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PETS | Fabulous felines
a forklift to move him from his perch. What’s
that about?
The good news is that it’s perfectly normal.
“Cats are hunters and hunting may require
bursts of energy. Playtime replicates hunting
and general feline play behaviour,” Dr Jo says.
“Allow your cat safe places to play and
also interact with them,” she advises. It’s also
important to be sure that your cat focuses
their hunting instinct on the toys you
provide, not on your flesh!http://www.petsmagazine.com.au
Totoro’s quirky habitsTotoro’s quirky habits
Totoro the two-and-a-half-year-old
Maine Coon has a few quirky behaviours:- ‘Running’ on the shower door (a bit like
scratching but without the nails). “I think
this began because she’s fascinated by
water, but has now evolved into a strange
ritual even when I’m not in the shower.
She also sometimes does it on other
doors, but never scratches. It’s a bit like
she’s exercising running on a treadmill,”
says Totoro’s owner, Freddy Grant from
online art gallery bluethumb.com.au
Dr Jo says that this ‘running’ sometimes
starts as a litter-covering behaviour that
is then extended to vertical surfaces.
For other cats it may be an attempt to
scratch their nails, which is scent-marking
behaviour. “In the absence of tree trunks
to scratch, get the cat scratching posts of
diff erent textures and diff ering angles,”
she says.- Knocking the crystals out of her litter
tray. “We have wooden fl oors so they fl y
across rooms. She will purposefully go
in her litter tray and kick as hard as she
can (despite us buying the hugest tray
possible to try and stop her from being
able to) until she gets a few out. Then she
will hit them around and hide them under
rugs, then sometimes try to retrieve them,”
Freddy says.
Dr Jo says that in most cases, the cat
discovers that this behaviour is fun purely
by accident. “It’s not recommended in
case cats ingest the crystals. Try focusing
the cat’s energy and fetch behaviours
onto more appropriate toys,” she suggests. - Obsession with bottle caps. “She
always has her eye open for Stelvin wine
caps. The moment we open a bottle of
wine she will be plotting to grab it from
the table. Like the crystals, they fl y across
the room on our wooden fl oors, which is
why I think she likes them, and she’ll hide
them,” Freddy says.
Once again, Dr Jo says this is a fun and
self-reinforcing behaviour for the cat.
“Make sure the cat is safe and cannot
swallow or chew them. Direct her games
onto more appropriate objects,” she says.
Does your cat love to sit in high places? So do many others.PLF071_pg034-038_Why Does My Cat.indd 38PLF071_pg034-038_Why Does My Cat.indd 38 8/23/2017 11:38:29 AM8/23/2017 11:38:29 AM