# Why do cats do this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516 "2003-08-07T04:05:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joemill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@joemill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemill)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/1 "2003-08-07T04:05:24Z")
All of my cats seem to have an affinity for plastic bags. We get “plastic” bags at the grocery store and reuse them as small garbage bags for little waste baskets. My cats love to lick them. All 3 of my cats are guilty of this. What’s the deal? Do they like the sensation? Does it taste like something they like? ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/2 "2003-08-07T04:13:41Z")
I have never had a cat that did this. Perhaps it’s something they’re using at the particular store you go to. I have had 2 cats that liked to eat comic book boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Qwfwq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/919ad9/32.png) [@Qwfwq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwfwq)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/3 "2003-08-07T04:26:37Z")
The bags, being lightweight, are very sensitive to air current and make slight motions akin to the twitching of wounded prey, or prey trying to keep still. The cats find that with slight teasing, the bags make exaggerated movements, again simulating prey movement. Your cats are frustrated hunters. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/4 "2003-08-07T04:50:08Z")
I thought I was the only person who re-used those bags as trash bags. My cat has no interest in them. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/5 "2003-08-07T05:09:11Z")
Maybe he saw [these](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3342034) [threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=200172) and wanted to try it? ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/6 "2003-08-07T05:22:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by j66 \* > **I thought I was the only person who re-used those bags as trash bags.** We use em like that too. I never thought about it before now but I guess a lot of people do. And yeah my cat does that too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/7 "2003-08-07T05:23:23Z")
My old cat loved _paper_ bags. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/8 "2003-08-07T05:25:00Z")
Oh, **j66** , we do the same thing with old plastic grocery bags. ---
**Author:** ![anamnesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@anamnesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anamnesis)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/9 "2003-08-07T06:27:30Z")
Ha, my little one is scared to death of bags and anything else that rattles … she runs from anything mildly intimidating. I think she has been neurotic since the day we brought her home and introduced her to the big one who was here for ten years before her, hehe. Speaking of her, she enjoys licking the kitchen windows. She also runs to the freezer to lick the rails whenever someone opens the door. I don’t think she’s managed to have her tongue freeze to any part of it yet though … bizarre cat … 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/10 "2003-08-07T06:35:12Z")
The little tounge spikes probably keep enough of the surface area of her tounge off the metal to prevent getting stuck. Hmm, what do they call those things anyhow? Curiosity just bit me on the butt. ---
**Author:** ![Sqube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Sqube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqube)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/11 "2003-08-07T06:44:33Z")
We re-use those plastic bags as trash bags, too. The one cat I’ve known well was more interested in chasing the bags around on windy days than licking them. ---
**Author:** ![d1a1s1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/12 "2003-08-07T07:24:24Z")
Funny, I dont re-use my plastic grocery bags. Oh, I dont have a cat. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/13 "2003-08-07T08:12:00Z")
If it weren’t for the stearate-tainted plastic grocery bags, I don’t know where else you could get bags that would fit small trash cans. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/14 "2003-08-07T08:16:21Z")
Sorry, makes me think of my own pet Q: has there been any conclusive studies or research into why some dogs love chewing tennis balls? ---
**Author:** ![lireth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b487fb/32.png) [@lireth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lireth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/15 "2003-08-07T10:23:58Z")
Hmmm… my sisters loves to eat green olives and chew on the strings of lights on the Christmas tree. I guess he likes to be shocked… any thoughts on a cat craving electricity? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/16 "2003-08-07T12:56:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by anamnesis \* > \*\*Ha, my little one is scared to death of bags and anything else that rattles … she runs from anything mildly intimidating. I think she has been neurotic since the day we brought her home and introduced her to the big one who was here for ten years before her You may have a genetic “'fraidy cat.” Of course the pecking order may put her so inferior she’s afraid of being punished by the older cat. If you want to learn a bit about why they do those strange things, find “The Secret Life of Cats” ---
**Author:** ![ChunkyLover53](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c0e974/32.png) [@ChunkyLover53](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChunkyLover53)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/17 "2003-08-07T16:10:26Z")
Our cat does the same thing. He also licks the shower curtain liner and magazines. I always thought he was just neurotic. ---
**Author:** ![anamnesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@anamnesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anamnesis)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/18 "2003-08-07T17:06:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by picunurse \* > \*\*You may have a genetic “'fraidy cat.” Of course the pecking order may put her so inferior she’s afraid of being punished by the older cat. If you want to learn a bit about why they do those strange things, find “The Secret Life of Cats” \*\* Oh, the thought’s occurred to me. 🙂 She’s such a little heartbreaker though. She seems to understand the “chase me, chase me!” concept; sweet and outgoing as can be, but runs at loud noises and at the sight of big black walking meatloafs (my older cat). And yes … I saw that book at the bookstore once quite awhile ago, by an author named Robert something? I have another book on cats by some other famous cat shrink too, hehe. Not too much on diagnosing neuroses in there though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/19 "2003-08-07T17:18:56Z")
I heard on the radio that one line of professional WAGs is that there’re residual oils on the plastic that taste good to the cats. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516/20 "2003-08-07T17:36:21Z")
My cat loves paper bags, she always tries to crawl inside of them … which doesn’t answer the question at all [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-do-this/193516.md?page=2)