Has anyone else ever noticed that cats love novelty but hate change? For example, my cats love it when the bedding gets removed and washed (lots of pouncing and tunneling), but they're concerned when the furniture is rearranged. Similarly, they love having a new object in the house--like a shopping bag, box, or chair--but they don't like having a new person (like a house guest) in the house. They love having something different in their food dishes, but they don't want the dish moved to another location. The big kitty likes to tour the garden as long as I'm holding her, but she gets upset if we go out of the yard--which is evidently too much change. (She was a maltreated stray.)

In contrast to liking novelty, the big kitty also has her rituals, which she insists be observed. For example, when I leave the house for even a short period of time, there's a ritual "greeting" which initially involves a lot of meowing. If I come in through the basement, she jumps on my shoulder, kneads my arm, and then scentmarks me. If I come in from upstairs, I'm supposed to go into the powder room so she can jump up on the sink and scentmark me. If I'm trying to lug in groceries and don't immediately stop to do the greeting, she gets very upset. Even if I've brought her a food treat, like a slice of deli turkey, she still wants to do the greeting before she eats. The kitten, on the other hand, goes for the food.

Kitties are funny guys.

Copyright © Cadillac Woman
May 23, 2001

Read Cadillac Woman's story: Good Morning, Kitty