@the-thinkingcat is this friend mirroring or just trying to play??
this video is originally from here! the cat’s name is scout.
it’s really hard to tell! at first i was like “oh, definitely play”, but when she bats at her own ears it’s a bit less clear-cut! there is some limited evidence that cats can understand what we’re doing enough to imitate us, but mirroring is one of those topics that is relatively understudied, so there’s tons of anecdotal evidence about it but little actual scientific evidence. my gut reaction would be that this is a behavior the cat has learned by accident and which has been reinforced by positive responses, since cats are very susceptible to positive reinforcement.
he is playing! it’s probably more obvious when he’s pawing the water/pulling the fountain attachment out, but even the pawing is a play behavior. i’m not sure what is particularly enticing – it might be the shadows from his paws on the side of the fountain, or just the fact that the fountain is kind of novel and he doesn’t usually get access to it (per the voiceover), but yeah, this is all play!
noodle is incredible. his big silly face is due in part to his breed (he is a persian, per his instagram) and that’s why his eyes are so big and wide.
the only thing that’s really of note here is that if you have a cat that likes to climb in the fridge, you should just make extra sure that it doesn’t get shut in there by mistake! being stuck in the fridge for any significant amount of time can be dangerous for cats. but that’s just a caution, not an actual problem with the video!
@the-thinkingcat is it okay to hold cats like this? They don’t seem bothered at all but still…
so there’s no real harm to holding cats like this, but most cats won’t tolerate it. in this case, these cats are probably used to it and just chalk it up to some thing their owner does.
actually, checking out this person’s social media, it looks like the tabby is the only cat they haven’t had since kittenhood, so most likely the three persians are super used to handling and extremely tolerant, and the tabby as you can see is a little more annoyed – flat ears, somewhat more aggrieved body language. the tabby is also 17 pounds according to his instagram, so he’s also the heaviest and that probably makes this hold a bit less comfortable as well.
that said, again, all of these cats are tolerating this. with most stuff it’s a question of how the individual cat feels about it rather than a hard and fast rule of “all cats hate x” or “all cats like x” – so, as you noticed, these cats don’t seem really bothered, so you don’t really need to worry about them! just use care when replicating in case your own cat isn’t so tolerant.
(social media sources for this post:
noodles is here; age and weight info from the q&a section
squid and haku are here; age and weight info from the q&a section
atlas is here; adult adoption and weight info from the q&a section)
this is an example of two animals with very different social styles. it doesn’t look like the raccoon is being aggressive, just handsy – i will be the first to admit that i don’t know much about raccoon behavior, but it doesn’t seem like it’s trying to hurt the kitten in any way. however, when it nibbles the kitten’s ear, the kitten immediately protests with a meow. this isn’t how cats play with each other, since they don’t have little grabby hands, and the kitten isn’t loving it.
i would say if you have a cat that is this food-motivated and persistent, you should probably keep it in another room while eating. obviously this cat has decided the caloric payoff for the dumplings is worth the efforts to get it off the table and it isdetermined.
@the-thinkingcat Maesie had her remaining teeth extracted today, and found a comfy place to hide when she got home. But she’s already decided that hunting birds through the window is more important than hiding.
honestly, that’s great! that suggests she’s not in much discomfort even though she had a somewhat unnerving experience. :3 welcome to the toothless old lady club, maesie!
@the-thinkingcat the kitten looks kinda pissed off but i want a second opinion, ofc its everythingfox (hiss) but. yeah.
you’re correct, the body language of both these cats is a bit tense. the adult cat probably doesn’t like having its back touched by something weird, and the kitten is confused about the way its being handled. they most likely would like this experience to stop, but they aren’t actively freaking out or fearful.
we’ve looked at some videos like this before, and they’re honestly a really fun way to create some enrichment for your cat, especially if you have a cat that needs a lot of stimulation and enjoys puzzle-solving. since the cups are so light, there’s not much risk to the cats even if they crash into them.
even if you can’t convince your cat to submit to brushing, a yearly dental cleaning is also great and helps catch problems. juniper has had several infected teeth removed as a result of dental cleanings, and it helps keep her comfortable as she ages.
