NationStates Jolt Archive


Cat Behavior Question

Wilgrove
05-10-2008, 06:28
So I have some questions about why my Siamese does the things that she does. Ever since we moved into my apartment (which I may move out of, the gay couple next door had a domestic disturbance....) every time after she eats, she has the urge to run her paw over the carpet next to her food bowl. Also, everytime I pet her and love up on her, she'll lick me and either scrape her teeth across my skin or give me a light nibble. She won't break the skin or even hurt, she just does this when I"m petting her. Finally, why does she have to wake me up at 3 in the morning every morning? Her food and water bowl can be full, and she'd still wake me up at 3 in the morning. Is she trying to play a game with me?
Lunatic Goofballs
05-10-2008, 06:32
It is all part of her evil plan. *nod*
Smunkeeville
05-10-2008, 06:33
The pawing near food and the nibbles are kitten behavior, she might be stressed and reverting. Did you bring her favorite blanket and toys when you moved? She needs more security.

As far as the waking you up.......she's a cat, they do shit to piss you off.
Zombie PotatoHeads
05-10-2008, 06:34
Cats paw at the ground around their food for a few reasons. Basically they're trying to cover it with dirt, to either hide it from other cats, keep insects off it, or keep the sun off it so as to maintain it's freshness.


Didn't you mention in one your earlier on-going blog of your life that your flatmate also has a cat?
If so, then perhaps your cat is still freaked by the other cat's presence and is trying to 'hide' it's food from it. Otherwise, it's just not that hungry so wants it safe until it is.

As for your 'loving up' on your cat - please spare us from your unpleasant sexual proclivities.
Novakron
05-10-2008, 06:34
1. Cats have idiosyncrasies too.
2. Licking etc. is one way cats show affection.
3. Who knows; put a closed door between you and the cat at night, problem solved.
Wilgrove
05-10-2008, 06:35
The pawing near food and the nibbles are kitten behavior, she might be stressed and reverting. Did you bring her favorite blanket and toys when you moved? She needs more security.

As far as the waking you up.......she's a cat, they do shit to piss you off.

Yea, she has her favorite mouse and favorite stuffed kitty. She doesn't really have a favorite blanket, she just likes to sleep under mine.
Zombie PotatoHeads
05-10-2008, 06:37
The pawing near food and the nibbles are kitten behavior, she might be stressed and reverting. Did you bring her favorite blanket and toys when you moved? She needs more security.
you're thinking of the pawing when they're happy and purring thing. That's a bit different; kittens do that to stimulate milk production from their mum's teat. When adult cats do it, they are indeed reverting. This is a good thing as it shows they feel content and safe.
It's different from the scraping action they do around food.
Wilgrove
05-10-2008, 06:37
Didn't you mention in one your earlier on-going blog of your life that your flatmate also has a cat?

Living by myself, just me and her.

As for your 'loving up' on your cat - please spare us from your unpleasant sexual proclivities.

Wow, from cat questions to Beastility in....3 post. Nice.
Neo Art
05-10-2008, 06:37
The reason cats dig around their food bowl is survival instinct. Once they've eaten their fill, they instinctively try to bury the remains, to hide their trail from predators. Back in the wild, leaving a half eaten meal around would clue other predators into the fact that they were living in the area, so they'd bury whatever they didn't finish, to hide their presence.

Now it's merely a holdover instinct, and just means that your cat has eaten her fill.

As for the second question, cats sometimes will nip slightly as a show of affection.

As to your third question, cats are nocturnal, they hunt deep in the night. Your cat might see you as a companion, and rousing you from your sleep in time for the hunt.
Lacadaemon
05-10-2008, 06:41
Cats are hyperopic or somebullshit. So they have very poor up close vision. This makes them paw around their water and their food to check it out because they can't see it very clearly when they are close enough to eat/drink. This kind of thing it totally normal. So don't worry about it.

The waking you up thing is just the cat playing. Mine likes to poke me in the face when I am sleeping, just to see me flap around. They have little personalities too, usually evil.
Smunkeeville
05-10-2008, 06:48
you're thinking of the pawing when they're happy and purring thing. That's a bit different; kittens do that to stimulate milk production from their mum's teat. When adult cats do it, they are indeed reverting. This is a good thing as it shows they feel content and safe.
It's different from the scraping action they do around food.

yeah, I'm sleepy.
Nikkiovakia
05-10-2008, 07:03
It is all part of her evil plan. *nod*

I think you're right. Cats are evil.
Christmahanikwanzikah
05-10-2008, 07:10
Oh my God, get a blog.
Anti-Social Darwinism
05-10-2008, 07:51
She paws the floor around her food dish because she's trying to "cache" her food for later, this is intended to bury it and protect it from scavengers and other predators.

My cat, Persephone, licks and nibbles me when I pet her. As long as it's gentle, it's a sign of affection. If the nibbles become hard, she may be telling you that she's over-stimulated and she wants you to stop petting her for a while.

As for waking you at three, see Smunkee's answer.
SaintB
05-10-2008, 07:52
Some cat's nip to show affection, the same with licking. If you have multiple cats that get along they will groom each other to show acceptance/trust. I have a cat that grooms people she likes and that behavior translated to her kittens (made it really easy to get them homes).
Christmahanikwanzikah
05-10-2008, 08:28
My cat gets this like rumbling sensation in his stomach and throat when he's happy. I hope it isn't bad. Is this normal?
SaintB
05-10-2008, 08:37
My cat gets this like rumbing sensation in his stomach and throat when he's happy. I hope it isn't bad. Is this normal?

I'm sorry, but its not. Your kitty is going to have to be humanely euthanized.
Christmahanikwanzikah
05-10-2008, 08:38
I'm sorry, but its not. Your kitty is going to have to be humanely euthanized.

D:

OMG it's licking itself, why does it do that?
Anti-Social Darwinism
05-10-2008, 08:41
I'm sorry, but its not. Your kitty is going to have to be humanely euthanized.

I've heard about ways that cats can live with this rumbling and with other, feline specific issues, like licking their genitals.
Christmahanikwanzikah
05-10-2008, 08:50
I've heard about ways that cats can live with this rumbling and with other, feline specific issues, like licking their genitals.

OMG It's doing that. And lying on its side. :O
Zombie PotatoHeads
05-10-2008, 09:31
OMG It's doing that. And lying on its side. :O
You can stop your cat from licking it's arse by doing it for him. He'll be very appreciative.
Eofaerwic
05-10-2008, 09:50
The waking you up thing is just the cat playing. Mine likes to poke me in the face when I am sleeping, just to see me flap around. They have little personalities too, usually evil.

Yup cat's are evil. My parents cat, when I was growing up, had a tendency of stealing my pillow. I'd usually wake up with a crick in my neck whilst my cat was soundly sleeping on my whole pillow.

This said, once I move out of a flat, I am going to get myself a cat (I've never considered it fair to have a cat in an apartment)
Anti-Social Darwinism
05-10-2008, 10:09
Yup cat's are evil. My parents cat, when I was growing up, had a tendency of stealing my pillow. I'd usually wake up with a crick in my neck whilst my cat was soundly sleeping on my whole pillow.

This said, once I move out of a flat, I am going to get myself a cat (I've never considered it fair to have a cat in an apartment)

Cat's are beautifully evil. I have two who think my bed belongs to them. I usually wake up with one on either side of me, effectively pinning me down because if I move, thus disturbing them, I get glares of resentment.
Eofaerwic
05-10-2008, 10:13
Cat's are beautifully evil. I have two who think my bed belongs to them. I usually wake up with one on either side of me, effectively pinning me down because if I move, thus disturbing them, I get glares of resentment.

They have you well-trained then I see.

It's the classic saying: Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
Kyronea
05-10-2008, 10:40
So I have some questions about why my Siamese does the things that she does. Ever since we moved into my apartment (which I may move out of, the gay couple next door had a domestic disturbance....) every time after she eats, she has the urge to run her paw over the carpet next to her food bowl. Also, everytime I pet her and love up on her, she'll lick me and either scrape her teeth across my skin or give me a light nibble. She won't break the skin or even hurt, she just does this when I"m petting her. Finally, why does she have to wake me up at 3 in the morning every morning? Her food and water bowl can be full, and she'd still wake me up at 3 in the morning. Is she trying to play a game with me?

Oh, the affection thing is to try and convince you to ignore the other cat. That, and some are just genuinely more affectionate. My cat Sokkwi loves to do the same sort of things. In fact, we have to keep him with one of our other cats, Neela, locked up at night in one of the rooms so they don't go waking people up. (Well, so Sokkwi doesn't. Neela will make too much noise if she's kept away from him for too long unfortunately.)
Ashmoria
05-10-2008, 14:16
cats are not evil. they just have their own agenda.

which can involve waking you up in the middle of the night to attend to her needs.

now and then my cat will wake me up with a gentle claw on exposed skin. then she'll sit there looking at me, looking at the window until i open the window so she can look out.
Muravyets
05-10-2008, 14:45
So I have some questions about why my Siamese does the things that she does. Ever since we moved into my apartment (which I may move out of, the gay couple next door had a domestic disturbance....) every time after she eats, she has the urge to run her paw over the carpet next to her food bowl.
Food protection behavior. Reflexive action to partially bury the food to mask its scent/location. She does this either because she is in an unfamiliar place or because the carpet is inviting to her claws/paws. Try putting the food bowl on a larger, smooth plastic mat, which should feel less scratchable/diggable, and that should lessen over time.

Also, everytime I pet her and love up on her, she'll lick me and either scrape her teeth across my skin or give me a light nibble. She won't break the skin or even hurt, she just does this when I"m petting her.
Excitement reflex. Many cats do this. If she's only started doing since you moved, or is doing it more since you moved, it's because her nerves are a little on edge in general from being in an unfamiliar place. If you want her to stop, then when her teeth touch your skin, say "ow-ow" clearly and preferably in a high tone and stop petting her until she calms down. High-pitched "ow" noises are how cats learn what not to do in play among their littermates when they are kittens.

Finally, why does she have to wake me up at 3 in the morning every morning? Her food and water bowl can be full, and she'd still wake me up at 3 in the morning. Is she trying to play a game with me?
Because she is in an unfamiliar place. Being a cat, she was likely always up and about at 3am, but in your old home she didn't feel the need to have company because there was nothing strange about it.

Remember, pets are not furniture. You can't move them about willy-nilly without causing them some stress, which will show up in their behavior.
Muravyets
05-10-2008, 14:51
cats are not evil. they just have their own agenda.

which can involve waking you up in the middle of the night to attend to her needs.

now and then my cat will wake me up with a gentle claw on exposed skin. then she'll sit there looking at me, looking at the window until i open the window so she can look out.
Cats may not be evil, but your cat is a bitch. And you are clearly her bitch. :D My cat wakes me up occasionally at unholy hours, but the reaction he gets stops him from making a regular habit of it. The payback is that he has learned/decided what time is a "human" hour for me to be out of the bed and in the kitchen putting out his breakfast. I'll just put it this way -- I don't need an alarm clock to make sure I get out of bed between 7:30 and 8am. I may have won the war of not keeping to HIS schedule, but he is winning the war of being the boss of MY schedule.

Why did we domesticate these beasts?
Muravyets
05-10-2008, 14:54
Cat's are beautifully evil. I have two who think my bed belongs to them. I usually wake up with one on either side of me, effectively pinning me down because if I move, thus disturbing them, I get glares of resentment.
At one point when I was a kid, we had 4 cats in the house. One day, I woke up unable to move. I was lying in bed on my back, with one cat draped across my chest, another draped across my midriff, another across my knees, and another across my ankles, all sleeping like little furry Hello Kitty angels. The little bastards.
Ashmoria
05-10-2008, 15:10
Cats may not be evil, but your cat is a bitch. And you are clearly her bitch. :D My cat wakes me up occasionally at unholy hours, but the reaction he gets stops him from making a regular habit of it. The payback is that he has learned/decided what time is a "human" hour for me to be out of the bed and in the kitchen putting out his breakfast. I'll just put it this way -- I don't need an alarm clock to make sure I get out of bed between 7:30 and 8am. I may have won the war of not keeping to HIS schedule, but he is winning the war of being the boss of MY schedule.

Why did we domesticate these beasts?
HEY just because i installed bird feeders close to the kitchen window doesnt mean im her bitch!

i pretty sure that the cat thinks we are morons. she will MEOW loudly and look at the door. but we dont let her out so she does it again. she goes over to the door, looks as us then at the door over and over. we dont let her out! how STUPID are we that we dont understand that all she wants is for us to turn that damned doorknob? if she had hands she'd do it herself (she has learned to open the screen door) but NOOOO she has to rely on these idiot humans! sometimes she looks at us with obvious disgust on her face.

cats arent domesticated. they are wild animals who moderate their behavior just enough to get along with us as long as we do whatever they want us to. DOGS are domesticated. if we want it, they are happy to do it for us even if its dressing up in baby clothes or jumping through hoops.
Muravyets
05-10-2008, 15:35
HEY just because i installed bird feeders close to the kitchen window doesnt mean im her bitch!

i pretty sure that the cat thinks we are morons. she will MEOW loudly and look at the door. but we dont let her out so she does it again. she goes over to the door, looks as us then at the door over and over. we dont let her out! how STUPID are we that we dont understand that all she wants is for us to turn that damned doorknob? if she had hands she'd do it herself (she has learned to open the screen door) but NOOOO she has to rely on these idiot humans! sometimes she looks at us with obvious disgust on her face.

cats arent domesticated. they are wild animals who moderate their behavior just enough to get along with us as long as we do whatever they want us to. DOGS are domesticated. if we want it, they are happy to do it for us even if its dressing up in baby clothes or jumping through hoops.
It's so true. :D My cat has nothing but complaints about the service in this house.

I console myself that I'm not a total schmuck for having cats by working them into my grand theory of domestication, which claims that some animals had to be significantly genetically modified by selective breeding to make them safe/manageable to keep around humans, while others did not. The difference can be seen in which ones adapt the best to life without humans. Cats, horses, and pigs can all go "wild" with relatively little trouble. Pigs will even revert to their more boar-like appearance when they stop eating the kinds of foods humans give them. Most breeds of dogs have a harder time adapting and are too physically warped to survive long. The same for cows and sheep because they have been made too passive and too physically unweildy.

Cats are the least "domesticated" of all, because all we needed them to do was kill the vermin that are their natural prey anyway, and all we had to do was figure out how to bribe them to stick around our houses/farms to do that. Man, did we ever get suckered. :D
Poliwanacraca
05-10-2008, 19:49
At one point when I was a kid, we had 4 cats in the house. One day, I woke up unable to move. I was lying in bed on my back, with one cat draped across my chest, another draped across my midriff, another across my knees, and another across my ankles, all sleeping like little furry Hello Kitty angels. The little bastards.

It could be worse. When I was visiting a friend of mine a couple of years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe because there was a fuzzy cat butt completely covering my nose and mouth - and when I tried to push the silly cat off, she dug her claws into my scalp and purred about getting attention rather than budging so much as a millimeter. I was literally half-suffocated before I finally got her to scoot her rear end over enough that my mouth was partially uncovered - at which point she cheerfully flicked her tail INTO my mouth and proceeded to try to go back to sleep. It took me another twenty minutes of gently shoving her (gently, because her claws were still in my scalp and I really didn't want my face ripped off) before I could get her to take my pillow and leave my face alone - and she made it very clear that I was being highly unreasonable with my "wanting not to die of cat butt" demands. :rolleyes:
Lunatic Goofballs
05-10-2008, 19:52
It could be worse. When I was visiting a friend of mine a couple of years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe because there was a fuzzy cat butt completely covering my nose and mouth - and when I tried to push the silly cat off, she dug her claws into my scalp and purred about getting attention rather than budging so much as a millimeter. I was literally half-suffocated before I finally got her to scoot her rear end over enough that my mouth was partially uncovered - at which point she cheerfully flicked her tail INTO my mouth and proceeded to try to go back to sleep. It took me another twenty minutes of gently shoving her (gently, because her claws were still in my scalp and I really didn't want my face ripped off) before I could get her to take my pillow and leave my face alone - and she made it very clear that I was being highly unreasonable with my "wanting not to die of cat butt" demands. :rolleyes:

Murder attempt! :eek:

Usually they are cunning enough not to get caught.
Wilgrove
05-10-2008, 20:00
It could be worse. When I was visiting a friend of mine a couple of years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe because there was a fuzzy cat butt completely covering my nose and mouth - and when I tried to push the silly cat off, she dug her claws into my scalp and purred about getting attention rather than budging so much as a millimeter. I was literally half-suffocated before I finally got her to scoot her rear end over enough that my mouth was partially uncovered - at which point she cheerfully flicked her tail INTO my mouth and proceeded to try to go back to sleep. It took me another twenty minutes of gently shoving her (gently, because her claws were still in my scalp and I really didn't want my face ripped off) before I could get her to take my pillow and leave my face alone - and she made it very clear that I was being highly unreasonable with my "wanting not to die of cat butt" demands. :rolleyes:

LOL! That's funny. Amelia usually either sleeps on my legs, on my back, or right under my chin. I drool in my sleep, so she doesn't sleep under my chin very often.
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 01:52
It could be worse. When I was visiting a friend of mine a couple of years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe because there was a fuzzy cat butt completely covering my nose and mouth - and when I tried to push the silly cat off, she dug her claws into my scalp and purred about getting attention rather than budging so much as a millimeter. I was literally half-suffocated before I finally got her to scoot her rear end over enough that my mouth was partially uncovered - at which point she cheerfully flicked her tail INTO my mouth and proceeded to try to go back to sleep. It took me another twenty minutes of gently shoving her (gently, because her claws were still in my scalp and I really didn't want my face ripped off) before I could get her to take my pillow and leave my face alone - and she made it very clear that I was being highly unreasonable with my "wanting not to die of cat butt" demands. :rolleyes:
:D Adorable little critters, ain't they? :D
South Lizasauria
06-10-2008, 02:54
Living by myself, just me and her.



Wow, from cat questions to Beastility in....3 post. Nice.

Wah, you beat my record :(
Anti-Social Darwinism
06-10-2008, 02:58
Last night the lovely creatures that own me tried something new. They arranged themselves on my bed (full-sized) in such a way that there was no room for me - it's truly amazing how a cumulative 20 pounds of cat(s) can claim a whole bed, leaving no room for a person who outweighs them .... considerably. They both looked at me with slitted eyes as if to say "what, you want to sleep here? Are you stoned?"
Stoklomolvi
06-10-2008, 03:08
My cat scratches me with anger if I don't give him what he wants, which is usually food. When I type on the computer, he just scratches at my chair until I get up and follow him to the kitchen, where of course he lingers in front of the refrigerator. He's older than me >< .
SaintB
06-10-2008, 03:14
Cats are proof of how messed up our species (and in contrast the whole world) is.

Cats are wild animals, pound for pound some of the best hunters on earth. They are extremly deadly and viscious and they have a sadistic streak, often playing with thier prey for long periods of time before killing it and devouring it.

We think they are adorable!
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 03:22
Cats a reproff ofd how messed up our species (and in contrast the whole world) is.

Cats are wild animals, pound for pound some of the best hunters on earth. They are extremly deadly and viscious and they have a sadistic streak, often playing with thier prey for long periods of time before killing it and devouring it.

We think they are adorable!
They are adorable. They are the only animals on the planet that are adorable even while they are doing what you describe above. One of life's little jokes.
Grave_n_idle
06-10-2008, 03:24
Cats a reproff ofd how messed up our species (and in contrast the whole world) is.

Cats are wild animals, pound for pound some of the best hunters on earth. They are extremly deadly and viscious and they have a sadistic streak, often playing with thier prey for long periods of time before killing it and devouring it.

We think they are adorable!

The crazy thing is - these little killing machines have somehow got US trained to 'hunt' for them....

I tend to agree with Neil Gaiman's take on cats - they remember when they used to eat us...
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 03:25
Last night the lovely creatures that own me tried something new. They arranged themselves on my bed (full-sized) in such a way that there was no room for me - it's truly amazing how a cumulative 20 pounds of cat(s) can claim a whole bed, leaving no room for a person who outweighs them .... considerably. They both looked at me with slitted eyes as if to say "what, you want to sleep here? Are you stoned?"
Amazing isn't it? Feline physics. Someone should do a study on how the fuck two cats can take up a whole bed. It reminds me of the ancient Norse legend of Thor trying to pick up the giant's cat, only no matter how he lifts it, he can't get all of it off the floor. That cat turned out to be the Midgard Serpent in disguise, but I think the same could be said of all cats, and that only goes to show that cats have always made fools of people.
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 03:30
The crazy thing is - these little killing machines have somehow got US trained to 'hunt' for them....

I tend to agree with Neil Gaiman's take on cats - they remember when they used to eat us...
And they look forward to the day they will again.

Did you see that History Channel show about what would happen to the world if humans suddenly vanished from it? Aside from the general goodness of the environmental results and the amusement of watching all our most recent structures all collapse decades sooner than the fucking pyramids and Roman aqueducts (we do such shoddy work nowadays), my favorite part was where it showed ruined cities overrun with cats thriving like they'd always owned the planet and not even stopping to remember those big stupid humans who used to run the can openers. I'm sure they ate all our corpses before going back to birds and rodents.
The Plutonian Empire
06-10-2008, 05:25
I'm sorry, but its not. Your kitty is going to have to be humanely euthanized.
Why does a cat need to be euthanized for tummy rumblings? What do the tummy rumblings mean anyway?
And they look forward to the day they will again.

Did you see that History Channel show about what would happen to the world if humans suddenly vanished from it? Aside from the general goodness of the environmental results and the amusement of watching all our most recent structures all collapse decades sooner than the fucking pyramids and Roman aqueducts (we do such shoddy work nowadays), my favorite part was where it showed ruined cities overrun with cats thriving like they'd always owned the planet and not even stopping to remember those big stupid humans who used to run the can openers. I'm sure they ate all our corpses before going back to birds and rodents.
I saw that actually. You should have seen me squeal with joy when I saw those cats in the run-down hi-rises. :D
Anti-Social Darwinism
06-10-2008, 05:57
Amazing isn't it? Feline physics. Someone should do a study on how the fuck two cats can take up a whole bed. It reminds me of the ancient Norse legend of Thor trying to pick up the giant's cat, only no matter how he lifts it, he can't get all of it off the floor. That cat turned out to be the Midgard Serpent in disguise, but I think the same could be said of all cats, and that only goes to show that cats have always made fools of people.

Feline physics indeed; I found with one of my cats that she could increase and decrease her weight at will, depending on what she wanted to do and where she wanted to do it. I'm sure that it's a talent that they all share, but she was particularly gifted.
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 06:25
Why does a cat need to be euthanized for tummy rumblings? What do the tummy rumblings mean anyway?
It means they are about to ATTACK!!
Kyronea
06-10-2008, 18:16
And they look forward to the day they will again.

Did you see that History Channel show about what would happen to the world if humans suddenly vanished from it? Aside from the general goodness of the environmental results and the amusement of watching all our most recent structures all collapse decades sooner than the fucking pyramids and Roman aqueducts (we do such shoddy work nowadays), my favorite part was where it showed ruined cities overrun with cats thriving like they'd always owned the planet and not even stopping to remember those big stupid humans who used to run the can openers. I'm sure they ate all our corpses before going back to birds and rodents.

Bull. Cats and dogs are domesticated. No matter how much we joke about them being perfect hunters, they wouldn't last all that long. (That long probably being a number of centuries, but hey.)

Now, rodents, on the other hand...they would evolve to fill the void.
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 18:17
Bull. Cats and dogs are domesticated. No matter how much we joke about them being perfect hunters, they wouldn't last all that long. (That long probably being a number of centuries, but hey.)

Now, rodents, on the other hand...they would evolve to fill the void.
So say you, but HA! PROVE IT!! *waits for Kyronea to invent time machine*
Ashmoria
06-10-2008, 18:19
Cats are proof of how messed up our species (and in contrast the whole world) is.

Cats are wild animals, pound for pound some of the best hunters on earth. They are extremly deadly and viscious and they have a sadistic streak, often playing with thier prey for long periods of time before killing it and devouring it.

We think they are adorable!
i am endlessly amused watching my cat play with mice both living and dead. she never quite understands why the dead mouse doesnt want to play any more.

i DO catch the live ones and put them outside if i get a chance though.
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 18:22
i am endlessly amused watching my cat play with mice both living and dead. she never quite understands why the dead mouse doesnt want to play any more.

i DO catch the live ones and put them outside if i get a chance though.
I do find that one of the most heartwarming and adorable :eek2: traits of cats is the way they seem to think, "Oh, you're tired of playing? Well, I guess I'll just eat you then."
Ashmoria
06-10-2008, 18:25
Bull. Cats and dogs are domesticated. No matter how much we joke about them being perfect hunters, they wouldn't last all that long. (That long probably being a number of centuries, but hey.)

Now, rodents, on the other hand...they would evolve to fill the void.
no. the little useless dogs would die off. the big ones would wolf up. the housecats that already know how to hunt would thrive on killing the little animals that would start breeding like crazy without any humans to check their progress. their kittens would be wild animals.

house cats are not so much different from bob cats and lynx that live well in north america. AND, as i recall, the domestic cat has gone wild in australia and makes its own living in the outback.
Ashmoria
06-10-2008, 18:26
I do find that one of the most heartwarming and adorable :eek2: traits of cats is the way they seem to think, "Oh, you're tired of playing? Well, I guess I'll just eat you then."
this is why MY cat is perfect. she doesnt ever eat them and she NEVER brings me a bloody corpse as a present. *shudder*

she does however bring small snakes into the house now and then. that can be alarming.
Eofaerwic
06-10-2008, 18:34
Last night the lovely creatures that own me tried something new. They arranged themselves on my bed (full-sized) in such a way that there was no room for me - it's truly amazing how a cumulative 20 pounds of cat(s) can claim a whole bed, leaving no room for a person who outweighs them .... considerably. They both looked at me with slitted eyes as if to say "what, you want to sleep here? Are you stoned?"

Thought it appropriate:

http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/08/funny-pictures-you-are-going-to-sleep-on-the-floor-tonight.jpg

My parent's cat somehow manages it all by himself... it's quite impressive
Free Outer Eugenia
06-10-2008, 18:41
So I have some questions about why my Siamese does the things that she does. Ever since we moved into my apartment (which I may move out of, the gay couple next door had a domestic disturbance....) every time after she eats, she has the urge to run her paw over the carpet next to her food bowl. Also, everytime I pet her and love up on her, she'll lick me and either scrape her teeth across my skin or give me a light nibble. She won't break the skin or even hurt, she just does this when I"m petting her. Finally, why does she have to wake me up at 3 in the morning every morning? Her food and water bowl can be full, and she'd still wake me up at 3 in the morning. Is she trying to play a game with me?

Because she is a cat.
Smunkeeville
06-10-2008, 18:47
Bull. Cats and dogs are domesticated. No matter how much we joke about them being perfect hunters, they wouldn't last all that long. (That long probably being a number of centuries, but hey.)

Now, rodents, on the other hand...they would evolve to fill the void.
My cats are awesome hunters! In the absence of mice, they hunt out and destroy feet.

I was playing laser with the stupid one a few days back, after I got bored and turned it off, he stared at the floor for 45 minutes where it last was. :rolleyes:
Ashmoria
06-10-2008, 18:54
My cats are awesome hunters! In the absence of mice, they hunt out and destroy feet.

I was playing laser with the stupid one a few days back, after I got bored and turned it off, he stared at the floor for 45 minutes where it last was. :rolleyes:
my cat will not go for the laser dot. she notices it but it just doesnt trigger that hunter response.
Bitchkitten
06-10-2008, 18:57
So I have some questions about why my Siamese does the things that she does. Ever since we moved into my apartment (which I may move out of, the gay couple next door had a domestic disturbance....) every time after she eats, she has the urge to run her paw over the carpet next to her food bowl. Also, everytime I pet her and love up on her, she'll lick me and either scrape her teeth across my skin or give me a light nibble. She won't break the skin or even hurt, she just does this when I"m petting her. Finally, why does she have to wake me up at 3 in the morning every morning? Her food and water bowl can be full, and she'd still wake me up at 3 in the morning. Is she trying to play a game with me?Take it from the crazy cat lady-the licking and nibbling are grooming. The nibbling is specifically to remove parasites. (fleas)
She wakes you up at three because she wants attention. She just doesn't understand why the crazy human sleeps way into a perfectlt good night when you should have gotten your sleep in the day, like she wisely did.
Cats frequently revert to comforting behavior when their routine is disturbed. They are creatures of habit and are profoundly discomforted by major routine changes. Such as moving.
Kyronea
06-10-2008, 19:01
So say you, but HA! PROVE IT!! *waits for Kyronea to invent time machine*

I point to Stephen Baxter. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_%28Stephen_Baxter%29)

(Yes I realize it proves nothing. I'm being a smartass. :tongue: )
Bitchkitten
06-10-2008, 19:24
Bull. Cats and dogs are domesticated. No matter how much we joke about them being perfect hunters, they wouldn't last all that long. (That long probably being a number of centuries, but hey.)

Now, rodents, on the other hand...they would evolve to fill the void.

Not true. While dogs have had their brain size reduced 15% from their wolf ancestors, cats have had no such reduction. Dogs have been doesticated ten times as long as cats, with quite a few more changes.

While a pampered Persian may have no chance in the wild, 90% of your barn cats will do just fine. The domestic cat differs mainly in coat color from their ancestor, felis sylvestris libyca.The African wildcat is though to be largely self-domesticated. Take it from the crazy cat lady.
JuNii
06-10-2008, 19:37
Amazing isn't it? Feline physics. Someone should do a study on how the fuck two cats can take up a whole bed. It reminds me of the ancient Norse legend of Thor trying to pick up the giant's cat, only no matter how he lifts it, he can't get all of it off the floor. That cat turned out to be the Midgard Serpent in disguise, but I think the same could be said of all cats, and that only goes to show that cats have always made fools of people.

nah, the giant's cat was just fully relaxed.

have you ever tried or watch someone try to pick up a cat that was fully relaxed? :mad:
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 19:46
nah, the giant's cat was just fully relaxed.

have you ever tried or watch someone try to pick up a cat that was fully relaxed? :mad:

Oh, yeah. Been there.
Muravyets
06-10-2008, 19:52
my cat will not go for the laser dot. she notices it but it just doesnt trigger that hunter response.
Same with mine. He's a lazy fat bastard, and I got the laser as part of an attempted exercise program. Wasted time and money.

Not true. While dogs have had their brain size reduced 15% from their wolf ancestors, cats have had no such reduction. Dogs have been doesticated ten times as long as cats, with quite a few more changes.

While a pampered Persian may have no chance in the wild, 90% of your barn cats will do just fine. The domestic cat differs mainly in coat color from their ancestor, felis sylvestris libyca.The African wildcat is though to be largely self-domesticated. Take it from the crazy cat lady.
I heard a story, which might be apocryphal but sounds good, that the Maine Coon Cat is a reversion to a Northern European wild cat type. The story is that essentially, barn cats were allowed to go feral and abandoned into the woods of northern New England over a very long time, and eventually, out walked the Maine Coon Cat -- big, heavy, that tabby/white mix (which is a classic small wild cat coloration), the big fur ruff around the neck, and the medium long coat, nearly identical to the few remaining wild cats of Scandanavia and Germany -- which, btw, were believed to be extinct until relatively recently.
JuNii
06-10-2008, 19:59
Bull. Cats and dogs are domesticated. No matter how much we joke about them being perfect hunters, they wouldn't last all that long. (That long probably being a number of centuries, but hey.)

Now, rodents, on the other hand...they would evolve to fill the void.

may I direct you to this site (http://www.lesliefish.com/cats.htm)...
Kyronea
06-10-2008, 22:10
I see...

Well, I will bow to your guy's superior knowledge of cats. Foiled again. :(
Katganistan
06-10-2008, 23:22
Amazing isn't it? Feline physics. Someone should do a study on how the fuck two cats can take up a whole bed. It reminds me of the ancient Norse legend of Thor trying to pick up the giant's cat, only no matter how he lifts it, he can't get all of it off the floor. That cat turned out to be the Midgard Serpent in disguise, but I think the same could be said of all cats, and that only goes to show that cats have always made fools of people.
Hmm. This is probably why my cat is never allowed in the bedroom.
Anti-Social Darwinism
06-10-2008, 23:56
Hmm. This is probably why my cat is never allowed in the bedroom.

Does she try to dig under the door? I've found that I can either have carpets and unscathed flooring or no cats in the bedroom.