so this is my second time with cats. The first one was a senior who was very passive due to illness.
These I have now are teen Mom and daughter..1+ yr and the other 5 months.
They came from a shelter on the west coast. and were on the street. So much of the behavior is street-wise ..so I am thinking when comparing her to my well domesticated senior.
Here are 3 examples : when eating from their bowls, they take a mouthful and look to the side, take another and look to the side..almost like looking for predators.
After eating they take the flat of the paw and do a thorough sweeping motion all around their eating placemat and area. Even the baby does this. They don;t leave until they inspect and see there is no trace of food left...my guess is they are trying to erase any trace for predators to find them???. Or...they are marking that spot with their scent?
When it comes to the litterbox my older cat would step in,do her thing, cover up and exit.
These hop in the box (I clean it after every poop deposit), dig to the bottom like dachsunds, turn around, frantically dig some more ..they do this digging and turning at least 3 times before using the box ! Forget it when I change the litter! It is like they are trying to decide if this is THEIR spot because they can't find their scent. "Has someone strange used OUR box ?"
These are just 3 examples out of several more.
But I ask as a new young(them, not me) cat owner and was wondering if your cats exhibit this behavior? Is it common or is it 'street smart' behavior?
What are some weird things your rescued cats do that are different from those raised domestically from birth?
These I have now are teen Mom and daughter..1+ yr and the other 5 months.
They came from a shelter on the west coast. and were on the street. So much of the behavior is street-wise ..so I am thinking when comparing her to my well domesticated senior.
Here are 3 examples : when eating from their bowls, they take a mouthful and look to the side, take another and look to the side..almost like looking for predators.
After eating they take the flat of the paw and do a thorough sweeping motion all around their eating placemat and area. Even the baby does this. They don;t leave until they inspect and see there is no trace of food left...my guess is they are trying to erase any trace for predators to find them???. Or...they are marking that spot with their scent?
When it comes to the litterbox my older cat would step in,do her thing, cover up and exit.
These hop in the box (I clean it after every poop deposit), dig to the bottom like dachsunds, turn around, frantically dig some more ..they do this digging and turning at least 3 times before using the box ! Forget it when I change the litter! It is like they are trying to decide if this is THEIR spot because they can't find their scent. "Has someone strange used OUR box ?"
These are just 3 examples out of several more.
But I ask as a new young(them, not me) cat owner and was wondering if your cats exhibit this behavior? Is it common or is it 'street smart' behavior?
What are some weird things your rescued cats do that are different from those raised domestically from birth?