Cats

Does your cat's behavior confuse and frustrate you, making you think you are the only one with such a crazy cat? You are not the only one, and surprisingly your cat might be considered completely normal. Here are some of the weird cat behaviors, why cats do them, and how you can learn to live with them—or even enjoy your quirky kitty's antics.

1. Rolling Over.

Does your cat flip—that is, throw itself on the ground at your feet and roll? Is it under the influence of catnip, or is something else going on? When your cat rolls over it typically signals that the cat feels safe and maybe wants some attention from you. Your cat can also mark the area with its scent this way, claiming your space as its own.

2. Presenting its butt.

Does your kitty's butt go sky-high when you pet or scratch it? That's called an "elevator butt" pose and it's a good thing. Your cat's action is a backhanded compliment and kitty-correct, letting you know you've hit the spot and to continue the petting. What about when your cat puts its butt right into your face? Good news there, too. A raised tail is an invitation to another cat for a gracious butt sniff to say hello. When your cat does this to you, it's like giving a hug and kiss when greeting a friend. The good news is that you don't have to sniff your cat's hind end to reciprocate. Instead, you can pet your cat or scratch where it likes it best.

3. Covering poop.

All cats do this. Or do they? Cats communicate volumes in the litter box and sometimes they want their (ahem) potty graffiti available for the world to see. Cats usually learn their litter box etiquette from their mothers, and domestic cats have long been encouraged to cover their excrement. However, a cat might leave it unburied to claim territory

4. Covering food.

Everyone has heard of finicky cats. And some cats make clear their gustatory preferences by covering up the food bowl. If your cat is covering its food after eating some of it, it may be an instinctive behavior as wild felines cache their food to keep it safe from others. Your kitten or cat may scratch around its food bowl after eating or even find shredded paper to cover it up.

5. Eating plastics.

You arrive home from the grocery store, and before you can say "Scat!" you catch your cat licking the plastic bags. If not caught in time, some cats even eat plastic. Kittens may chew on anything while teething and may have developed a fondness for the texture of plastic they will carry into adulthood. Also, the bag might just taste good to the cat. However, plastic can be a choking hazard or cause intestinal obstruction, so you want to discourage it by providing safe chew toys.

6. Eating grass, leaves, plants.

Do your cats eat green stuff? Cats are carnivores, but they also often enjoy getting trace nutrients from nibbling on grass and other greenery, even leaves. In the wild, they would get these nutrients by eating the intestinal contents of their prey. Just watch your houseplants and cut flowers because cats love anything that screams foliage and toxicity may be an issue with many flowers.

7. Sneering.

The technical term for that distinctive open-mouth grimace is the flehmen response, but it sure looks like a feline sneer. It's doubtful you'll ever see your cat aim this sneer your way, as it's a reaction reserved for other cats, or rather, their invisible messages. They are picking up pheromones that other cats have marked in the environment. The motion of trapping the pheromone with the tongue against a duct in the roof of the mouth produces the lip curl. Male cats do this lip curl more often.