Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: sillyrabbit on December 02, 2007, 18:14:30 PM

Title: Behaviour question
Post by: sillyrabbit on December 02, 2007, 18:14:30 PM
Hi  :)

Ok, my cat Smirnoff has this little blue mouse toy that she has had since she was a kitten. Right before bedtime once I have shut the catflap she wonders off and finds this mouse, and will bring it over growling while she carrys it. She will put it down next to me then go and play or sleep. Then if I move to another room, like say my bedroom she will come up and have a look then run off to collect her mouse and bring it upstairs. She left it in the garden once and sat at the catflap meowing and hitting it for hours before I realised she wanted to go and bring it in, I felt awful! And if she does forget to bring it up in the evening sometimes but will then suddenly jump up in the middle of the night and run downstairs to get it and come back up, she is always growling when she has it in her mouth though and its only this one toy. Its been washed lots of times and I have brought about 10 of these toys that are exactly the same but she doesnt even look at the new ones!

I have spoken to the vet about this but he said its fine but I have spoken to lots of people with cats who havent seen this behaviour before so thought maybe someone on here has? She has been doing this about 6 years now!
Title: Re: Behaviour question
Post by: DaveD on December 02, 2007, 19:51:23 PM
I haven't seen behaviour quiteas obsessive as this, but Pimpernel gets upset if one of the other cats is playing with his favourite toy (an old shoelace!) and takes it away at the first opportunity.
And he's been known to take and hide the radio controlled mouse (exactly the same as the ones in the auction), even taking it off the charger!
Title: Re: Behaviour question
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on December 02, 2007, 23:05:41 PM
I think that is quite wonderful and it obviously means a lot to her  ;D

My brothers cat has a little red mouse that rattles and adores this mouse and likes people to shake it and throw it and he will go and get it an bring it back, over and over.  All the other little mice from the same family do not interst him just this one red one.
Title: Re: Behaviour question
Post by: Sabrina (Auferstehen) on December 03, 2007, 12:32:48 PM
Our burmese Lirael was extremely fond of her toy hedgehog that we got her (to the point we had to get her a supply of them), she would chew it to pieces but she had it with her a lot.

Many of mornings I woke up with her and the toy in my arms (wet toy is not nice when against your arm).

Since we got our other cats she will play with hedgie but she's not as attached to him.

She never growled though!
Title: Re: Behaviour question
Post by: Bazsmum on December 03, 2007, 14:25:50 PM
My cat Yagga does this, I find it quite amusing watching him treating his toy like prey.....the next time I see him he will be sleeing near it....he does cry for it if he's mislaid it  :Luv:

Make sure you buy plenty of the same toy as its murder when they shred it  :Luv:
Title: Re: Behaviour question
Post by: sillyrabbit on December 03, 2007, 19:03:44 PM
Aw so she is treating it like prey. Makes sense, I actually had no idea what she was doing! Its like the end of the world when she does lose it though. All of us have to get up in the night and search for it! She has had it 6 years now and its still ok, its got plastic or something in the middle so she cant really break it. I have brought loads of the exact same toy though and she isnt interested, its only that one!
Title: Re: Behaviour question
Post by: Sam (Fussy_Furball) on December 03, 2007, 20:11:05 PM
My former cat "Diesel" (she now lives with my Mum and Dad) has Spider - this was a toy I bought for my friends new born baby but before I could wrap it up Diesel picked it up and carried it off upstairs. That was 7½ years ago and she still has spider.  She doesn't play with any other toys but she takes spider everywhere.  My mum has found spider at the bottom of the garden near the pond, in the middle of the patio, and in various other strange places. 
Title: Re: Behaviour question
Post by: furballmom on December 03, 2007, 23:21:38 PM
patch is like this with one fur mouse in particular he'll happily carry it around growling with it in his mourth god forbid if you try to take it away he'll swipe for you :rofl: