You know how cats will stare intently at 'something' behind you, but you don't see anything there?

[Siwsan]

Apparently that's a 'psych out the human' cat instinct that develops during kitten-hood. Madoc kept doing that, this morning. Well, as long as he isn't staring at a spider.............

I haven't gotten any photos, yet, because all four kittens were like speed demon barbarians, all morning - jumping and fighting and jumping and running and jumping and fighting. I finally 'play penned' them so I could get some peace and quiet by going out and mow the lawn. They are definitely more sedate, now. The frenetic battles have switched to pushing things off of flat surfaces and trying to help me type this post. Oh, and licking my toes, which sometimes is a prelude to a nip. Time to put my shoes back on.

[wnylib]

1. I wonder where that toe nipping behavior comes from.

My previous cat did it often, usually to wake me up when he wanted his dish refilled. My current one never wakes me, no matter how long I sleep in. When she was only 10 weeks old, she jumped in bed with obvious glee to attack my toes under the sheets as soon as I went to bed. But she outgrew that.

I also wonder about the source of other cat behaviors, like knocking things off of flat surfaces. My previous cat never did it, but the current cat is obsessed with doing it, usually to get my attention.

Every cat that I have ever had has done the staring into space act. It really is unnerving when you know there is nothing there. I'd bet that the staring habit is what spooked out Medieval people into believing that cats were demonic.

[Siwsan]

2. Sophie just started the knocking things off of flat surfaces thing - she almost 14 years old!

She never did that until the past year, or so. Her specialty is any glassware that contains a liquid.

[wnylib]

3. My sympathies. I have lost many glasses and cups

to the feline whack job. I know better than to leave cups and glasses unattended, but sometimes all it takes is turning to look at something, or getting up to find my phone or the TV remote. Or getting too absorbed in a movie to monitor the glass of pop or cup of tea on the coffee table. She is such an expert on quick action when she notices my attention is diverted from the glass or cup.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

5. I drink out of a steel bottle.

It has a fine mesh strainer in it to keep
ice from banging against your teeth.
If it gets knocked over and you grab it off the floor quick it only leaves a drop of liquid on the floor. Bought it when I had 4 cats.

Othello doesn't knock stuff on the floor,didn't do it when he was a kitten either.
Othello is the most polite cat I've ever had.

[TlalocW]

4. I do that to my cats

I rapidly turn to where they're lying (facing me) and put on a freaked out face while staring several inches above and behind them. They fall for it.

TlalocW