Does your cat have quirks—odd things she does that irritates you or delights you? Our new kitten, Olivia, crosses her paws. Almost always, when she lays down, she crosses her paws. Is this a calico trait? Several people have contacted me after seeing pictures of Olivia saying that their calico does the same thing.
Olivia also plops. She doesn’t lay down, she plops over 
when she wants to rest or roll around and play or expose her tummy for some tickling. And one of her trademark poses (which I have yet to capture with my camera) is her stretch. She stretches out her front paws, butt in the air and her pretty tail loops across her back and touches the top of her head. Pretty! But so far only those in our household have been able to enjoy her pose. If I happen to catch her in the act before this post goes live, I’ll definitely share the picture.
What are some of the other quirky things cats do? Olivia attacks and bats around her treat before eating it. She was found alone with her siblings when she was barely six or seven weeks old, so you wouldn’t think she had much hunting training by then. Instinct, maybe.
We’re always on the hunt for Olivia. She rarely sleeps in the same place. A throwback from her feral days, perhaps? We’ve had other formerly feral cats—Max for example. We always knew where he was. He had no secrets. If he wanted to sleep, he’d curl up on my bed. If he was frightened, he’d hide under the covers.
Some cats develop a taste or fetish for plastic. I knew 
one cat who chewed electric wires and cables—oh my! Lily would eat anything I was eating. Smokey, my mother’s cat (my model for Rags in my Klepto Cat Mysteries) dumps his toy basket just for fun. He doesn’t want a toy, he just pulls the basket from the shelf until it spills, then he walks away.
My Himalayan, Katy, would put me to bed at night. She’d walk with me into the bathroom, then the bedroom and she’d lay down on my pillow with me for a few minutes, then leave to do whatever cats do at night, coming back when she was ready for bed.
There are probably as many cat quirks as there are cats, which makes it so much fun while getting to know a new cat. And guess what—a cat will sometimes change her color. Watch for it—a quirk can develop when you least expect it.
