Cat Tricks

[sleigh]

We have a dripping faucet in the bathtub, which we never fix since both cats like to drink from it. But Ana, our female cat, has a curious habit whenever she takes a drink. She'll go up to the faucet, and she'll paw at the side of the tub directly underneath the faucet, as if she has to 'start' the drips flowing (mind you, the faucet's already dripping...). Then, after several swipes of the paw, she'll start to drink. It's a ritual, a habit, an instinct: there's no cause and effect here because when she comes up to it, the water's already dripping. But she does it every time...

Wonder where that came from?

Comments

[wbm.livejournal.com]

I'm continually fascinated by my cat, Veronika. She reaches for doorknobs (which she cannot reach) and for drawer handles (which she can reach), but she merely touches them. It always makes me think that she, & possibly any cat, can see the hand of the leader (their human) touch the handle & therefore make the door/drawer open (in your case, the faucet turn) but misses the detail of the fingers wrapping or the opposable thumb grasping. And some cats do learn how to wrap a paw around & pull a drawer open. Thankfully she's been able to free herself from behind a barely-ajar door by pulling at the bottom corner & been able to hit the kitty litter when needed.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I know that last one, too. Both of our cats will open barely-shut doors by sticking a paw underneath the appropriate corner and pulling.