Posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 18:07:42
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats » Ilene, posted by Sarah T. on July 5, 2005, at 17:38:40
> Hi, Ilene.
> A few years ago, I read that cats like to chew/eat plastic because they like the oils in plastic. Even if they like the oils, it's best to prohibit them from chewing on it. They might end up with an intestinal obstruction. I have a question about something ALL of my cats do:
>
> If I'm reading the newspaper on the floor or a table, my cats have to sit on the newspaper, not just on the article I'm reading, but on the very paragraph I'm reading. If I'm looking at a map spread out on the floor or a table, my cats have to sit on the map at that moment, not just on the grid I'm interested in, but on the very city or street I'm looking for. Does anyone know why cats do this? Is it simply that they want to be the center of attention, or is it something else?To quote the New York Times, "As with so many cat behaviors, the exact reason remains mysterious, said Dr. Katherine Houpt, a veterinary behaviorist and professor of animal behavior at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.
Her informed guess is that cats tend to go after something novel in their territory, both checking it out and marking it as theirs."
I suppose that answer, which refers to the attraction plastic bags hold for some cats, is just as valid for why they sit on whatever you are reading. I don't think that sitting-on-what-you-are-reading qualifies as OCD, though.
I.
poster:Ilene
thread:523829
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050630/msgs/523888.html