Cats ! Incredible little soft, furry beings who display all the charm and wit of a philosopher coupled with just the right amount of detachment to keep their humans forever interested. Why did kitty climb the drapes? Well ... to get to the top, of course! But, little did you know that at the top of those drapes was the teeniest speck of a flying insect that only kitty could see, and ... hey, kitty was protecting you from the ferocious jaws of death borne upon the flit of a mosquito!
Why do cats do the things they do? One could write for hours just taking that thought into contemplation. Home kitties live a life of leisure. They get to sleep 20 hours out of a day, and wake up ready for a romp, usually at 2 or 3 am in the morning. You may be awakened by whiskers tickling your nose, a cool nose to the cheek, or a playful pat with a paw ..."I'm hungry ... now!" My favorite kitty behavior is of course the "plop in the middle of whatever you are reading" action which equates to ... "you are not paying enough attention to me!" Or, even better, the 'jump up in your lap with a knowing look, then do a quick 180 degree'' action, which means ... "Say .. have you seen THIS today ?" Why thank you, Kitty, I usually see THAT a lot when I sleep with it on my pillow."
Indeed, kitties can be great fun. Ever notice that when friends visit who are not particularly fond of kitties, your kitty goes into all out cuteness routine, mewling sweetly, rubbing up against their pants legs, acting so darling? Don't be fooled by this behavior. They KNOW that their presence is not appreciated so they play it up for all its worth, and when no one is looking will yark a hairball on your guest's jacket or into their purse. Smart kitty!
Best yet is when the neighbors dog gets loose and kitties wage all out war against poochie! "Let's see ... Bob, you run the right flank, while Joey dallies in the rear. This'll give Matty a chance to hustle up the middle right in front of ol' Bozo's kisser and scoot up that tree! Next, Bob'll tip over the trash can, Bozo will investigate and ......" You guessed it ... "Honey ... the neighbor's dog was in the trash again !" I can hear the kitties giggling now!
Then, of course there is always the "broom" game for fun and frolic. The "Broom" game begins when you pick up the broom! Simple, eh? Nooo, not entirely, because this is what signals kitty that it is time for exercise ... not his, yours! You see, kitty takes great pleasure in watching you sweep, and chasing everything and anything that even remotely appears to move.. "What was that .. air? I'm chasing air, I don't care!" You move this way and that way, out of kitties swift paw-swipes, but ... to no avail, kitty is faster than the broom and you may find yourself sweeping the same section a number of times. Until you get smart and go for the vacuum ! Oh boy .. the 'vacuum' game !
I don't know about your kitties, but mine do NOT like the vacuum, or its noise, or its action. They see it as a 'no-gamer' dirty pool, as it were, and off they go with complete detachment as if I never existed in the first place.
Tail swishing, ear flattening, tail licking (especially in front of company), and carpet grating all seem like mindless kitty reactions to every day life, but noooo ... there is always method to kitty's madness! Tail swishing is performed when kitty simply cannot make up her mind. "Do I want to go out in the rain, or do I want to claw at my human's leg because it is wet out there?" What a dilemma for kitty!
Ear flattening is meant to scare the be-jeebers out of you making kitty look mean and ferocious, when actually, all it really means is that kitty is showing you his best "Yoda" impersonation, to which you are supposed to say "Oh look how cuuuute!" And THAT is what makes kitty mad! A Yoda impression is NOT cute, it is serious business, thank you !
Now, tail licking .. in fact any kind of licking for that matter, is very important part of kitty daily activity. However, it always seems that kitty will stretch one leg high up into the air, just to nuzzle down real close to his personal parts to lick his leg - always in the presence of people kitty does not know, as if to say ... 'don't you wish you could do this too?" No, thank you, kitty. Ever notice that sometimes when you pet kitty, your friendly pat is met by a severe fur licking? What did I do kitty? Disturb your hair do? No, it's just that kitty is so fastidious, even a loving pat might dislodge an errant hair or two that only kitty can see, so its back to the licking sequence.
Carpet grating .. ahh . favorite past-time for kitty, not so much fun for human, but .. at least its not as nasty as what the dog drags along the carpet, you know, that routine where doggie drags his hind end along the carpet with his front paws while lifting up his rear paws which puts you know what in close proximity to the very place you like to lie down upon to watch TV! Heaven forbid! Kitty would never be caught dead in that position. Nope. He'd rather claw the fibers of your carpet to fine shreds that bog up your vacuum cleaner (remember the vacuum game?) and leave nail sheaths embedded for later appearances when you pad by bear footed in the middle of the night. Yep .. that's the kitty way, subtle!
Keep an eye on that kitty of yours, he may be saying a lot more than you think. And don't let him fool you with the sweet little me-yoo, there's really a tiger inside that furry little body ! Gotta love 'em !