Two Good Questions Need Answers!

[sofficat]

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Why do cats wiggle their butts/hind limbs before they 'attack' something?

Why do cats make that funny sound when looking at a moth, bird, squirrel, etc?

😕

I know these sound like funny questions, but I want to know the answers/theories behind these behaviors.

Thanks! 😀

 

[Poke]

Why do cats wiggle their butts/hind limbs before they 'attack' something?

Hah! I always just figured they were preparing to pounce or chase.. to get the leverage (I know that's not the word I'm looking for, but I suppose it works...) they need.. Kind of like a runner at the starting block..

(It all works out inside my head)

 

[nyanko]

Obviously the solution is that cats are an alien species whose behavior makes no sense to those of us from the planet Earth.

 

[Cheska]

This is a great thread idea Sofficat!

And actually these are questions that you will get in real-life practice from clients that they always don't go over in vet school.

A couple I have heard: 😕

Why does my cat always lick its nose, the dog, the wall, etc, etc ... ?

Why does my orange tabby have black marks on its mouth and nose? My favorite!!
>>>It is called Lentigo, it is benign, none of the vets I asked knew what it was, so I stole one of their derm books and figured it out!

Why do dogs eat grass?

Why do dogs turn in circles before lying down?

 

[VelcroSky]

They wiggle their butts because they have a spring crank in their rear ends that they need to wind up.

The chirping noise is actually a radar they have built in that is beeping to let them know enemy aircraft is inbound.

Ok, maybe not, but it's a theory.

 

[Cheska]

Ok, maybe not, but it's a theory.

Sounds like a good one to me 👍

 

[JerseyisCutest]

What is the actual eason dogs eat grass or at least what is everyone's theory? I hear this quesiton a lot.

I've been told before they do it when they have an upset stomach.
This seems logical to me b/c my dog does it after every time he starts to act out the motions like he is going to vomit but doesn't. Then he insists on eating grass.........and I mean REALLY INSISTS.

I've also heard that b/c wolves in the wild would get some type of vegetative material in their systems from eating herbivores, that dogs have some sort of internal desire to eat grass when they think their body needs it.

 

[sofficat]

What is the actual eason dogs eat grass or at least what is everyone's theory? I hear this quesiton a lot.

I've been told before they do it when they have an upset stomach.
This seems logical to me b/c my dog does it after every time he starts to act out the motions like he is going to vomit but doesn't. Then he insists on eating grass.........and I mean REALLY INSISTS.

I've also heard that b/c wolves in the wild would get some type of vegetative material in their systems from eating herbivores, that dogs have some sort of internal desire to eat grass when they think their body needs it.

i have heard both of those theories and i believe they are both true.

 

[chris03333]

>>>It is called Lentigo, it is benign, none of the vets I asked knew what it was, so I stole one of their derm books and figured it out!

You've seriously have to be kidding that they did not know that

 

[VAgirl]

Why do cats make that funny sound when looking at a moth, bird, squirrel, etc?

I love that chirping noise! I can always tell when my cat makes that sound (even without seeing what she's doing) that she's staring at a bug on the ceiling that she can't reach. (Sometimes I pick her up to let her get close enough to bat it off the wall/ceiling and then run after it. Hey...I hate bugs and she likes them, so I think it's just as well. ;p)

 

[vegternarian]

Why do cats wiggle their butts/hind limbs before they 'attack' something?

Why do cats make that funny sound when looking at a moth, bird, squirrel, etc?

1) My theory is that in the 'wild' they would do this to sink their hind claws in the earth to have a more powerful pounce, just like a softball player will sink her cleats into the dirt when preparing to run to the next base.

2) I think it's just the excitement of the hunt. My cats don't make noise when they see prey, they just crouch down and are very still.

 

[thereservoirdog]

If you guys are really interested in this kind of stuff, read Darwin's "Expression of Emotions in Humans and Animals". He talks a lot about behavior in animals and how learned habits become instincts through evolution. Good stuff

"What is the actual eason dogs eat grass or at least what is everyone's theory? "

Tastes good?

 

[vegternarian]

If you guys are really interested in this kind of stuff, read Darwin's "Expression of Emotions in Humans and Animals". He talks a lot about behavior in animals and how learned habits become instincts through evolution. Good stuff

"What is the actual eason dogs eat grass or at least what is everyone's theory? "

Tastes good?

I think that dogs eat grass for two reasons:

1) Taste. A few mouthfuls here and there is probably a refreshing break from dry kibble and water (and few treats).

2) To induce vomiting. Nothing feels better when you're nauseous than vomiting... at least in my experience. A nauseous dog may eat a large amount of grass as an instinctive method of discarding the offending contents of its stomach.

 

[ElvisMarie6]

I'm not sure about the grass mystery but one of my professors told me that dogs circle before they lie down because their wolf ancestors did. His theory was that wolves would circle in the grass they slept in order to pack down the grass so it was more difficult for parasites to crawl up onto the wolf while it was sleeping. The reason it is still seen in dogs is because it is a behavior that isn't costly to the fitness of the animal so it wasn't phased out as wolves evolved. 🙂

 

[animalallergy]

Lentigo?? Ahhh....i just thought my cat was special and had freckles.

 

[Cheska]

Lentigo?? Ahhh....i just thought my cat was special and had freckles.

Well just don't tell your cat that, let it keep thinking its special!!! Besides I call my orange cat a red head like me, and red heads get freckles!

 

[Cheska]

"What is the actual eason dogs eat grass or at least what is everyone's theory? "

Tastes good?

This was what my Pet Nutrition professor said (Nancy Irhlbeck, awesome lady, teaches online pet and zoo nutrition at Colorado State and the nutritionist for Denver Zoo) thought it was a cool answer:

Why do dogs eat grass? I get that every time that I teach this class. Well in my home state of Iowa, they say that if a dog eats grass, that it is going to rain ….. that was a joke! I am told that my jokes do not come over as well on paper, than if I tell them – ahh well technology will never replace the human sense of humor! On a serious note, it is thought that eating of grass acts as a purging agent to make the animal throw up, which they often do. Some say they eat grass because the digestive acids in the stomach are too high and it will alleviate the acidity, some say their stomach hurts, some say it is a behavior, and some say that it provides nutrients not provided in the diet. As far as I know, no one knows for sure, but these are our best guesses, but be sure and watch the next time your dog eats grass if it rains shortly after 😳)!

 

[nhsvs]

The theories posed in this forum as to why dogs behave as they do all seem plausible to me. As for why cats behave as they do, NO ONE knows -- they are CATS, after all, and their behavior is beyond human comprehension. 😕 You might as well try to figure out the other great mystery of the universe: women. 😀

 

[Hollycozza]

Why do cats wiggle their butts/hind limbs before they 'attack' something?

Why do cats make that funny sound when looking at a moth, bird, squirrel, etc?

😕

I know these sound like funny questions, but I want to know the answers/theories behind these behaviors.

Thanks! 😀

I love that funny noise. As for the wiggle, I heard it was because they can aim better if something appears to be moving, so they wiggle their butt so that the prey appears to be moving a little. No idea if it is true!