8 Odd Cat Behaviors Explained

cats are adorable and intelligent animals which behave in ways we may find unusual or strange however there are logical and reasonable explanations behind their bizarre behaviors in this video we'll talk about eight strange cat behaviors and explain the meaning behind them number eight why kittens freeze when grabbed by the neck at one time or another you've probably witnessed a mama cat carrying her kittens around by the scruff of their neck this form of transport is known as scruffing mother cats only carry kittens by the scruff for the first few weeks of life they can do that because kittens have a reflex in which their bodies go totally limp when picked up by the scruff the scruff was designed by nature as a handle to transport kittens from one place to another and to make the life easier for the parents kittens are made to be very obedient and submissive it works like an off button to allow mothers in the wild to worry less evolution has done a lot of work to encourage kittens and puppies to be calmly compliant when their parents pick them up the ones that held still were successfully moved to a safe place and survived while the ones who wriggled did not survive number seven why cats follow you everywhere in the house if you live with a feline you have noticed that they follow you everywhere this behavior may seem strange especially because cats have a reputation for being very independent creatures more often than not cats follow us around because they like our companionship contrary to what many people believe cats love being with their human companions as domestication has progressed over the years cats are becoming more sociable and enjoy spending time with their human family another reason why cats follow you is because they want to be entertained it's common for felines to be bored because they often spend all their time indoors an indoor cat cannot perform the typical hunting and exploratory behaviors innate to a feline so they may follow you around looking to be stimulated plus cats are a bit nosy and they want to know what you are doing at all times cats may also follow you when they are patrolling their territory in the wild part of a feline's day-to-day activities is to walk around their territory several times they do this to spread their scent and to find possible intruders on the other hand if your cat follows you and meows constantly it is possible they are either in poor health or want something like food or a clean litter box this is why many cat owners notice that their cats tend to follow them when it is near feeding time number six why cats don't always cover their waste varying waste is a natural feline instinct and it's not just because cats are obsessed with cleanliness in the wild weaker and smaller cats bury their excrement to eliminate odors and prevent attracting the attention of predators dominant cats that are competing for territory such as leopards lions and tigers often don't bury their feces sending a message that they are declaring that this area is theirs mountain lions even build a little hill using dirt and leaves and then deposit their poop on top for all the world to see and smell when a domesticated cat suddenly chooses not to bury their waste they may want to let other cats or their owner know about their presence even if a feline has lived in the same place for some time they may not feel it is their territory so they leave their feces uncovered to warn other animals that this particular territory belongs to them you often see this among male cats or when a new cat comes to the house but make no mistake your cat may also not bury their waist if they don't like the texture or smell of the litter or if the litter box is too small for them the quality of the litter and the box may be the reason that your cat wants to spend less time in the box painful medical problems like a urinary tract infection or a sore paw might also make a cat want to spend less time in the box and thus not covering their feces number five why cats every once in a while you may notice your cat making a sneering face the upper lip draws back the nose wrinkles and the mouth opens and remains a little open for some time this phenomenon has a scientific name it's called the fleeman response and this behavior isn't limited to domestic cats many other mammals including lions and horses perform this action too when a cat displays the fleeman response they're basically analyzing a particular scent this response lets the scent travel along the roof of the mouth where a specialized sensory structure known as the vomeronasal organ is located cats use this organ when they come across any scent they feel requires more in-depth analysis and it's usually used by unneutered males reacting to the pheromones in the urine of females in heat number four why cats hate closed doors perhaps you're in the bathroom minding your own business and you hear scratching or meowing outside the door if you have ever closed a door behind your cat you probably know that a closed room is something that cats hate cats may be attracted to closed doors because they want to know what is happening on the other side of it especially if they hear or smell something that piques their curiosity and remember even though cats live solitary lives in the wild they are still social creatures falling at your closed door indicates that your pet enjoys your company and wants to hang out with you and keep in mind that some cats don't like closed doors because of their territorial nature cats believe they actually own your house and they get confused when part of their territory is closed off from them number three why cats blep every once in a while you may catch your cat sticking their tongue out of their mouth this cartoonish expression is known as a blep experts say blepping is the way cats investigate their surroundings using their sense of taste to understand what's going on around them it's how a cat smells their environment with their tongue interestingly enough flapping may also happen when the cat forgets to put their tongue back in it can happen when you distract them in the middle of an eating or grooming session the cat may have looked up at you and failed to retract their tongue completely and remember a blep may also occur when a cat has been sedated whenever your cat is totally relaxed they might loosen their jaw which is just enough for the slight tip of their tongue to start to stick out you often see this with persian cats these felines have flat faces and dangle their tongues because they lack the real estate to store it number two why can't sit on anything you're reading you probably have noticed that cats love to sit or walk over anything you're looking at whether it's a book laptop or newspaper believe it or not it has been happening for centuries there are cat paw prints even on a manuscript from the 15th century why do they do it well there are a few reasons why a cat likes to position themselves on items like books first of all those items have your scent on them like many animals cats are largely guided by their sense of smell and if an object smells like you they want to be near it because it makes them feel safe and content you've probably noticed that your cat only likes to sit on the book you were just reading and not any of the others it's because they want the one that smells like you another reason cats like to sit on your items is because they're very territorial when cats walk over your stuff they transfer their pheromones which mainly come from their face and paws to the object giving it a scent that's uniquely theirs this is a cat's way to establish their ownership your feline sees you reading those books for a long time and thinks there's something so important there and they choose to leave their scent on that object and mark it as their territory and remember cats are intelligent animals so they know that whatever you're reading is taking up all your attention and that's the very attention they want for themselves so they'll sit or walk right over your stuff so that you'll have to focus on them number one why cats pee outside the litter box a cat may pee outside the litter box for several reasons more often than not the state or quality of the litter in the box is the reason of out-of-box urination cats are very clean animals and they don't like visiting a litter box that is not regularly cleaned the box could also just be difficult for your cat to reach like when it is too far away or on a different floor the proper litter box setup will offer your feline peace and privacy but it must be easy for your cat to access urine marking is another reason cats may urinate out of the litter box in this case the cat strategically chooses the location of the urine mark they may pee around the edges of the house or make a perfect circle around their litter box this is a cat's way to send a signal to other animals or visitors in the house to keep out stress is also a huge factor when it comes to house soiling issues in cats stress comes in ways you would not expect environmental changes visitors or even arguing in front of them are some possible anxiety triggers in cats and remember underlying medical conditions can also be a cause of a cat urinating outside the litter box a likely culprit is a urinary tract [Music] infection you

Channel: Jaw-Dropping Facts

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Length: 9min 50sec (590 seconds)

Published: Fri May 14 2021