Weird Cat Behaviors Explained
Owning a cat is a wonderful experience, but you may be wondering why your cat purrs, rubs its cheeks on everything, or kneads your furniture. Your cat’s unusual behaviors may be telling you something, and those behaviors might not be so unusual after all. Breaking down your cat’s behaviors is key to understanding your feline companion. If you’ve been looking for answers to your cat’s weird behaviors, we have the explanations you’ve been looking for.
14 Cat’s Purr
Your cat talks clearly, you just don’t understand! Your cat is near you and you hear the rumble coming from them. That soft hum of a cat’s purr. What does it really mean? Well, a cat’s purr can mean many things. It’s a form of communication. Most often, purring means happy. Usually, your cat’s posture will be relaxed if this is the case. But, the intensity of the purring could also mean that your cat is hungry. This type of purring is typically accompanied with small, sporadic meows. Mother and kitten bond by purring. Perhaps the most interesting reason cats purr is to self soothe. If your cat is hurt, purring helps to keep them calm and even has healing properties.
13 What The Tail Tells
The tail tells, right before the strike. Cats, sometimes move their tails while they’re sleeping, it could be just a dream. So just what is your cat’s tail trying to tell you? A tail sticking straight up means they’re in a friendly mood; a question mark means they want to play. And if wrapped around another cat, it’s tail is communicating friendship between them. Not all tail positions correlate to a friendly, playful nature. Danger!! right before a cat strikes, the tail lashes like a fast whip, or if its low like a hunting lioness, it can mean aggression. And if a pipe cleaner resembles your cats tail… back away. The cat does this to make its appearance bigger and is a clear sign of agitation.
12 Human Like
You’re sitting on your couch enjoying your time. And then you see it. Your cat is sitting too, but not like a cat. Your cat is sitting like a human. This seemingly strange behavior could signify a few different things. Cats have been known to imitate certain behaviors of their human owners, sitting like a human is one of those imitative behaviors. Your cat could also be exposing their belly to you to show their trust and love. A more practical reason could be your cat is grooming its stomach which also helps to keep cool. Hey maybe your cat just simply likes it…
11 Eating Plastic
Plastic grocery bags, your cat may just love them!. Odd eating behaviors are nothing new with cats. If you thought your cat was just extra hungry, think again. While some cats do develop a taste for plastic, there’s a good chance your cat used plastic for its teething phase as a kitten. The habit can carry into adulthood. Either way, it’s a dangerous trait that could get them sent to the vet. Plastic is very bad for cats to eat and should be kept away from them.
10 Grass Eating
Meat and fish, humans and cats alike love them. Cats will jump on counters or into trash cans just to get the stuff. So why is it that they sometimes eat grass? They are carnivores, right? As it turns out, when cats were living in the wild, they sometimes ate grass for added nutrients. Even though they have largely been domesticated, cats still enjoy the occasional greenery. So don’t be too alarmed if your cat tries to eat one of your potted plants or some grass from the backyard. It’s just instinct. But here is the kicker, parasites like to lay eggs on grass, your cat may be enjoying that blade of grass in the garden because of the extra protein found in the eggs!!! best if you have indoor grass just for your cats.
9 Biting
Have you ever wondered why one moment you could be petting your cat and the next she’s biting you? Everything seemed to be going well. Your cat was purring and relaxed. Then she suddenly bites you softly on the hand. What’s up with that? Biting can mean many things for cats. It can show anger, annoyance, playfulness, and just about anything really. But soft nibbles are a cat’s version of a love bite. When this happens, they are just being playful. If a cat is biting its nails, it could be a part of its routine grooming. However, just like us humans, this could also mean that your cat is anxious about something and has a bad habit of biting nails. Whatever the reason, if your cat is biting you and you’re not digging it, make sure not to yell. A firm no or a soft blow of air at the face is all that’s needed to show your cat you don’t like it.
8 Eye Of The Tiger
Your cat look so peaceful… But as cute as they are, they still have a natural hunter’s instinct. This is why you sometimes see your cat looking at you or something intensely. Nicknamed “eye of the tiger”, the look is that of a cat sizing up the item. While sizing it up, the cat will determine if it’s worth it to pounce or if it’s too risky. Between cats. they use this look to determine dominance. The dominant cat will hold the gaze, while the less dominant cat looks away. So if you see your cat staring at your sandals intensely, you may want to move them before your cat decides to pounce.
7 Meow Level
When we get hungry, we can easily fix our own food or verbally tell someone that we want to eat. Animals have to find other ways to do this. For our pet cats, they tell us they are hungry with their meows. If you hear your cat meowing loudly, you know it’s time to fill up the food dish. But what about a soft meow? Like a doorman greets you at the door, quiet meows are just their simple way of greeting us. It is their very own “hello”. Usually, they meow softly when they first see us. They then might follow up by rubbing up against your leg or jumping into your lap.
6 Kneading
Why do cats knead their claws into stuff? your couch, pillows, clothes, or even your legs. Well you wouldn’t be alone in wondering why. Seeing a cat’s claws out might make you think that they are in a fighting mood, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This behavior is actually a sign of contentment. Ever notice that your cat does kneads while purring? That’s because cats knead when they are happy. Since they were kittens, they were taught to knead on their mothers’ bellies while nursing. Kittens and adult cats mimic this milk-treading to show their outright content and happy state.
5 Potty Outside The Litter Box
A long day at work. All you want to do is go lay down and take a nap. But you can’t because your cat had a little accident outside the litter box. Was it an accident? Well, not at all. Kitty may be seeking revenge for something you or someone else in the house did. Your cat knows you don’t like it when you have to clean up their mess from the floor, so they purposefully relieve themselves on the floors or other inappropriate places to teach you a lesson. They could even do it if they are jealous of how you spend your time with someone else. Keep an eye also, your cat could be ill and it’s trying to call your attention.
4 Rubbing Cheeks On Everything
Rubbing on everything, including you, and you probably love it too. So what does this strange, yet cuddly, gesture mean? Cats rub their cheeks against people and other things in the house to mark their territory. They have scent glands in their chin and mouth area. When pressed, the glands release their scent. Basically, they’re just spreading their scent around in a behavior called “bunting”. If your cat head-butts you though, it just wants some affection. A nice chin rub or head scratch is surely in order.
3 Cats Don’t Like Water
Bathing a cat, a messy and often painful experience for everyone!. It seems cats just really hate water. They have their reasons though. Cats are descendants of larger felines that lived in dry places of the world. They had no need to learn to swim. They aren’t water animals after all. This trait passed down to the domestic housecat. It is quite literally in their instinct to stay away from water. They don’t like new experiences and tend to not handle them well. If you are introducing water to an adult cat for the first time, the cat will likely reject the new experience. Kittens exposed to water at a young age might be more open to water. Plus, cats rarely need to be bathed with water. Our friendly felines groom themselves by licking their fur. Water and soap do not smell normal to them, and they can get agitated that they need to groom themselves again after being bathed to make themselves smell normal.
2 Exposing Their Bellies
Why expose its belly? Well, the good news is your cat likes you. Cats show you their bellies to show their trust in you. Their bellies are a soft, vulnerable spot on their body that would remain concealed if they thought you were a threat. So, you can take it as a compliment that Whiskers wants to show you her belly.
1 Cats Really Like Milk
We’ve all seen our fair share of cats lapping up milk from a saucer. And if you get yourself a bowl of cereal, your cat may just want to dunk its head in for a quick drink. Your cat may love the taste of milk, but it’s generally not good for them. Cats can’t even digest cow’s milk. Young kittens have lactase enzymes that allows them to digest lactose sugars. After 4 weeks, these enzymes decrease until there’s none left. So, your cat will probably get a nasty stomach ache if you do give in to its wishes for milk. Not to mention, there is no nutritional value in milk for cats.
Your cats strange behaviors may not seem as strange anymore!! Thank you for watching this video about the bizarre things cats do, they seems so irrational, now we know their are not!! they are just trying to communicate their needs and emotions. I guess we are the ones who need training!
