Trashcan?

Is it normal for a young cat to spontaneously run off of a table and jump into a trashcan? I was at my friend's house the other day and she has a new cat that she adopted (it's aprox. 6 months old and has been at her house for about 3 weeks now). Missy is very normal acting and a very sweet and loving cat but when we were sitting at the dinner table doing our homework the cat just ran off of the table and dived into the trashcan (it's one of those large plastic ones with the lid that swings back and forth). It had to be the most bizarre thing I've ever seen a domesticated cat do. My friend says that it does that pretty frequently but she can't figure out why. She said that when no one is home to watch the cat they have to put the trashcan in the pantry because they're afraid that Missy will get trapped in there.
What is up with this? Is this some kind of problem that needs to get checked out?

I would say that she has found something fun to do! She is a kitten and will get into all sorts of things. One of mine likes to sit in the fridge, if she can get the chance

I think it would be best for your friend to permanently keep the trash in the pantry, that way she won't be trapped, and exposed to things that could be dangerous to her that are in the trash