The Weirdest Cat Behaviors Explained

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Almost everything your cat does is intentional, with the exception of that one time he though the glass door was open and made a break for it only to end up stuck inside with a very likely concussion. They’re smart, clever and very purposeful creatures, and it’s because they can be. Cats know more than we like to give them credit for knowing, and they’re far more intelligent than we like to believe. However, it does seem as if the cats in our lives are a bit on the strange side.

Why do they do the things that they do? Why do they make the decisions that they make? Why do they stare at us like that and make those sounds and insist on sleeping in those weir positions? While it might seem like a  great idea to just ask a cat, they can’t tell us. That means it’s time to turn to the cat experts for a little bit of clarity as to why our feline friends are just so strange. The answers might surprise you. Read on to find out which of your cat’s most peculiar behaviors have an actual purpose.

All Night Partying

Why, why, why does your cat feel the need to act like he has nothing better to do at 3 am than run around the hardwood floors, his nails clicking, as he chases some random object through what seems like the entire house? That’s because your cat is more nocturnal than you think. Cats like to sleep during the day and stay up at night because they are programmed to do just that. Way back when, before cats were domesticated creatures, they were wild animals; they were hunters. They would sleep during the day and wake at night so that they could prey in the dark as they looked for other creatures they could attack.

Your cat might be more of a pampered feline who receives food premade in a bowl every single day, but that instinct does not just go away with time.

Getting Cozy on Your Belongings

You just took that load of laundry out of the dryer and dumped it on the bed when you had to take five a change a dirty diaper. Next thing you know, the cat is all nice and comfortable on top of your freshly laundered pile of clothes. We all know it’s not because they’re fresh out of the dryer and nice and warm since we all know you left those in the dryer for three days until you had no choice but to take them out to make room to hide dry more clothing. So what’s he doing?

It’s very easy. Your cat is trying to get your attention. He’s saying to you, stop this nonsense and pay attention to me. And because you want your cat to feel the love, you might just stop what you are doing and leave the laundry there for another few hours. Or you can do what I do, and tell the cat to go away because he’s getting the laundry all kitty-fied.

Bringing you Dead Animals

This might not be a problem if your cat is more of an indoor cat and not so much an outdoor cat. However, if your cat is a little of both, you might notice that your darling feline friend likes to occasionally bring you a little treat. Don’t get me wrong; I love when my loved ones bring me gifts, and I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but the cat can stop anytime. Really.

He’s not picking us flowers from the garden or stopping for dark chocolate when he knows we are cranky. He’s bringing us dead mice, an occasional dead snake and dead lizards – maybe a dead squirrel at times. Basically, anything that was alive that is now dead is something that your cat might be bringing to you. Why? For several reasons.

For one, your cat might be trying to show off his crazy amazing hunting skills so that you can see that he is actually good at being a cat. He might have hunted and killed that animal and brought it to you so that you’d be proud of him. Or, your cat could think that you are a terrible hunter and he does not want you to go hungry. Honestly; he might feel that you are not doing your job as a hunter and he wants you to have something to eat.

On a final note, the cat might just be trying to do what all people are trying to do when they bring you a gift; show you that he loves and appreciates all you do for him, and thank you for feeding and caring for him on a regular basis. See, that dead mouse isn’t so gross now is it? No, it’s still gross.

Running as if They’re Being Chased

You are sitting on the couch cuddled up with your spouse watching something on Netflix in a binge-worthy mode when your sweet little feline friend suddenly jumps up and makes a run for it. You might think perhaps he is thirsty and needs some water, or has to use the litter box. That’s when the cat zooms right back past you. Maybe he jumps like an Olympic runner over furniture as he makes his way around the house at speeds that might impress a race car driver, and you cannot figure out what the heck he is doing.

Is something chasing him? Did he see a ghost? People do say that cats can see things we cannot see. The answer, in short, is no. Cats do not see a ghost. They have a sudden burst of energy that makes them want to get rid of it. You know, like that time you suddenly feel the overwhelming urge to clean the entire house from top to bottom when you’re about to give birth any day now? It’s called nesting with pregnant women, and it’s called pent up energy burning with cats.

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