# Weird stuff your pet does? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 6, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515 "2024-03-06T00:34:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/41 "2024-03-06T17:31:15Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > I don’t know if it’s weird or not, but it’s so cute I can’t _stand_ it: when the cat wants attention for any reason, which is often, he races ahead of where you’re walking then THROWS himself to the ground right in front of you. It makes a huge thump and sometimes a small tremor. Do a lot of cats do this? While I haven’t run into the “huge thump”, I’ve had several cats who will run in front of me and then lie down in pat-me body language right in front of where I’m walking. > [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > I’ll say one thing: that’s a doggone trusting cat. Have you ever tripped over him? I’ve tripped over cats quite a few times – most of mine will do/have done “run right in front of your ankles” even if they don’t do the “and then flop down on the ground” part. They seem to understand that it’s an accident. Only dogs have actually knocked me down – and they didn’t seem to understand that they’d done that. – I’ve had cats who splashed so much in the water bowl that I had to get a special bowl with an inward-curved lip in order to keep at least the bulk of the water in the bowl. That bowl was a bear to clean. I don’t miss having to use it – but I do miss those cats. > [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > Also jumps into the shower right after I’m out, and licks the delicious warm soapy water off the tile. I had a cat who did that with the bathtub while it was draining out the last of the soapy bath water. I didn’t think it was good for him to drink soap, and tried to prevent him from doing that. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Pluto alerts as soon as he hears it and quickly progresses into full-throated howls of seeming distress, snout pointing at the ceiling. Even if the theme plays faintly in the background it’ll set him off. > > This reaction may be related to a toy he had as a young pup - a Fisher-Price giraffe that when jostled would play classical tunes. Then (as now) that got him howling too. > > Some dogs just aren’t musically inclined. Dogs and cats hear frequencies humans can’t here. As played through your particular equipment those sounds may actually be hurting his ears. @LurkMeister: Rascal wants to make friends with Smudge. (Or else to get a chance to attack Smudge; but if it were that, Rascal would be growling and/or hissing and/or have fur raised up.) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/42 "2024-03-06T17:39:57Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Both of our dogs will jump up and go out to our backyard through their dog door as soon as the end credits start playing on a TV episode or movie. My rats would do that. During the show they’d be running around the couch and hiding under blankets and doing various ratty things. But as soon as they heard the closing theme music, they’d know it was time to go back to their cage, so they’d pop out and sit waiting for me to pick them up and take them back home. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/43 "2024-03-06T17:48:43Z")
While Smudge is eating Rascal generally just watches him (although occasionally he will hiss and paw at the glass, which Smudge ignores) Just to see what will happen, I have opened the glass door so they’d only have a screen between them. This usually results in them getting nose to nose, but no fighting ensues. On several occasions I have even opened the screen, and they still don’t fight. Smudge is very friendly and will let me pet him, and if Rascal isn’t around Smudge has been known to step into the living room. He does have a collar, and I suspect he’s an indoor-outdoor cat who is just mooching off me. When Rascal is doing his attack through the office door act he will be growling and fluffing up. But he only does this when Smudge is actually on the stairs. On at least one occasion Smudge has stopped before going down the stairs and look at Rascal, who just looks back at him. Then as soon as Smudge started for the steps Rascal went into his “And stay out!” routine. It is my considered opinion that they’re both just trying to drive me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/44 "2024-03-06T17:53:45Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > While I haven’t run into the “huge thump”, I’ve had several cats who will run in front of me and then lie down in pat-me body language right in front of where I’m walking. Moki consistently runs ahead of me and flops down so I can give her a foot massage. I put my entire foot on her and actually apply some pressure and move it around. Even on her head and neck. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/45 "2024-03-06T17:57:51Z")
I often pat cats with my feet, if I’m barefoot or in socks at the time; though not with significant pressure. Many years ago, I wound up being the primary human of a cat who had been kicked as a kitten. When I first met him, if any human so much as raised a foot in his presence he fled. One of the things I’m proudest of in my life is that I eventually got that cat to trust me enough that he would let me pat him with my feet. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/46 "2024-03-06T18:09:25Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > It is my considered opinion that they’re both just trying to drive me nuts. Of course they are, they’re cats. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/47 "2024-03-06T19:03:36Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > One of the things I’m proudest of in my life is that I eventually got that cat to trust me enough that he would let me pat him with my feet. Aw! That is definitely something to be proud of. ❤ ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/48 "2024-03-06T19:08:30Z")
I have a Maine Coon that climbs onto my chest at night and sucks on my jammies like he’s nursing - he’s three and huge. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/49 "2024-03-06T21:47:59Z")
> [@BrickBat](#): > > He’d lay next to his food bowl, reach in with his paw and scoop out a few scoops of dry food onto the floor in front of him and eat. I had a cat who would do that. I said he must have been an ancient Roman in a past life. I always thought I should get a little pallet for him to lay on. ---
**Author:** ![deepbluesigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@deepbluesigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deepbluesigh)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/50 "2024-03-06T22:25:41Z")
My cat does this, at least for a few bites, and then she’ll dive in and eat out of the bowl. I first saw her do it when she was a kitten, and figured it might be because she was so tiny (the runt of her litter), but she still picks out her food one nugget at a time the same way nine years later. It’s pretty adorable, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/51 "2024-03-07T00:02:56Z")
Two of our cats are near identical twins, and relatively small compared to their siblings. The slightly larger of the pair, DupliCat Major, has a weird way of drinking water. Instead of drinking from the near side of the water bowl, he reaches all the way across the bowl and places his left front foot on the far rim. Major suspends himself over the bowl and lowers his head to drink from the center, even if I put out a relatively large 10" water bowl. It looks odd and precarious. The smaller of the pair, formerly known as DupliCat Minor, snatches toys and trots away growling. He also growls at his food when he eats, and growls and bats at unexpected adversaries such as a hairbrush that suddenly appeared on the sofa like a ninja. None of the other cats pay any attention to this. His behavior earned him the new name Aleister Growley. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/52 "2024-03-07T02:44:10Z")
My cat Summer doesn’t talk to me. I talk to her. She never makes a sound around me. But she chatters away in other rooms. Talking to the other cats or ghosts? If I walk in the room, she shuts up. I know she knows I can hear her. Sometimes when she does this, I will call to her and sometimes she comes. And silently looks at me. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/53 "2024-03-07T03:29:17Z")
If anybody sneezes, my dog leaves the room. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/54 "2024-03-07T03:32:32Z")
Our dear departed Mac was a lab retriever who hated water and had no idea he was supposed to chase and return the ball, he did not care for the ball or understand it But when we took him for a walk on the outward leg he would be constantly sniffling , stopping and driving his nose deep into anything and everything and frankly was a pain to walk with , at the turn around or at some randomly chosen point he would take the slack loop of the leash in his mouth and happily trot along side me all the way home without a stop for a sniff or a pull to go see someone , all untrained responses. So deep down he knew he was supposed to be finding something and then bring it back in an orderly fashion, he just had no idea what , so figured it would be himself to bring back. Heart of gold but as dumb as a bag of cheese. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/55 "2024-03-07T04:12:45Z")
My late Sandstone never once tried to take over the bed; he would lie next to the pillow. He was a cat. Don’t tell me that’s not weird behavior for a cat. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/56 "2024-03-07T07:50:47Z")
Ted The Dog likes to shit on rocks and bushes. He’ll hike his ass up to deposit a swirly up high. Always makes me think of **The Pixies** song _Alec Eiffel_ (keepin’ low don’t make no sense!). It’s damn near acrobatic! Dixie walks backward into whatever box she decides to bunk in for the night. Since she’s gotten older, needs another dog to help keep warm, she snuggles with one of the others. Maybe she thinks she can’t turn around in there (she can, she’s tiny). But it’s cute as hell. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/57 "2024-03-08T00:34:16Z")
I had a cat who was not a bed hog. When I went to sleep she would jump onto the bed, step over to the nightstand, and jump up onto the top of the bookcase next to it. Then, at some point during the night she would jump down and curl up next to my pillow, where she would stay until I woke up in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/58 "2024-03-08T01:18:57Z")
My cat insists on having a dining companion. If he wants to eat he’ll meow at me incessantly until I follow him to his food dish. Then he’ll happily eat the food while I stand there and watch him, so it’s not like he’s asking for more food; he just wants me there when he eats. I suspect there’s some sort of survival instinct there leftover from wild cats, like he wants me to stand guard and make sure no coyotes enter the room while he has his head down in the food dish. Also, if I kneel down to pet him and put one hand on the floor, he will lie down on my hand. I’m not sure if he’s trying to be cuddly or trying to prevent me from leaving. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515/59 "2024-03-08T05:14:32Z")
Every night one of my cats needs to have a…um…_personal_ session with Mr. Cuddlesworth, a Teddy bear. She kneads on his chest for a good 5-10 minutes. She’s _not_ humping him-- there’s no hip action on her part, just a bit of drooling. She does this at the head of the bed right next to my pillow, then presumably satisfied, 🙄 she curls up at the foot of the bed and goes promptly to sleep [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-your-pet-does/998515.md?page=2)