I guess the title about says it all, but I’ll expand:
When I’m making the bed, I fling the entire sheet outward until it spreads itself more-or-less completely, and then settles down onto the mattress. I’m sure many of you use the same strategy to apply fresh sheet to bed. Whenever I perform the first step in this process, and he happens to be around to witness it, my cat will immediately dive underneath the sheet and wait for it to fall on top of him. He then wriggles around under there as if he’s chasing something, and gets really feisty if I poke at him with a finger or otherwise give him the impression something worth attacking is in his immediate vicinity. (He also does this with heavier bedding like blankets and comforters, but usually it’s the sheet, as that’s the first thing I put on the bed. I’ve buried him on occasion under all the layers I customarily use to make the bed, just to see what would happen. Mostly he just continues wriggling around, and then eventually gets tired of it and crawls out.)
Like many cats, my cat will dive into an empty paper grocery bag, if left fully expanded and overturned on the floor. I’m guessing this weird behavior, and the thing with the sheet, are related. I figure a plausible explanation for the paper bag thing is it resembles a burrow where some rodent or other small animal would live. He instinctively attacks when presented with any such burrow-like aperture or tunnel, likely because it’s a good strategy for catching dinner. Maybe the cat who hesitates is lost, as any amount of time considering a pounce is time enough for potential prey to flee; so it’s best to just dive in with the element of surprise, and hope dinner is waiting (and that something bigger and meaner isn’t).
But I have a hard time imagining any analogue in nature to the floating sheet. It’s rare to see him display more motivation than he does when he spies the cotton unfurling; he’ll come sprinting in AFAP from clear across the room to beat the sheet to the bed and get under as far as he can. What the heck does he find so compelling about burying himself under the bedclothes? Again, as I’ve stated, I suspect it’s related to some behavior that befits effective predation. Beyond that, I’m stumped. Any thoughts?
Not to throw a “me too!” to the OP (ok, yes I am), but my cat also does something kinda silly.
Every day I place my to be worn clothes on the bed. Every day, the cat comes in and lays on them. I can move them to a different part of the bed, the chair, even the floor, and she lays on them. Laying stuff down appears to be a magnet for my cats presence…
Several times I or my wife has finished putting a clean cover on the king-size double duvet to find a lump running up and down inside the cover, attacking anything that tries to touch her. Cats are just funny.
Your cat is playing. Cats play with people the same way they do with each other: hiding and pouncing, chasing and being chased. This type of play is a form of mock fighting. Your cat sees your making the bed as an opportunity to play the “attack from a hidden place” game.
Other cat games involve simulated hunting, which is why tossing a small object into a bag gets such a strong response - it’s like prey running into a burrow.
Cats also like small spaces when they’re not playing. They’re small animals who like the security of being out of sight. Cats are also curious and aware - they notice and explore changes in their environments. That’s why things like paper bags are so facscinating to cats: they’re good for playing, hiding and exploring.
While I was putting away groceries one evening, I left an empty paperbag around for a little while, laying on it’s side. Not surprising, my younder cat (about 5 yrs old) crawled into the bag, and started batting at anything that made the bag rustle. My older cat (about 12 yrs old) watched this for a while. He then casually walked over to the occupied paperbag, from the side, stepped onto the open ends of it and sat. He just sat, looking at us, as the now trapped whippersnapper squirmed to escape in the bag behind him.
Everything above, one or more of my cats has done.
My favorite though (mine prior to meeting my wife) is king of “Bed Mice Capture technique”, climbing into baskets, jackets, baking dishes, bags, and beds. He however, does not like to climb on anything taller than the couch. He will lie next to you, but not on you.
The other 2 cats, are climbers, perchers, and lap kittens.
Why? Because they are cats, and they are observing US!
