Bear dips her paw in and licks the water off her paw. She loves plastic shopping bags too, paper ones too. I take one and cut the handles off it and cut a hole in bottom and let her play with it.
 
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frankie the cat

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All these stories are great !!!!!! Thanks everyone who shared with me their quirky cat story !!!! 
 

misterwhiskers

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My family had a Siamese cat when I was in my teens. Her name was Victoria, and Vickie was a very quirky cat. First of all, she'd steal bean bags (remember them?) from Toss Across (showing my age here lol), and she drop them in the water bowl. Dozens of times. She also fetched. Her favorite was empty, folded cigarette packs. She'd jump into the trash to get them. One day we had company. I believe my engaged sisters fiancees brother, who was my brothers best friend. So anyway down the hall strolls Vickie the cat. With a cigarette. In her mouth. The right way. Being held off to the side by her lips. Our cat. Just strolling down the hall. With a cigarette in her mouth. Properly.

I still shake with laughter remembering, almost 40 years later. [emoji]128518[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji][emoji]128568[/emoji][emoji]128563[/emoji][emoji]128563[/emoji]
 
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frankie the cat

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My family had a Siamese cat when I was in my teens. Her name was Victoria, and Vickie was a very quirky cat. First of all, she'd steal bean bags (remember them?) from Toss Across (showing my age here lol), and she drop them in the water bowl. Dozens of times. She also fetched. Her favorite was empty, folded cigarette packs. She'd jump into the trash to get them. One day we had company. I believe my engaged sisters fiancees brother, who was my brothers best friend. So anyway down the hall strolls Vickie the cat. With a cigarette. In her mouth. The right way. Being held off to the side by her lips. Our cat. Just strolling down the hall. With a cigarette in her mouth. Properly.

I still shake with laughter remembering, almost 40 years later. [emoji]128518[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji][emoji]128568[/emoji][emoji]128563[/emoji][emoji]128563[/emoji]
 I just imagined what that would look like and found myself giggling too.  Very cute story and thank you for sharing it !!!! 
 

grizzlysapien

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My family had a Siamese cat when I was in my teens. Her name was Victoria, and Vickie was a very quirky cat. First of all, she'd steal bean bags (remember them?) from Toss Across (showing my age here lol), and she drop them in the water bowl. Dozens of times. She also fetched. Her favorite was empty, folded cigarette packs. She'd jump into the trash to get them. One day we had company. I believe my engaged sisters fiancees brother, who was my brothers best friend. So anyway down the hall strolls Vickie the cat. With a cigarette. In her mouth. The right way. Being held off to the side by her lips. Our cat. Just strolling down the hall. With a cigarette in her mouth. Properly.

I still shake with laughter remembering, almost 40 years later. [emoji]128518[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji][emoji]128568[/emoji][emoji]128563[/emoji][emoji]128563[/emoji]
Please, @misterwhiskers!  Show some mercy! I'm on a migraine and I'm laughing my butt off right now!! I can just picture her!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!! One of the best I've read on this thread! 
 
 
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