Is your cat a literary critic? (light-hearted)

Does your cat like to play with books?

I like to buy second-hand paperbacks at the local used bookstore. A couple months ago I came home with a dozen or so and left them on the kitchen counter. Nano took it upon herself to sort them out for me, one-by-one kicking them onto the floor while I was talking on the phone. Finally there was one book left which she very deliberately pushed over to me as her "considered selection". It turned out to be a good choice.

Since then, Nano has enjoyed playing with my books. She will get into the bookcase and pull out enough books to allow her access to squeeze out of sight -- suddenly emerging from her nap a few hours later by bulldozing the remaining books out of her way and hoping to the floor with her fur full of dust. She has twice more recommended a book, picking a random choice and pushing it towards me or dragging it over to leave at my feet.

So tonight what does she do? She again dives into the mix of used books, rolling around and sending the pages flying before dragging one off into the corner. Then I heard her vomit, and sure enough -- Nano had marked that book for immediate disposal. And so I just looked it up on Amazon.com's review system...while one of my favorite authors, this book had been voted a clunker with 2/5 stars and universally panned as not worth the bother. So I guess Nano was saving me the trouble.

Does anyone else have a cat who doubles as a literary critic?

I buy any kind of books at yard sales, then I turn them in at a book exchange for stuff I want to read. Scooter loves emptying the bag all over the livig room. He will put his paws on the books and walk them around, sliding on the carpet. I have noticed lately there are some books out of the book case. Maybe he is trying to tell me I need to get back in to the habit of reading again.

I have a stack of financial newsletters on bottom shelf in my office closet, and Mellie's day isn't complete unless she has pulled one off the stack and deposited it on the floor. As long as there's one laying on the floor, she leaves them alone, but as soon as I tidy it up, she's back!!

I have no idea what she's trying to tell me, though.

Nano, your post tickled me greatly ... I once had a lovely little Seal Point Siamese spay that would bring me the ~pages~ out of books. She would do much the same as Nano and jump into the bookcase, plow her way through the books until she found a suitable napping spot and when she woke up, she would jump down and tear pages from the books she threw out onto the floor below. I miss her each and every single day although my books are now safe from her paws. *sigh*

Dushka loves books - she tears them into shreds! Along with files of papers, kitchen and toilet roll and cardboard cartons. She is totally indiscriminate. When I was doing my MA I had to keep her out of my office, as I had carefully sorted piles of papers and books relating to each chapter on the floor, and she twice made mincemeat of them. I always read in bed and I have to put my book under my lamp or I will wake up to find it all over the floor! The others like cardboard but leave paper alone.

My girls luckily like research book s .. that is 90% of all I read...

My fellow will either chew on them or sprawl out in my lap when I'm trying to read. Occasionally, he'll sniff at a page while i'm reading, headbut the corner once or twice, then leap ten feet across the room from a standstill, lay down, and go to sleep.

On this note, why do cats have an incorrigible desire to lay on the newspaper you are reading at that very minute?

Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

On this note, why do cats have an incorrigible desire to lay on the newspaper you are reading at that very minute?

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The answer to that one is simple ... because they CAN. ROFL

Probably the same reason cats like to walk on keyboards or headbump computer monitors -- they want to mark what seems to have their human's attention.

Nano doesn't really attack books until I have finished reading them. Then she'll bite or scratch or gnaw at them. One of the owners of the used book store looked at my trade-ins and asked me if I had a cat.