Odd cat ritual

My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before drinking water:
he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately a few times in front of
the water source - like a human standing on a door mat trying to get snow or
mud off a pair of boots - before drinking. He doesn't do it every time but
he has done it quite a number of times over the years both in my home and my
mother's home when he is there.

It reminds me a little of a Catholic crossing himself before eating: a
little religious ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my cat is religious,
I'm just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea what this
little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing that when
kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to signal to their
mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this little ritual on their
mother's bellies to signal thirst or even to stimulate mama's lactation. I
haven't seen a mama cat with newborn kittens since I was very young so I
don't recall if those kittens rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach when
they were hungry. Does anyone with more recent contact with a nursing mother
cat have any idea if this theory makes sense?

--
Rhino

"Rhino" wrote in message
...
My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before drinking
water: he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately a few times in
front of the water source - like a human standing on a door mat trying to
get snow or mud off a pair of boots - before drinking. He doesn't do it
every time but he has done it quite a number of times over the years both
in my home and my mother's home when he is there.

It reminds me a little of a Catholic crossing himself before eating: a
little religious ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my cat is religious,
I'm just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea what
this little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing that when
kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to signal to their
mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this little ritual on their
mother's bellies to signal thirst or even to stimulate mama's lactation. I
haven't seen a mama cat with newborn kittens since I was very young so I
don't recall if those kittens rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach
when they were hungry. Does anyone with more recent contact with a nursing
mother cat have any idea if this theory makes sense?

--
Rhino
I call that peter pattering it could be
Cats are the ocean never try to predict a wave because one dam big one will
bowl you over when you least expect it ;-)

Is he bumping the water dish? If so he is unable to see the water unless it
is moving I have several cats like that

Rhino wrote:
My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before drinking
water: he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately a few times
in front of the water source - like a human standing on a door mat
trying to get snow or mud off a pair of boots - before drinking. He
doesn't do it every time but he has done it quite a number of times
over the years both in my home and my mother's home when he is there.

It reminds me a little of a Catholic crossing himself before eating: a
little religious ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my cat is
religious, I'm just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea
what this little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing that
when kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to signal
to their mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this little
ritual on their mother's bellies to signal thirst or even to
stimulate mama's lactation. I haven't seen a mama cat with newborn
kittens since I was very young so I don't recall if those kittens
rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach when they were hungry. Does
anyone with more recent contact with a nursing mother cat have any
idea if this theory makes sense?

Sounds reasonable to me. Of course, there is no way of knowing with
certanty, so your guess is just as good as anyones. No matter how many PhD's
one can get in animal behavior, until we can read another's mind, there will
be no way to know, will there?

Matthew wrote:
"Rhino" wrote in message
...
My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before drinking
water: he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately a few times
in front of the water source - like a human standing on a door mat
trying to get snow or mud off a pair of boots - before drinking. He
doesn't do it every time but he has done it quite a number of times
over the years both in my home and my mother's home when he is there.

It reminds me a little of a Catholic crossing himself before eating:
a little religious ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my cat is
religious, I'm just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea
what this little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing
that when kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to
signal to their mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this
little ritual on their mother's bellies to signal thirst or even to
stimulate mama's lactation. I haven't seen a mama cat with newborn
kittens since I was very young so I don't recall if those kittens
rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach when they were hungry.
Does anyone with more recent contact with a nursing mother cat have
any idea if this theory makes sense? --
Rhino
I call that peter pattering it could be
Cats are the ocean never try to predict a wave because one dam big
one will bowl you over when you least expect it ;-)

Is he bumping the water dish? If so he is unable to see the water
unless it is moving I have several cats like that

Mine stare at food for several seconds before eating it.... I think they are
hoping that it will try to run away, but who knows?

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...
Rhino wrote:
My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before drinking
water: he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately a few times
in front of the water source - like a human standing on a door mat
trying to get snow or mud off a pair of boots - before drinking. He
doesn't do it every time but he has done it quite a number of times
over the years both in my home and my mother's home when he is there.

It reminds me a little of a Catholic crossing himself before eating: a
little religious ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my cat is
religious, I'm just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea
what this little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing that
when kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to signal
to their mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this little
ritual on their mother's bellies to signal thirst or even to
stimulate mama's lactation. I haven't seen a mama cat with newborn
kittens since I was very young so I don't recall if those kittens
rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach when they were hungry. Does
anyone with more recent contact with a nursing mother cat have any
idea if this theory makes sense?

Sounds reasonable to me. Of course, there is no way of knowing with
certanty, so your guess is just as good as anyones. No matter how many
PhD's one can get in animal behavior, until we can read another's mind,
there will be no way to know, will there?
Exactly right! Until we can talk to them or read their minds, all we can do
is guess.

But I thought I'd see if anyone knew if kittens do stimulate their mothers
to get fed; that would tend to give my theory a bit more plausibility. But
if the kittens dnn't rub their mama's bellies like that, I'll need to work
on another theory ;-)

--
Rhino

Rhino wrote:
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...
Rhino wrote:
My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before drinking
water: he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately a few times
in front of the water source - like a human standing on a door mat
trying to get snow or mud off a pair of boots - before drinking. He
doesn't do it every time but he has done it quite a number of times
over the years both in my home and my mother's home when he is
there. It reminds me a little of a Catholic crossing himself before
eating: a little religious ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my
cat is religious, I'm just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea
what this little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing
that when kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to
signal to their mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this
little ritual on their mother's bellies to signal thirst or even to
stimulate mama's lactation. I haven't seen a mama cat with newborn
kittens since I was very young so I don't recall if those kittens
rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach when they were hungry.
Does anyone with more recent contact with a nursing mother cat have
any idea if this theory makes sense?

Sounds reasonable to me. Of course, there is no way of knowing with
certanty, so your guess is just as good as anyones. No matter how
many PhD's one can get in animal behavior, until we can read
another's mind, there will be no way to know, will there?
Exactly right! Until we can talk to them or read their minds, all we
can do is guess.

But I thought I'd see if anyone knew if kittens do stimulate their
mothers to get fed; that would tend to give my theory a bit more
plausibility. But if the kittens dnn't rub their mama's bellies like
that, I'll need to work on another theory ;-)

Kittens, and even adult cats, knead their mothers teats to stimulate the
flow of milk. Almost all of my adult cats do the same kind of kneading on my
chest when they hop up to say "good night" to me after I go to bed.....

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
news
Rhino wrote:
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...
Rhino wrote:
My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before drinking
water: he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately a few times
in front of the water source - like a human standing on a door mat
trying to get snow or mud off a pair of boots - before drinking. He
doesn't do it every time but he has done it quite a number of times
over the years both in my home and my mother's home when he is
there. It reminds me a little of a Catholic crossing himself before
eating: a little religious ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my
cat is religious, I'm just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea
what this little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing
that when kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to
signal to their mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this
little ritual on their mother's bellies to signal thirst or even to
stimulate mama's lactation. I haven't seen a mama cat with newborn
kittens since I was very young so I don't recall if those kittens
rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach when they were hungry.
Does anyone with more recent contact with a nursing mother cat have
any idea if this theory makes sense?

Sounds reasonable to me. Of course, there is no way of knowing with
certanty, so your guess is just as good as anyones. No matter how
many PhD's one can get in animal behavior, until we can read
another's mind, there will be no way to know, will there?
Exactly right! Until we can talk to them or read their minds, all we
can do is guess.

But I thought I'd see if anyone knew if kittens do stimulate their
mothers to get fed; that would tend to give my theory a bit more
plausibility. But if the kittens dnn't rub their mama's bellies like
that, I'll need to work on another theory ;-)

Kittens, and even adult cats, knead their mothers teats to stimulate the
flow of milk. Almost all of my adult cats do the same kind of kneading on
my chest when they hop up to say "good night" to me after I go to bed.....

Good point. The same cat that kneads the floor in front of the water bowl
kneads my chest sometimes too, especially when he is hungry. The other cat
doesn't knead at all.

--
Rhino

On Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:01:26 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Rhino wrote:
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...
Rhino wrote:
My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before drinking
water: he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately a few times
in front of the water source - like a human standing on a door mat
trying to get snow or mud off a pair of boots - before drinking. He
doesn't do it every time but he has done it quite a number of times
over the years both in my home and my mother's home when he is
there. It reminds me a little of a Catholic crossing himself before
eating: a little religious ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my
cat is religious, I'm just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea
what this little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing
that when kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to
signal to their mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this
little ritual on their mother's bellies to signal thirst or even to
stimulate mama's lactation. I haven't seen a mama cat with newborn
kittens since I was very young so I don't recall if those kittens
rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach when they were hungry.
Does anyone with more recent contact with a nursing mother cat have
any idea if this theory makes sense?

Sounds reasonable to me. Of course, there is no way of knowing with
certanty, so your guess is just as good as anyones. No matter how
many PhD's one can get in animal behavior, until we can read
another's mind, there will be no way to know, will there?
Exactly right! Until we can talk to them or read their minds, all we
can do is guess.

But I thought I'd see if anyone knew if kittens do stimulate their
mothers to get fed; that would tend to give my theory a bit more
plausibility. But if the kittens dnn't rub their mama's bellies like
that, I'll need to work on another theory ;-)

Kittens, and even adult cats, knead their mothers teats to stimulate the
flow of milk. Almost all of my adult cats do the same kind of kneading on my
chest when they hop up to say "good night" to me after I go to bed.....

Yes, mine too. The claws tend to penetrate a bit..

dgk wrote:
On Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:01:26 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Rhino wrote:
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...
Rhino wrote:
My male cat has an odd ritual that he does sometimes before
drinking water: he rubs his front feet back and forth alternately
a few times in front of the water source - like a human standing
on a door mat trying to get snow or mud off a pair of boots -
before drinking. He doesn't do it every time but he has done it
quite a number of times over the years both in my home and my
mother's home when he is there. It reminds me a little of a
Catholic crossing himself before eating: a little religious
ritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that my cat is religious, I'm
just making a comparison :-)

Has anyone else seen their cat do this? Does anyone have any idea
what this little ritual is about?

I have a theory but I don't know if it makes sense. I'm guessing
that when kittens are newly born and not yet weaned, they need to
signal to their mother's that they are thirsty. They may do this
little ritual on their mother's bellies to signal thirst or even
to stimulate mama's lactation. I haven't seen a mama cat with
newborn kittens since I was very young so I don't recall if those
kittens rubbed their front paws on mama's stomach when they were
hungry. Does anyone with more recent contact with a nursing
mother cat have any idea if this theory makes sense?

Sounds reasonable to me. Of course, there is no way of knowing with
certanty, so your guess is just as good as anyones. No matter how
many PhD's one can get in animal behavior, until we can read
another's mind, there will be no way to know, will there?
Exactly right! Until we can talk to them or read their minds, all we
can do is guess.

But I thought I'd see if anyone knew if kittens do stimulate their
mothers to get fed; that would tend to give my theory a bit more
plausibility. But if the kittens dnn't rub their mama's bellies like
that, I'll need to work on another theory ;-)

Kittens, and even adult cats, knead their mothers teats to stimulate
the flow of milk. Almost all of my adult cats do the same kind of
kneading on my chest when they hop up to say "good night" to me
after I go to bed.....

Yes, mine too. The claws tend to penetrate a bit..

Yes. Especially in Summer when I use thinner bedding.....