Weird things your pets do

[Jones]

That spot on a cat's back, where it attaches to the tail, is a spot where most cats like to be scritched. They arch and purr and life is grand.

Colossus does much more than that. While arching and purring, he starts licking the air. If a person/other cat/dog is anywhere near his face while the scritching occurs, he will lick that being with all the passionate love any cat may have. Sadly, that does lead to biting, but they are love bites and meant in the most generous way.

[RebeccainGA]

Schroder, our loveable self-trained service dog (I mean, come on... we have never taken a class, nothing done specifically - and yet, when I started researching the requirements for professionally trained handicapped 'alert' dogs, intending to seek one for DP, he's one down the line in all their trained behaviors) has some interesting quirks. He loves to go outside, and rings the bells diligently - but when I call him to me so I can put his leash on, he sits down (like he should) and sort of spins in place until I pick him up. His leash latch on his harness is up, and grabbable at all times - but he's spinning like a top. I've told him he's going to corkscrew himself into the ground one day doing that. Appropriately, when DP does it (she's the disabled one) he doesn't do it - only with me.

He's also become a bit of a prima donna about his clothes. Yes, his clothes - he has to have a shirt on, year round. If he doesn't like the one he's wearing (and I have yet to figure out the reasons for some of them - the blue shirt he sometimes loves, but other times rejects in favor of the green one, where both shirts are identical except for the color) he will come up to you, paw your shirt, and then bark and roll around on the floor until  you remove the offending item and replace it with something suitable.

His favorite food used to be DP's leftover scrambled eggs. Then mommy started eating at home in the morning occasionally, and now he hates the eggs - unless mommy puts a piece of cheese from her breakfast on them. Then they are acceptable. Otherwise, they end up on the floor.

No, this 5 pound dog doesn't rule the house.... not at all...

[RebeccainGA]

That spot on a cat's back, where it attaches to the tail, is a spot where most cats like to be scritched. They arch and purr and life is grand.

Colossus does much more than that. While arching and purring, he starts licking the air. If a person/other cat/dog is anywhere near his face while the scritching occurs, he will lick that being with all the passionate love any cat may have. Sadly, that does lead to biting, but they are love bites and meant in the most generous way.

My departed Mary Alice used to do that. Woe betide someone that thought they could sit next to me while I scritched her back end - she would draw blood, nipping and licking. The longer the fur, the rougher the tongue, you know - and she was the fluffiest cat I've ever seen.

[SamiHami]

My son's dog, Harry, freaks out when you get his nose- you know, like you do with kids- Got your nose and you put your thumb between you fingers?  Well Harry falls for it every time, barks his head off, jumps trying to get your hand so he can have his nose back. 

And this keeps up until you rub your hand on his face, putting back his nose.  It's hysterical.

Water just shot out of my nose! That is hilarious!!!

[Hmmmmm]

We have a beagle.  After his dinner he gets a milkbone every night. The routine is he goes to DH to tell him he has finished his dinner and is ready for his treat.  DH then tells whichever child is handy to go give him his treat.  The beagle then "herds" the child to the utility room, sits till he's given his treat then races back to the family room to a specific spot in front of the fireplace where he throws the bone into the air and then waits for the person who gave him the bone to come and sit down.  He will not start eating the bone until the person who gave it to him is back in the room and preferably sitting.  We don't know why he does this.  We didn't train him to do this.  If the person who gave him the milkbone stops in the kitchen for something, he'll sit there and whine until they come back in.  Our family thinks it's hilarious.

We also have two cats who have dog tendancies.  The oddest is that when they hear the doorbell, they go running to the door to see who's came in.  Then they sniff around the guest and then props their two front feet on the guest leg to try and get the guest to pick them up.  Our dog does not do this.  He does not "jump up" on guests but was trained to sit by the entry hall until he is acknowledged.  We can't get the cats trained like him. 

[lkdrymom]

Right now Vincenzo is hugging the fish bowl.

[Ms_Cellany]

Jack and Luna love visitors!  They run to the door, and Jack in particular begs to be picked up.

We have to warn people in advance that Jack will stick his head in their mouth. He likes to smell people's breath.

[Jones]

Right now Vincenzo is hugging the fish bowl.

Oh, this reminds me:
The cats of my household refused to use a water bowl, so we got one of those fresh water things. They still insisted on getting into sinks, even when soaked on purpose. However, if the fish tank is uncovered, they are more than happy to get their own stinky, fish flavored, complete opposite of fresh water from the tank.

[Snooks]

Cats that we've had have enjoyed drinking from drain covers and dents in plastic wheelie bins.

[hobish]

I have mentioned this before...

Kilik-husky has a weird attachment to fortune cookies still in the individual cookie package. He'll carry one of them around and protect it like it is his puppy or something. Any other toy is cool to play with, but the fortune cookie is like his own little pet. It drives me a little crazy sometimes, because if I try to pet him while he's got a cookie he will lay on it to protect it and give me the most reproachful look, as if to say, "Why would you take away the only thing on earth that brings me joy?  " ...even though I am the one who just gave him the darn cookie in the first place! He's such a goofball.

The only weird thing about Jayna-hound is she actually likes wearing clothes. We got her a Phillies jersey kind of as a joke and she went positively gaga over it. She outgrew that a long time ago; but i saw a sweater on sale last week so i picked it up, again kind of as a joke. She still went all nutty. She just likes clothes. I have never met a dog of her size before who did.

[Slartibartfast]

New one (GROSS WARNING):

Kiki (our mutt) has decided baby tears are the most delicious thing on earth.  Whenever Bittybartfast starts crying - really crying, not just a little fussing - Kiki comes running and licks the tears and snot off her face.  Bittybartfast thinks this is hilarious and it usually cheers her up.  This has become an extra incentive to me to get there as soon as Bittybartfast gets grumpy, because I've seen what else Kiki does with that tongue!

[Julian]

All my critters are weird...

Roomie and I tend to eat in the loungeroom, but I feed the animals in the kitchen.

Both of my dogs will bring their food into the loungeroom, one mouthful at a time, to eat with us.  Even kibble.  They'll pick up a mouthful, drop it on the rug, then sit down and munch away happily.

Molly is a bit obsessive with treats - if the treat is people food, and anything bigger than a nibble, she buries it - in the corners of the lounge, in one of the many animal beds in the room, even in the shag pile rug.  She spends a good half hour or so nosing around to get it well buried (well, she's only got a short little nose, she's very pug-faced).  Suzi watches her like a hawk - as soon as Molly has her back turned, Suzi steals it and eats it.

I watched Molly once, she spent absolutely ages burying a tiny piece of cheese in the shag rug.  When she finished, there was a teeny little volcano shape in the rug, with the cheese barely visible at the epicentre.  It was perfect, not a strand out of place.

They both get doggy treats before I go to work.  Suzi is a bit of a mummy's girl, she'll try to 'force' me to stay at home by refusing to take her treat.  Sorry, Sunshine, gotta go anyway.

Molly sits on her hind legs like a meercat, for an hour or so at a time.  Very cute. 

Out of the cats, Morty is probably the weirdest, because he's had the longest practice.  His thing is The Claw.

The Claw involves Morty demanding pets.  He will start out by complaining loudly.  If that doesn't work, he starts petting me.  He continues complaining, and petting, till he gets what he wants.  If I stop, The Claw makes an appearance.  One single claw, driven into the nearest available portion of my anatomy.  Oddly enough he has never, ever deliberately scratched anyone, even when he was a tiny kitten, so this is very deliberate behaviour.

He also stands on my lap when I brush him, and drools puddles all over me.  Yuck.  Note, this is the only time he will ever be on my lap, he is Not A Lap Cat, he tells me.

Salem, well, she's just a born stirrer.  Can't help herself.  But it is very cute when I get home from work, she's the first one usually to greet me, she runs up to the truck and comes in the door to get scritches.

[Hmmmmm]

Jack and Luna love visitors!  They run to the door, and Jack in particular begs to be picked up.

We have to warn people in advance that Jack will stick his head in their mouth. He likes to smell people's breath.

Our female cat likes to smell breathe too. 

[Dazi]

Boy, I have a few weird ones.

My kitten likes to lick the wall, she will also lick carpet.  Her sister has a plastic fetish...plastic bags, plastic from paper towels, zippy bags, the plastic that rips off like on shredded cheese packages.  I also have one that spreads out like queen Cleopatra and scoops out one piece of food at a time to her, in complete exasperation.

My boy likes to drink sink water, tries to climb in peoples pants and yowls like someone is being murdered when I am in the shower...it is rather hysterical.  Oh, he's also a pillow/blanket thief.

[MerryCat]

My son's dog, Harry, freaks out when you get his nose- you know, like you do with kids- Got your nose and you put your thumb between you fingers?  Well Harry falls for it every time, barks his head off, jumps trying to get your hand so he can have his nose back. 

And this keeps up until you rub your hand on his face, putting back his nose.  It's hysterical.

That is so adorable and hillarious! You have to put it up on youtube on of these days!