Where do we begin? First we must determine and agree upon what is strange behavior for cats. Last week we talked about adventuring cats. Obviously not all cats would enjoy going on a hike or clinging to a surfboard as it rides the waves or even taking a gentle ride in a canoe, but it has been my experience that with each cat comes a particular behavior unlike that of other cats.
For example, we have a fountain for our cats. Some of 
them love it at first sip—they even get wet trying to figure out how to use it. Others are a bit standoffish and never actually warm up to it. In fact, one of our cats preferred to drink out of it only when it 
was unplugged. He didn’t like the running water feature. Winfield liked to drink with his paw—stick his paw into the fountain and lick the water off. Then Olivia came along.
We unplug the fountain when we leave the house for any length of time and when we return we find the fountain dismantled. The top of the fountain is knocked off, and the soggy filter has been dragged across the room. She makes a mess while evidently attempting to make a point. “I wants the
fountain running at all times!”
Does your cat chew on or eat inedible items? Some cats will eat or chew on fabric, wood, plastic, electric cords… Lily, our adorable tabby, had a thing for tape. She loved it when a package arrived. She’d go straight for the tape. She also often licked and bit plastic after eating a meal.
Olivia chews on metal. Not often, but I’ve caught her gnawing on zipper pulls and the spool-holder on my calculator.
They call the practice of eating or chewing on things like this pica. Experts say it could be a sign of a deficiency or it could be caused by stress—boredom.
Another interesting thing Olivia does that I don’t recall another cat doing is she plops over
in front of me when I’m walking. I guess she’s trying to get my attention. It is a show stopper. And I’ve learned to walk more slowly and cautiously when I know she’s lurking about.
Lily used to bring me her stuffed toys each morning and sometimes she’d carry my slipper socks to me and drop them at my feet.
Olivia plays fetch—not when I want to, but when she does. I can toss a toy for hours and she’ll just watch it. But when she feels extra frisky and gets involved in a wild and rowdy game of attack and toss the mouse or other toy, she’ll often eventually bring it to me. She’ll leap onto the back of the sofa where I’m sitting, drop it into my lap, and wait eagerly for me to toss it. She’ll do this over and over. Olivia is my first fetching cat.
Max used to bat a ball back to me. Every evening before bed, he’d wait on top of his cat tree for me to toss the ball. He was quite good at the ball-batting activity.
What unique activity does your cat engage in? Did she invent it or did you teach it to her?
