Strangest Cat Behaviours Finally Explained

anyone who's owned or even merely encountered a cat knows they do some pretty strange things but while the inner workings of a cat's mind may seem mysterious much of the time there's usually a surprisingly reasonable explanation for their feline weirdness so sit back and grab a bowl of kitty kibble as we check out some of the strangest cat behaviors finally explained cat chatter everyone knows what a standard cat's meow sounds like but that's not the only noise cats can make experts suggest cats can make over 100 unique types of sounds ranging from low elongated grouse the joyful chirpy greetings but possibly the strangest of these vocalizations is what's known as chattering this involves small rapid movements in the cat's jaws emitting sounds like this cats usually exhibit this behavior when they're looking out the window at birds or other animals outside and there are a few theories as to why this is the case some cat behaviorists speculate that they may emit this sound out of frustration that they can see prey animals like birds or mice but are unable to go out and catch them after all seeing as cats don't really understand what a glass window actually is all they see is an invisible wall keeping them from a snack other experts disagree instead suggesting the unusual behavior is actually a cat's jaw muscles instinctively preparing to deliver a lethal bite but a third theory speculates that these strange high-pitched sounds may be an attempt by the cat to mimic the types of sounds they're pre-emit these copycat calls made lure pray closer ready for an unexpected pounce but i'm actually able to translate kitty chatter so i can tell you what they're all saying they say you should like this video and subscribe to be amazed for more fascinating content cat based or otherwise posted every day you won't regret it and the cats say that if you do subscribe they'll let you roam free when they finally decide to overthrow their human masters so stay tuned so you can learn about them before the feline uprising i need you officially referred to as kneading this behavior is where cats perch themselves on a soft surface like a blanket couch or an owner's leg and begin pressing the surface with their paws sometimes when they're particularly enthusiastic a cat may even stick their claws in for good measure unluckily for their owner's legs despite how sadistic it can seem the reason cats need is actually pretty cute its main purpose is for kittens while they are still nursing as pressing their paws under their mother's mammary glands encourages better milk production in adulthood cats continue to need when they're relaxed or if they need to alleviate stress or calm down it's a bit like us humans lifting our spirits by enjoying a comforting meal or movie that reminds us of the good times of our childhood or like a child sucking their thumb if a cat needs on you it means it associates you with a similar level of care and comfort to that of its own mama as their scent glands and cats paws a cat needing on you may also be its way of marking you as part of its group and warning outsider cats to back off so if kneading is a sign of comfort or respect why do cats sometimes stick their claws in while needing it seems the answer is either that they're doing it accidentally and not realizing it's painful for their owner or it's a leftover trait from their wild ancestors for the latter option cats may be instinctively using their claws in the same way they would when patting down a potential sleeping zone in their natural environments their claws may automatically extend to clear out any unwanted bedfellows like insects or smaller animals before laying down kneading may well be a combination of all of these factors but whatever the reasons show a little understanding next time your kitty accidentally pricks you with their kneading claws they don't mean to hurt you probably rolling along another sign of trust from a feline friend is when they roll around on the floor in your presence a cat knows that being on its back leaves it in a highly vulnerable position with its vital organs exposed doing this in front of you is their way of showing you've earned their trust and sometimes it means they're trying to engage you in a little playtime be careful though cats can still be very sensitive about being touched on their bellies and may bite kick and scratch you if they don't like it so don't always assume a cat showing you their belly is an invitation to give it a rub or you may end up with a very sore hand ticklish kitties one of the strangest of all cat behaviors is something that you might never have witnessed before casually known as the butt scratch reflex this behavior only occurs in some cats but when it does it's hilariously bizarre when cats affected by it or scratched or tickled at the base of their spine near a tail it results in seemingly involuntary licking strange meowing and head turning alongside a confused expression it's got a weed now [Music] [Laughter] pretty strange right the explanation for this unusual reaction appears to lie in the high concentration of nerve endings at the base of the cat's tail that area is what's known as an erogenous zone depending on the cat it can be so sensitive to touch that it triggers a type of sensory overload resulting in uncontrollable reflexive movements and noises it's comparable to how humans involuntary laugh when tickled in certain spots that's right some cats appear to be ticklish but if you do notice this response in your cat don't overdo it they're probably very confused by the whole thing and unlike a human they might not see the funny side fear of water one of the classic defining traits of cats is that in the vast majority of cases they absolutely despise water anyone who's tried to bathe the cat and ended up thoroughly shredded can attest to that but why are cats so scared of taking baths when they clearly appreciate being clean after all they spend half the day licking themselves the answer lies in the wild ancestors of modern domestic cats who originally hailed from dry arid regions of africa and the middle east these ancestral felines evolved to survive in conditions where often sizable bodies of open water were a rarity it's thought that part of the reason cats are so fearful of water is that thanks to this ancestral history they're genetically wired to mistrust large bodies of the unfamiliar wet stuff but there are more practical reasons cats dislike water too being evolved to survive in arid environments also meant that domestic cats ancestors had no need for water repelling coats like those of dogs because of this when a cat gets wet its fur absorbs a lot of water and takes a long time to dry this not only makes the cat uncomfortable and cold it also adds a considerable amount of weight hampering the agility and speed that cats depend on for hunting so next time your cat freaks out when you try to give it a wash remember their body simply isn't optimized for taking a dip kitty contact it can be a pretty great feeling when a friendly cat comes over and gives you the old friendly head butt rubbing itself on you it's certainly nicer than a human stranger doing the same thing but the reason cats like to rub themselves on humans isn't just for friendly contact similar to the reason cats like pressing their paws on humans cats rub their faces on us because they like to mark what they perceive as their end group cats rub on objects and friendly living things alike within their territory using glands on their faces and bodies to deposit their scent this not only solidifies social bonds it also gives a clear message of ownership to any other cats in the area so while you may give your cat its meals make no mistakes as far as your feline friend is concerned they don't you late night zoomies every cat owner at some point has had their patients tested by a little thing known as the late night zoomies this is when for no apparent reason at night time a cat decides it's the perfect time to go crazy meowing running around and bouncing off the walls but there's a reason for this slightly annoying behavior because cats tend to spend a lot of their day snoozing they often end up with a lot of pent up energy at the end of the day and as their natural prey is most active around dusk and dawn cats have evolved to expel their energy around these times too on top of that the reason the zoomies are so intense yet short-lived is that domestic cats hunt in short explosive bursts guaranteeing a quick kill after a sneaky approach as house cats don't always get the chance to hunt they expel this energy and serve their instincts by simulating the hunt by running around the house like they've totally lost their minds but why when stroking a cat's back you may have noticed they tend to raise their rear end as you move your hand closer to their tail this isn't just because it wants to ensure you're exerting the optimum amount of pressure for perfect padding it's another leftover behavior from the feline's kitten days that happens to be triggered by the unique way we interact with them while it's easy for us to pet a cat's back cats don't usually touch each other's backs the only time this really occurs is when cat mothers lick around the base of their kitten's tails to get them to present their rear ends for cleaning this butt lifting response to touch stays in place as cats grew up though i doubt your cat's disappointed that you don't wipe its butt every time you tickle its back all in the eyes cat's eyes are quite a bit different to ours both in how they see the world and then how they use them to communicate if you've ever noticed a cat blinking slowly while looking at you or even winking one eye there's more going on than the kitty merely moistening its eyeballs for a cat a slow blinking of the eyelids is a sign of trust as it's showing you it knows you won't attack it the moment it takes its gaze off you feline behaviorists call this slow blinking kitty kisses as it's a very affectionate gesture and something you should feel honored to receive in some cases if you return with a slow blink of your own a cat may even continue to blow these kitty kisses your way it's the closest you'll ever get to your cat saying i love you back so make the most of it if yours ever exhibits this behavior arguably the most interesting thing about cat's eyes though is how they visually process the world i'm sure you've wondered at some point why cat's pupils aren't round like ours when they're not dilated cats have these vertical pupils partially because the unique shape allows them to dilate enormously with the help of muscles in the eye with such a range of pupil size they can adjust how much lights let in allowing them to hunt both in broad daylight and in almost total darkness but another important reason for the slit shape is that it allows them to judge distances with an extremely high level of accuracy this is due to the fact that the narrower the pupil can go the sharper the image in focus can be with cats super long yet thin adjustable pupils they're able to focus in on a target blurring out the surrounding background achieving a highly accurate sense of depth and detail as domestic cats are ambush predators this ability comes in extremely handy for making sure they judge the distance correctly and hit the target on their first pounds just before they pounce their pupils dilate allowing maximum light end instead of detail so they can react to any slight last-second movements of the animal they're hunting funnily though this depth and movement judging ability comes at a trade-off as cats have great difficulty focusing on anything closer than about 10 inches away this is why sometimes you can place a treat right in front of a cat and they'll miss it completely luckily though this is where a cat's other sensory tools like its nose and whiskers come in helping it detect things that are too close to sea unless your cats like mine who's still too lovably dumb to find nearby treats even while using his whiskers and nose shout out to my goofball rolo this belongs on the floor on the list of annoying things cats love doing batting random objects off of shells and other surfaces is probably at the top so why do house cats love this mischievous activity so much well for starters unless they're really starved for attention cats don't do this to annoy their owners the real reason is that cats are incredibly curious creatures by nature of their evolution after all investigating their environment is a valuable skill to have both in terms of securing food and keeping safe cats don't understand the intended purpose of many of the inanimate objects humans keep around the house instead a cat's instincts tell them that a little ornamental knick-knack on a shelf or crumpled up piece of paper on your desk might be a mouse or other small prey creature seeing as their vision for nearby objects is so poor the only way to find out is to bat it with their paw to see if it squeaks or scurries away in some cases cats may also knock items over purely for the stimulation of the movement and sound though this is usually when they're bored this behavior can often be remedied with a little more attention or with some fun toys to occupy their interest and energy so next time your cat shows its curious side by knocking something over or propping themselves up at the dinner table to see what's going on don't be mad they're just doing what they've evolved to do plant-based medicine despite being carnivores cats are occasionally witnessed eating grass and other plants much of the time this is followed shortly afterwards by said cat throwing up its salad lunch surprisingly though in many cases this is actually a totally healthy behavior depending on what plants the cat is eating while flowers like lilies are extremely dangerous when consumed by cats many other species of houseplants and grass in particular are pretty much harmless for cats in fact cats will actively seek out plans to consume for a number of reasons one such motivation is seeking variety of texture from their usual food a more important reason cats intentionally eat plants though is the trigger of vomiting response which can be helpful if a cat is dealing with a particularly stubborn fur ball stuck in their throat there are also nutrients and grass that are absorbed even if the cat ends up vomiting most of the plant matter cats will occasionally seek out these nutrients if they're not getting them from their regular food but by far cat's favorite plant to consume is catnip which is from the mint family catnip contains an organic compound called nepatolactone which cats are attracted to as it's thought to mimic certain feline pheromones in the 70 to 80 percent of cats affected by catnip it appears to induce a euphoric state when they inhale its aroma or eat it in this state cats roll around purr meow drool batted things that aren't there and generally act like an oddball for around 15 minutes it's not yet certain exactly what's going on in the cat's brain while on catnip but it's harmless and they certainly seem to enjoy it drinking habits almost as strange as cats occasionally uncouth eating habits are their methods of drinking water the list of these strange sipping tactics is drinking from the faucet or tap if your british cat behaviorists suggest drinking from a running faucet is a leftover trait from their wildcat ancestors in the wild running water usually in the form of a stream tends to be safer for animals to consume than stagnant water as there's less of a chance of deadly toxins and bacteria being present drinking from a running faucet is the closest thing to sipping straight from a stream many house cats have the opportunity to do this behavior could also be a sign that a cat's water bowl is dirty leading them to seek alternatives with some cats it may even simply be that they've observed their owners getting their water from the faucets and they're mirroring the observed behavior other cats have a somewhat annoying preference to knock their water bowls over and drink the spilled water off the floor some veterinary experts theorize that this may occur because some cats dislike the way the bowls feel against their whiskers while drinking from it so if this seems to be the case the solution is simple just get a bigger bowl cats vs combs returning to another one of the truly bizarre yet lesser-known behaviors exhibited by some cats we have what i like to call the comb freakout response oddly certain kitties seem to seriously dislike the sound of someone running a coin or just their fingers along the teeth of a hair comb so much so that it can trigger a gag reflex in certain cats check it out other cats meanwhile just stick their tongues out a little in response the explanation for this is very surprising indeed it all comes down to the fact that cats can hear frequencies that humans ears can't pick up when someone scrapes a comb like in those clips there are frequencies emitted beyond our hearing that appear very loud to cats but the sound isn't just annoying it appears to trigger an internal response that could be dangerous if overdone as these higher frequency sounds are usually associated with cat's prey when heard in a non-hunting context like when sitting comfortably inside their home it can lead to confusion irritation gagging and worse a 2016 study in the journal of feline medicine and surgery found that when some cats hear high frequency sounds of this kind which also include wrestling aluminum foil or plastic bags prolonged exposure can cause mild to moderate seizures the verdict is still out on exactly why these sounds trigger such a powerful response but if your cat seems annoyed with you making a high-pitched racket do them a favor and stop before you cause them harm what a fascinating wall one of the funniest and most puzzling things cats are often seen doing is staring at blank walls sometimes for long stretches of time seemingly without reason now if you were to see a human doing the same thing you'd be right to assume they'd gone mad but this isn't the case for cats for one thing cats are able to see things from a distance that we're totally unable to pick up on such as tiny mites and specks of dust that could explain what's capturing their attention although the source of their interest may not always be visual as hard services particularly in the corners of rooms reflect sound very effectively cats will often place themselves close to corner walls to home in on sounds they may be hearing be it a distant scurrying mouse or someone wrestling a bag of kitty kibble the corner seat is always the best so don't judge your cat's weird seating choices judge them for other things like eating your houseplants if i fits i sits one of the trademark cute yet weird behaviors of our feline friends is summed up by the phrase if i fits i sits what this means of course is that cats have a tendency to sit in spaces that to a human might seem very cramped indeed often to hilarious effect the reason cats do this is just as adorable as the pictures of them in the act small enclosed spaces like baskets boxes and containers make cats feel safe and secure this comes from an instinctual desire to be protected and concealed as their wild ancestors would have been vulnerable to threats like predatory birds when out in open spaces hiding in these tight covered spaces also appeals to cat's predatory ambush instincts as a good hiding spot helps with stealthy attacks too but what about when cats sit on things that are being used much to their owner's inconvenience well for things like books magazines and ipads cats desires to sit on them comes from the fact that they've noticed their owners are paying a lot of attention to those objects by placing themselves onto these items the cat is hoping to steal some of that attention but they also like to feel warm and cozy and something like a laptop or a freshly ironed pile of clothes makes the perfect heated seat on a cold day likewise on a very hot day you may find your cat making itself at home in a sink or bathtub this is often done because porcelain stays nice and cool but may also be due to the interesting smells and sounds coming from the pipes all in all there are many reasons cats like to sit in strange places so unless they're causing you a lot of annoyance just let them do their thing scaredy cats by now most people have seen videos of cats freaking out when objects like cucumbers are sneakily placed behind them a popular online theory for why cats are so frightened in these videos is that they mistake the cucumbers for snakes but in all likelihood the fear isn't so specific after all domestic cats hunt snakes in various parts of the world so it's unlikely that they have an instinctual fear of the reptiles instead the more likely reason is that cats see their feeding areas or other familiar spots in the home as places where they don't need to be on their guard so when an unexpected object cucumber or otherwise is placed behind them without their knowledge they're likely to be startled by the invasion of their trusted space this can actually be quite distressing for the cat making them feel threatened in the place where they previously felt at ease so as funny as it looks do your cat a favor and keep those cucumbers away what's the strangest thing you've ever witnessed a cat doing let me know in the comments section below and thanks for watching you

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Keywords: beamazed, be amazed, top 10, cat behavior, weird cat behavior, cat behavior explained, strange cat behaviors, cat videos, cat gestures, cat facts, weird cat, strange cat behavior, cat behaviour, cat language, weird cat behaviors, cats behavior, cat interaction, cat behaviors explained, weird cat behaviors explained

Id: ad3YxSuO5TE

Length: 22min 36sec (1356 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 17 2021