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Cat People: Is this normal?


Gil
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When I brush my teeth, my sons kittens run and stare at me in awe or deep interest or just kitty fascination.

I brush with water and baking soda, not with toothpaste. However I am now certain that they are watching me. Intently. They usually line up very quietly and watch me, their eyes follow my bristles. When I turn away, they will come around for a better view.

 

They will leave their post dinner snack if they hear me in the bathroom brushing to come and stare at me. When I close the door they sit and try to peek under or just listen to me brush my teeth. If they are outside the house, where they are supposed to be, thankyouverymuch, then they gather by the bathroom window and...watch me brush my teeth.

 

Is this normal weird cat behavior that long time cat people just know about? I have started keeping my toothbrush in my room, in its cover and a ziploc bag because I have this (irrational?) fear that they will lick my toothbrush and I think that is just gross.

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I don't leave the water on when I am brushing (or try not to anyway). They do love crinkly paper though....Still, why do they have to watch me brush? Can I get them to stop? I let the boys feed them a post dinner snack just to distract them but they will leave that to come and watch me.

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I don't think you guys understand what I am saying. I mean that they 1) anticipate/know when I brush my teeth in the evenings and will come and wait/watch me brush my teeth! 2) they won't be distracted from watching me! Not even by food.

 

Is this a phase or do I have to adjust to a life of brushing with an audience?

ETA: Grammar.

 

ETA2: OH! And they don't watch the boys brush like they do me!!! I don't know is that means the boys aren't brushing when they are supposed to or what!

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You have to adjust to brushing with an audience.  I think it's sweet.  You've become part of their routine!

I don't think you guys understand what I am saying. I mean that they 1) anticipate/know when I brush my teeth in the evenings and will come and wait/watch me brush my teeth! 2) they won't be distracted from watching me!

 

Is this a phase or do I have to adjust to a life of brushing with an audience...

 

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Could be worse. You could have one who has a fit every time you take a shower. I had a beloved cat, long passed now, who felt that I might dissolve if left in water too long. He used to come in and park himself on the edge, inside the curtain to watch. One day he fell in, which convinced him that water was pure evil. I've probably still got the long scars on my leg where he used me to save himself :glare:.

That did stop his watching, but he would still wait on me to get out.

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I don't think you guys understand what I am saying. I mean that they 1) anticipate/know when I brush my teeth in the evenings and will come and wait/watch me brush my teeth! 2) they won't be distracted from watching me! Not even by food.

 

Is this a phase or do I have to adjust to a life of brushing with an audience?

ETA: Grammar.

 

ETA2: OH! And they don't watch the boys brush like they do me!!! I don't know is that means the boys aren't brushing when they are supposed to or what!

Sounds like they love you best. :001_wub:

 

It's normal. Really. Shut the bathroom door if it bothers you. Otherwise, enjoy the attention! :)

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I think your cats are plotting to kill you. Sounds totally normal (the plotting to kill you part in particular).

I can't believe you told him that. :glare:

 

YOURE NOT SUPPOSED TO TELL!!!

 

How are cats going to take over the world if you keep giving away their secrets???

 

Sounds like they've already partially assimilated Gil, who didn't even like cats, so you know these little guys are professionals. :D

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Fortunately these are very gentle cats and we have had no problems with scratching/biting though they like to include the boys in their play fighting, I check the boys every couple of days and have yet to see a single scratch.

Could be worse. You could have one who has a fit every time you take a shower. I had a beloved cat, long passed now, who felt that I might dissolve if left in water too long. He used to come in and park himself on the edge, inside the curtain to watch. One day he fell in, which convinced him that water was pure evil. I've probably still got the long scars on my leg where he used me to save himself :glare:.

That did stop his watching, but he would still wait on me to get out.

 

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My kitten practices her biscuit making skills anytime I watch food network....even watches the tv screen. She's studying to be a chef.

 

Perhaps your kitties will be dentists or dental hygienists one day :)

 

Eta: it sounds like you are their "person"

Oh god, I hope not. I am not an animal lover, I don't even like cats. I really don't. <--My shrink says I should keep telling myself that so that I don't lose that part of my identity.

 

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I don't think you guys understand what I am saying. I mean that they 1) anticipate/know when I brush my teeth in the evenings and will come and wait/watch me brush my teeth! 2) they won't be distracted from watching me! Not even by food. 

Is this a phase or do I have to adjust to a life of brushing with an audience?

ETA: Grammar.

 

ETA2: OH! And they don't watch the boys brush like they do me!!! I don't know is that means the boys aren't brushing when they are supposed to or what!

1. We understand,  because it's normal weird cat behavior. 

2.  I think you are being paranoid- Wendy was kidding- they aren't REALLY plotting to kill you.  (well, they might, but they rarely succeed)
3.  Just throw them out and shut the door.  Or flick water on them until they leave.  That's what I do.
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You have a feline fan club! What happens if you shut the door?

 

My cat will come and sit right on the floor outside the shower when I'm in there (unless I turn on the dehumidifier, which is loud)--our door does not latch firmly enough to keep her out--earning her the nickname Bathmat. She also runs over to the desktop computer whenever someone opens the DVD drive. She will crow over any stuffed toy until we come and take it from her. They are just weird little creatures.

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I don't leave the water on when I am brushing (or try not to anyway). They do love crinkly paper though....Still, why do they have to watch me brush? Can I get them to stop? I let the boys feed them a post dinner snack just to distract them but they will leave that to come and watch me.

 

Because they're adorable and they love you!  You should then play with them and give them a treat.  :D  :001_wub: The more you hate them, the more they'll love you!  :001_wub:

 

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They're probably staring because of that weird internet rumor they heard whereby a person goes on vacation and leaves his toothbrush in the room.  At the end of vacation, he looks at his camera and sees pictures of the cleaning staff with his toothbrush up .....

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You are the Chosen One. They have bestowed an honor on you.

 

We have one who drags items from the laundry upstairs at night and then announces that he's done so. The other one steals socks, dips them in the water bowl, and leaves the soggy sock in his dry food bowl.

 

What you are experiencing is Normal Cat Behavior.

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Hee hee heee ha ha ha welcome to the Cat Side!

 

No worries; the same thing happened to me while I was on this board and the cat people were very welcoming and didn't say, "Nya nya I toldja so!"

 

Well, not in a BAD way anyway.

 

It sometimes takes awhile for a cat to win a person over. The murderer of my spider plants is now one of my boys who gets kisses and "I love you"s and cuddles me off to sleep and is currently babysitting ds so I can play on the chat board. He's a weird cat because he was bottle raised, but he has no problem at all taking care of three people and the other cats in the neighbourhood probably call him "That crazy person cat". I love him to pieces, would starve for him, and refer to him as "my cat" all the time, but it has had no negative impact on his relationship with his original owner whatsoever. He comes running the minute ds1 walks in the door.

 

I've had cats most of my life but this is the first time I've actually confronted my irrational disgust at the thought of kitties licking toothbrushes, open jars of coconut oil, and left out people food. There is simply no sense to it. You're more likely to catch something from the kids. Treat it the same way you would an irrational fear of spiders and enjoy the ride into the delightful world of being owned by a cat.

 

If there aren't enough of us here for you, there are more (and a lot of good practical advice too) over here:

http://www.catster.com/

 

And I honestly mean this in the nicest way and with all due respect and no snark intended, but I am not the least bit surprised that they won you over because cats are just like that.

 

:D :D :D

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Some cats seem to have a radar for people who dislike them or are afraid of them.  Perhaps if you liked them more they'd lose interest.  :coolgleamA:

 

And we've had cats do many of the above described behaviors.  A current one likes to wait for me outside of the shower door.  A past one paced around the bathtub yelling at me, and fell in one time.

 

One would drag Barbies around the house by the dolls' hair in the middle of the night, yowling, and deposit them on dd's bed.

 

After the girls outgrew Barbies she started dragging socks around.

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Because they're adorable and they love you!  You should then play with them and give them a treat.  :D  :001_wub: The more you hate them, the more they'll love you!  :001_wub:

 

 

I don't hate them, I just ignore them as much as humanly possible. As a rule, I do not engage with the cats, I am not their "person". The kittens run after, play with and follow behind the boys. They get fed and watered by them, get cleaned up after by them. I am not to smell them, hear them crying from hunger or thirst. When I buy food, the boys carry it out of the car and they have to pay for the fun but not fundamental 'accessories' out of their own pocket.

 

Thats the deal, I don't have to do anything but pay for stuff and they are never to get in my bed or go in my room. Ever.

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Ah that's your problem.  Cats especially love it when you play hard to get.

:iagree:

 

This is soooo true! We've always had cats while I was growing up. Our cats have all been friendly to people but not in an overly annoying way... UNLESS a cat hater (CH) or cat allergic person visited. Then they would be all rubby and try to jump up in the CH lap, lay right beside their chair/feet, and just generally glue themselves to a four foot vicinity of the CH for the duration of the visit. People who like cats? They'd meet and greet for a scratch, then go lay in their sunny or comfy spots and proceed to ignore all human activity as part of their normal routine.

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Nothing about cats is normal.

 

Seriously.

 

I was a Veterinary Technician in the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians. I attended lectures by the top animal behaviorists in the field. And 9 times out of 10 the answer to "why do they do that" was, "eh, they're cats."

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Nothing about cats is normal.

 

Seriously.

 

I was a Veterinary Technician in the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians. I attended lectures by the top animal behaviorists in the field. And 9 times out of 10 the answer to "why do they do that" was, "eh, they're cats."

 

That's probably why I love them so much and why Grandkitty will literally wake up from a peaceful nap on the top of the freezer and run across the house to meow at my bedroom door when he somehow SENSES that I need a cat because nobody loves me, everybody hates me, and I don't even have any worms to eat. ;)

 

He understands me when people don't.

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If you really don't want the cats to pay attention to you, you need to be sure your boys are not over handling them. Cats do not like to be controlled, bossed around, carried/held against their will, etc., and they will learn to actively avoid those who do not respect that. They will bond with people who respect their autonomy, which means that you are inadvertently making yourself the favored one by ignoring them. In your shoes, I would encourage the boys to hold and pet only on the kittens' terms, never physically controlling them, never keeping them from walking off when they wish.

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If you really don't want the cats to pay attention to you, you need to be sure your boys are not over handling them. Cats do not like to be controlled, bossed around, carried/held against their will, etc., and they will learn to actively avoid those who do not respect that. They will bond with people who respect their autonomy, which means that you are inadvertently making yourself the favored one by ignoring them. In your shoes, I would encourage the boys to hold and pet only on the kittens' terms, never physically controlling them, never keeping them from walking off when they wish.

Our cats have never been like that. Even the ones that started out completely feral eventually loved being "over-handled."

 

My dh didn't bother with most of them too much, and they didn't bond with him, either.

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Welcome to my world! I have one cat and two kittens. The kittens are 17 weeks old today. I always have a feline audience in the bathroom. 

 

Here is our morning kitten routine: 

 

My husband gets up at 5:30 am. Tribble drapes himself across his shoulders and watches him shave. He moves side to side as my husband moves the razor around. Sprocket watches intently from the countertop. 

 

I get up around 8:00-9:00 am-ish (it's summer, after all). Sprocket and Tribble both jump up on the counter and watch me brush my teeth, wash my face, put in contacts, etc.. Sprocket is especially enamored of watching the water run into the sink. Anytime during the day that I wash my hands, Sprocket is right there, watching. When I take my shower, Sprocket sits outside of the glass door and tries to catch the water drops that are running down the door. 

 

Our older cat seems relieved that she no longer has to check on me while I am in the bathroom - she gets to sleep a little longer atop the bed while the kittens take over that duty! 

 

Well, I must go. Sprocket is batting a plastic hot dog around the room and it's too cute to miss! 

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Our cats have never been like that. Even the ones that started out completely feral eventually loved being "over-handled."

 

My dh didn't bother with most of them too much, and they didn't bond with him, either.

I probably should have used a word other than handled. I am thinking of kids who hold kitties and do not let them go when they clearly want to be let go. Or who wake kitties from a nap every chance they get, so kitties learn to nap under the bed instead of out in the open. Stuff like that. I am not saying the boys shouldn't handle the kitties, just that they need to respect it when they want to be left alone. I have had cats all my life, and every single one has desired autonomy in this way, even the most lovable lap cats. I have three kids and we have had 4 cats in their lives. I see a HUGE difference in their relationships based on whether the kid is a chase 'em down and hold 'em tight or a well, hey there sweetie type.

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Them's fightin' words on a cat thread!!! :D

Just having a little fun, it has been interesting learning the habits of cats on the forum.  I have always been a dog person and am allergic to cats, but they are still interesting to me.  it does however convince me that I am a dog person not a cat person.

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Just having a little fun, it has been interesting learning the habits of cats on the forum. I have always been a dog person and am allergic to cats, but they are still interesting to me. it does however convince me that I am a dog person not a cat person.

If you weren't allergic to cats, I would tell you that you can be both a dog person and a cat person. You don't have to choose! :)

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If you weren't allergic to cats, I would tell you that you can be both a dog person and a cat person. You don't have to choose! :)

 

Absolutely. I'm the only  non dog person in my entire family and we all love cats. :D

 

Intellect tried to win out over heart because I honestly cannot afford to care for a cat in the manner that all cats deserve to be cared for, but Grandkitty and I will have generous visitation as long as ds1 is in the military and I might need to downsize my high standards or start buying lottery tickets after that. ;)

 

Catwoman, your avatar always makes me smile because our kitties look so much like each other. Silver tabbies have the BEST personalities and I've always thought they were beautiful even though they are "default" dominant colour genes.

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One of my two cats we call The Inspector.  She watches me when I wash dishes. She (of course) watches me intently when I clean the cat box.  Her favorite thing to watch though?  When I put on lotion after I get out of the shower.  She chases me up the stairs after the shower, like she is afraid she might miss part of it.

 

Yeah.  Cats.

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Gil, QUICK GET A DOG!  He'll take care of your cat problems, after all they are the ones that are really going to rule the world.

 

Yeah don't believe us just ask my Standard Willow. She is on a mission to conquer  the world. She already has me and everyone around her bowing to her every whim. Don't believe me just ask the lady at the ice cream shop. I may or not be known for buying her her own ice cream cup.:)

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Give it time, Gil. It's actually a huge compliment for a kitty to trust you enough to curl up in your bed and purr you off to sleep.

 

They're more like teenagers than dogs that way.

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Grandkitty doesn't let me pee alone either but I've got a little bitty human boy too so I'm pretty much resigned to it by now anyway. I figure he does it for the same reason small children do, or else because he's seen me going in there to cry and he wants to make sure I don't need a kitty.

 

Besides dental floss, be very careful with Easter grass and Christmas tree tinsel. Either put them somewhere the kitties can't go or else consider them an interesting story from your past life.

 

Spider plants don't kill kitties but kitties kill spider plants. If you have any, rehome them now before they look too funky for anyone to want to adopt them.

 

You're too busy petting those toothbrush loving sweeties to remember to water them anyway. :001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:

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Besides dental floss, be very careful with Easter grass and Christmas tree tinsel. Either put them somewhere the kitties can't go or else consider them an interesting story from your past life.

 

 

 

Also be careful with yarn. All of these things can be deadly to cats. Cats have velcro-like hooks on the backs of their tongues and once they get something on them, they reflexively swallow it. As stringy items pass through their digestive tract, there is a high risk of the item pulling their intestines inside-out, as if you were pulling a sock off. This, of course, is often fatal for them. 

 

If you ever suspect that your cats have ingested something they shouldn't, call the vet right away and they can tell you how to induce vomiting  in a cat - it isn't that hard to do. I say this instead of telling you how to do it because every situation is different and your vet will want to know what you think they ingested, how much and how long ago. They will also make recommendations based upon the cats size and age. Please don't follow internet instructions on what to do in those cases, I have seen some really bad advice out there that would have been harmful in our situations. 

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Yes to this being normal behavior and HUGE yes to keeping strings/floss/twist ties/rubber bands/etc under lock and key. We just spent $1000 on surgery on our 1 yo cat who ate a wide, thick rubber strap. No one can figure out why or how she did it--the part they removed was about 6 inches long. The vets and vet techs all said it was not something they would have ever thought a cat would eat and would not have taken it from their own cats (not that we knew she had it). When I saw it, my first thought was that she had eat the extra drive belt for the vacuum cleaner! It was a strap/rubber band thing that had held a book and cd set together. She's about 2 and had not been really chewing on anything for a long time.

 

Odd behaviors we have---one cat likes to turn on the printer and recently started rearranging the automatic waterer--pushing it around to different parts of the kitchen while sloshing water everywhere, one learned how to step on the bluray player to turn on the tv, the strap-eater sits on the counter in the bathroom and cries loudly while we're in the shower (particularly if only two of us are home and both are in the bathroom at the same time), another once in a while sits looking at a toy and cries until we come move it (this is usually in the middle of the night). 

 

You *need* to go to youtube and watch "Sad Cat Diary" and the "Simon's Cat" series of shorts. :)

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