If there was an award for doing the weirdest, most unexplainable things, then cats would definitely be taking home the trophy.
If you thought it was just your cat who has their ‘interesting’ quirks, then think again. Cats are known for doing the strangest things that leave us thinking that they’re totally and utterly bonkers.
Yet even the everyday traits your kitty has leave room for questioning. Yes, we know that it’s normal for cats to purr, but why? And HOW?
Then there’s that adorable head-butt they do on your hand, the furniture, and just about anywhere they can butt their little heads. What’s that all about?
And what’s with that weird, clicky miaow thing that they do whenever they see a bird or something that resembles a bird?
Is that a sign that your cat is seriously mentally troubled? (Spoiler alert: the bird miaow is totally normal-and also hilarious!)
So let’s start with purring. Did you know that the adorable little rumble that cats make when they’re happy is actually caused by their voice box vibrating?
But do cats only purr when they’re happy?
Well, according to Web MD, your kitty may also purr when they’re feeling frightened or threatened.
Kelly Morgan, DVM, University of Illinois, speculates:
“One way to think about this is to equate purring with smiling. People will smile when they’re nervous, when they want something, and when they’re happy, so perhaps the purr can also be an appeasing gesture.”
There is also speculation that your cunning cat may use their purr as a way of getting what they want.
Yep, there’s research that suggests that cats are aware that their purring catches the attention of their human, therefore they purr when they’re hungry or want to be let outside.
In other words, cats know when they’re being cute and use it to their advantage.
Next up, the head-butting — or to give it the technical name, head bunting.
This is another totally adorable trait that we love about our cats without really knowing why they do it. It’s got to be because they love us so much, right?
Well, turns out that we’re pretty much right. Head bunting is actually a sign of social bonding, with cat behaviourist Pam Johnson-Bennet saying,
“(Cats) putting their head so close to another is a sign of trust and friendliness.”
Isn’t that just the sweetest thing?
Finally, there’s the bird miaow, chirping, or chattering.
Whatever you want to call it, this is arguably one of the weirdest things we’ve witnessed our kitty doing. If you’ve never heard it for yourself, then we’ve dropped a great example video below.
Well, according to vet Dr. Erika Loftin,
“Generally, cat chirping occurs when a cat is interested or provoked by prey- a bird, a squirrel or a rodent, for example. It’s more of an excited sound and less of a sound used to hunt.”
So there you have it. The weird noise that cats make when they’re eyeing up a particularly tasty-looking bird is pure excitement.
We for one will sleep easier tonight now that we know that.
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