10 super weird things that cats do and why!

Cats are adorable and they are also super weird. Their weirdness which humans often interpret as cuteness, more than often carry deeper meanings. While you’re looking at your cat chatter with birds that cute short ‘meow’, he is probably plotting world domination. Okay, you have had enough of that ‘world domination’ conspiracy theory (it’s not a theory though, it’s totally real), however, cats do have their idiosyncrasies and they all carry meanings beyond the realm of human understanding. We will attempt to understand a few.

 Be Animalwised by finding 10 Weird Things that Cats Do 

1. Sticking its butt into your face

If your cat is sticking his butt into your face and rubbing himself against you, it’s just him saying ‘hello’ to you. Showing the rear is just a friendly expression in the cat universe. Basically, in cat lingo, ‘kiss my ass' is not an insult, it’s an invitation to show affection.

2. Splashing water before proceeding to drink it

Cats prefer moving water instead of still water. Also, some cats have a problem judging distance when the object before them is not moving. So they put their paw in it and splash it to understand the water level as the water moves. Sometimes the water level in the bowl is too low for their liking. Therefore, they paw the water bowl and lick it from their paws.

3. Sitting outside the bathroom and howling

Cats are creatures of habit and they also follow us around the house a lot. It may be his habit to follow you to the bathroom and get locked outside the bathroom door which leads him to loudly call for your attention. Or it may be that he really wants to come in and join you but the colourless liquid thingy is not something they like to splash on themselves.

4. Putting its paw right in your face

Typically, this happens when you’re sleeping and your cat is trying to wake you up. It may also be his way of marking you as his belonging. By pawing, he is putting his scent on you. It’s a gentle and sweet gesture but make sure he doesn’t have those claws out.

5. Bringing you dead animals

Cats, though domesticated for a thousand years, are still hunter-gatherers. And this tendency to bring home dead animals (sometimes even live ones) is especially observed in spayed female cats. It is the cat’s natural instinct to teach the young ones how to hunt. By bringing you dead animals, she is simply assuming the position of a teacher/a nurturer, trying to teach you how to hunt, because she has figured out that you’re pretty useless.

6. Chatting up with birds

Your cat often sits at the window and chatters with the birds outside, muttering some noises relentlessly. Wild cats have been observed to mimic the cries of monkeys. This has led some scientists to believe that housecats may also be mimicking the chatter of birds. By making noises similar to their prey they make sure that the prey is close by before they pounce.

7. Wiggling their butt before pouncing

The pre-hunting ritual of cats includes this insanely cute butt shake, just before pouncing on the prey. You have seen your housecat do it while playing with his toy mouse, but did you know that even the big cats in the jungles perform the same ritual? The reason behind the wiggle can be to test the strength of the ground/soil upon which they are preparing to propel themselves with full strength. They want to test if the soil beneath is hard enough to support a jump and to what distance can it safely jump. It can also prepare their muscle before a pounce.

8. Drinking from the toilet bowl/faucet

You may have noticed that your cat loves running water, be it from a tap, faucet, sink or even the toilet bowl. Now here’s the thing. Cats cannot really see still water. That’s also one of the reasons why cats splash water from the bowl before drinking it. It’s the same reason why the prefer running water, something that they can see and trust as a water source. For them, the toilet flush is also a source of running water and sometimes if the water in their bowl has sat there for a long time, they prefer the freshly flushed toilet water as opposed to their bowls.

9. Pushing things off the table/shelf

There is no single explanation for this well-known kitty behavior. There can be a number of reasons behind it. Your cat may be exploring its hunter drive-by knocking objects, getting to know its surroundings. It can also be to get your attention. Cats are very good getting attention from its humans, even if it means breaking a few things around the house. So if you’re not spending enough playtime with him be prepared to find some broken things here and there.

10. Taking food out of the bowl and eating it

 This behavior may be a remnant of your cat's life before it was adopted by you. It probably had to compete with other cats to get food as a kitten and is therefore protective about food. Or it may be due to the practice of catching prey directly from the ground. If your cat’s food bowl is narrow then it may be one of the reasons why it is bringing the food out of the bowl to eat. If the bowl doesn’t accommodate your cat’s whiskers, then it won’t eat from the bowl. Therefore, it is recommended that you get wide, flat bowls for your cat’s food and water.

Now that you know the mystery behind your cat’s cute yet bizarre mannerisms, you can understand the things that may bother him and how you can comfort him.