{"id":4717,"date":"2021-01-25T03:39:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T11:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=4717"},"modified":"2021-01-25T03:39:12","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T11:39:12","slug":"mindful-monday-whats-your-cats-weirdest-habit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=4717","title":{"rendered":"Mindful Monday \u2013 What\u2019s Your Cat\u2019s Weirdest Habit?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" src=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Smokey2021-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Smokey2021-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Smokey2021-375x500.jpeg 375w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Smokey2021-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Smokey2021-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Smokey2021-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Smokey2021-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>One of the charms I adore about cats is the habits they develop and the way they display those habits and discard them. Oh yes, one thing that\u2019s certain about cats is that you can\u2019t take anything for granted. As soon as you become accustomed to Fluffy taking his afternoon nap in a sun puddle on the dining room table, for example, he changes his mind and his long-running habit. One day you can\u2019t find him. You panic\u2014he\u2019s always in that spot on the table this time of day. <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" src=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/catanniecactus-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/catanniecactus-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/catanniecactus-375x500.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/catanniecactus-rotated.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>Where is he? Should you call the veterinarian and report this odd change in behavior? It\u2019s so out of character. Something must be wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Probably not. He has most likely decided he\u2019d rather nap in the closet surrounded by your shoes and whatever else has gathered at the bottom of it\u2014a slinky blouse that slipped off the hanger, a blanket, and a few of his toys that he hid from the other cats in the house.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4638\" src=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Oliviastretchbest-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Oliviastretchbest-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Oliviastretchbest-375x500.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Oliviastretchbest-rotated.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>Sleeping habits aren\u2019t the only habits cats might change from time to time. They may discard their very most favorite toy and take up with one that\u2019s been hiding under the sofa all year. She might stop sleeping with you or start putting you to bed at night\u2014sitting with you until you relax\u2014nice. She might suddenly become a voracious eater or become picky.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia slept in my stacking trays in my office every<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4551\" src=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/OliviaMouth-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/OliviaMouth-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/OliviaMouth-375x500.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/OliviaMouth.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/> afternoon when she first came to us. The day she could no longer climb into the small space, she gave that up. But that was out of necessity. She\u2019d physically outgrown the space. So what causes cats to change sleeping spots, sleeping times, toy preferences, play activities and other habits in mid stream?<\/p>\n<p>I imagine part of that is an innate trigger\u2014a genetic memory of their origins and how they must protect themselves by changing up their activities so as not to attract danger to them. Make sense? Part of it is\u2014and <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4239\" src=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Lily8weeks-020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Lily8weeks-020-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Lily8weeks-020-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Lily8weeks-020-500x375.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>I\u2019m pretty sure about this\u2014our cats like to keep us on our toes. When Olivia hears me screeching her name\u2014frantically going from room to room in search of her, fearful that she somehow pushed a window screen out or a door open and escaped, I\u2019m convinced she\u2019s under the sofa, in the back of a closet, or even closed in a kitchen cabinet grinning<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4189\" src=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokeysprawling-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokeysprawling-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokeysprawling-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokeysprawling-375x500.jpeg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/> as she closes her eyes and takes a long afternoon nap.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia does a charming little thing each time she visits me in my office. She comes to me as I sit in my chair, puts her paws on the chair next to me and reaches one paw up in the air toward me as if she is waving or she just wants to pat me affectionately. I don\u2019t know what her thought process is when she\u2019s doing this, but it is something she does every single day. So far I haven\u2019t captured it with my camera\u2014but I\u2019m working on it.<\/p>\n<p>Cat\u2019s stretch almost every single time they stand up from a nap or a rest. That\u2019s an interesting habit and each cat does the stretch a little differently.<\/p>\n<p>Different cats have different ways of approaching meal time, greeting guests, playing, interacting with you. And to me that\u2019s one of the charms of the cat. What are some of your cat&#8217;s weird behaviors\/habits?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the charms I adore about cats is the habits they develop and the way they display those habits and discard them. Oh yes, one thing that\u2019s certain about cats is that you can\u2019t take anything for granted. As &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=4717\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4717"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4717"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4720,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4717\/revisions\/4720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}