Why do cats....

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sofficat

AU CVM c/o 11
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Why do cats lie down on papers? Seriously... it's annoying.

Open books, pile of papers, bills on the table... what is so inviting about that?

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Because its fun? Assuming you are not refering to unattended paper I believe most cats are very good at figuring out where your attention is focused and place themselves where ever that is. My solution was to train my cat that he gets attention in my lap and is unceremoniously removed from my desk. Now he sleeps on my lap well I study!
 
mine has a special preference for whatever i'm currently reading. textbooks are a particular favorite of hers.
 
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I would have to agree with the other replies - cats are quite perceptive of what you're doing and what you're paying attention to. If you give your cat attention when they do these things, they will be more likely to repeat them. Cats are incredibly intelligent and will learn what behaviors get them love & attention versus the cold shoulder.

My cat loves sitting on the grocery circular when I have it laid out on the floor, pawing at the pen as I circle the items I want. That one can be annoying but is priceless to me.
 
Ugh I've been trying to study and do homework on the computer and the new kitten is climbing all over me, getting in my face, and making me want to push him! Is it really necessary to go from shoulder to shoulder by crossing infront of my face? Or to help me type?
 
Ah...one of the great mysteries of the universe... Why do cats do anything they do?! :D
 
my younger kitty will sit down on top of whatever i'm reading and will then proceed to sit still like a statue and stare off into the distance. Y'know sorta like 'I'm on your book and i do NOT want your attention. sucks for you.'

The other cat i can reason with. if he sits on my stuff and i take him onto my lap, he's thrilled.
 
;)I think it's concern for our mental health.

I mean at least when I'm fixated upon the box with the moving pictures, there are at least the moving pictures and some sound involved. I must look like an idiot staring for hours at this thing in my lap with small black swiggly lines on it. I even carefully examine every single page, even though it's just more of those little black swiggly lines. I won't even mention that I sometime go back and re-examine certain pages, or randomly laugh out loud sometimes while I do this.

Even worse, I have many, many of these stupid little objects, all very similar in nature and size, and not only do I stare at them for hours at a time, I get very upset when a little furry certain someone (concerned for my very well-being of course) tries to get me to interact with the other members of my household instead.

Even worse would be when there are some pictures, after all, shouldn't I know by now that those things in the book aren't really real?

And I've been doing this for years, and not even the all-knowing-bird understands why, though she's long since given up any hope for my strange obsessive behavior.

I'm actually kind of worried that the dog and cat might try to stage some sort of intervention on my behalf.
;)
 
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Dogs can be just as bad...at least mine. Harley jumps up on my desk and lays down between me and my laptop. Now, how in the heck am I supposed to type with you there?? If I'm studying on the couch, you can forget about putting a book down anywhere - now i have two dogs on my lap, chest, stomach....wherever...as i'm holding my book in the air. Not to mention, Mugsy, the troublemaker always running off with my pen and Harley sneaking my flashcards under the bed to tear them into a thousand pieces.......why don't they want us to do well in school?
 
why don't they want us to do well in school?

Maybe they know that our end goal begets poking and prodding of them?
 
Why do cats lie down on papers? Seriously... it's annoying.

Open books, pile of papers, bills on the table... what is so inviting about that?

It is their big secret way of learning by osmosis...

:smuggrin:so they can continue their evil plots:smuggrin:
 
Nobody knows why cats do anything. They're an enigma . . . that's why I love them! As I write this, I have a dreadful cold. Last night my cat seemed to sense that I was feeling ill, worked his way under the blankets and curled up next to me as close as he could get and purred up a storm until I drifted off to sleep. Woke up this morning and he hadn't moved. Beats a heating pad . . .
 
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Nobody knows why cats do anything. They're an enigma . . . that's why I love them! As I write this, I have a dreadful cold. Last night my cat seemed to sense that I was feeling ill, worked his way under the blankets and curled up next to me as close as he could get and purred up a storm until I drifted off to sleep. Woke up this morning and he hadn't moved. Beats a heating pad . . .

Too cute! :) This reminds me a lot of my cats. This is exactly why we love them! I couldn't imagine a life without cats...Too scary and sad to think about! :scared:
 
;)I think it's concern for our mental health.

I mean at least when I'm fixated upon the box with the moving pictures, there are at least the moving pictures and some sound involved. I must look like an idiot staring for hours at this thing in my lap with small black swiggly lines on it. I even carefully examine every single page, even though it's just more of those little black swiggly lines. I won't even mention that I sometime go back and re-examine certain pages, or randomly laugh out loud sometimes while I do this.

Even worse, I have many, many of these stupid little objects, all very similar in nature and size, and not only do I stare at them for hours at a time, I get very upset when a little furry certain someone (concerned for my very well-being of course) tries to get me to interact with the other members of my household instead.

Even worse would be when there are some pictures, after all, shouldn't I know by now that those things in the book aren't really real?

And I've been doing this for years, and not even the all-knowing-bird understands why, though she's long since given up any hope for my strange obsessive behavior.

I'm actually kind of worried that the dog and cat might try to stage some sort of intervention on my behalf.
;)

I found this utterly hilarious. Thank you. :)
 
lol, thank you! I'm a dork, but I embrace it. :D
 
Just as I saw this post, my cat laid down on some papers of mine lol.

He does it a lot, so I end up having a lot of crumpled up notes (although that's my fault, since I leave them on the floor). He also finds it to be a BLAST when I crumple up a piece of paper and throw it to him as a toy--he chases it around as though he's at kitty Disney World lol.

I really don't know why they do it, maybe they like the texture, or even the crumply sound it makes? Oh, the crumply goodness! :p
 
One of mine likes to sit where it's warm, so when the radiators are cold he sits on the keyboard. All of the icons on my desktop have been re-named. They also like to play with golf balls on the wood floors, I think because of the noise it makes, why do I even buy them cat toys?
 
I don't think it's just cats. My small dogs are always trying to get in my lap, sit on my computer, and generally just get nosy when I'm studying. I think it's an attention thing.
 
I get the whole wiggle butt, advance slightly, wiggle, jump, pouce, bite attack, stalking behavior, but where does the back leg kick/scratching come in. Seriously, you have the prey already and non-domestic cats dont do this....or do they?
 
My youngest cat used to be an all-the-time lapcat. Now that he's gotten older (and apparently too cool for me), he only likes my lap when I'm wearing my fluffy bathrobe or when I'm working on my laptop.
 
my cats do that too, but does anyone get the guilt stare? i mean really, whenever i try to move my cat off the text book he stares me down with these
"do you really want to move me" stare. its kind of like the puss-in-boots stare but even more, it totally breaks me down and i just end up leaving him.
 
:confused: My cat loves licking plastic... esp at 5 in the freakn' AM...*swish swish swish* *swish *swish is all I hear....what's up w/ that?
 
Too funny! My kitty does this too. He's also a screamer when he isn't getting attention. I usually end up just giving him a book or some papers I'm not using. If that doesn't work I just stick him in my lap like a little kid and let him "help." That usually does the trick. My rabbit, on the other hand, is more a destroyer of paper. When I was taking one of my english prereqs he got a hold of some of my books and shredded them to a million pieces when I wasn't there.
 
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:confused: My cat loves licking plastic... esp at 5 in the freakn' AM...*swish swish swish* *swish *swish is all I hear....what's up w/ that?

Oh wow, I thought my cat was the only crazy one that did this. She is obsessed with licking plastic bags! I can't leave any on the floor. She'll even lick the outside of the garbage bags lining the trash can!
 
:laugh: LOL that's great, i'm not alone on this one! Hmmm...my plastic lickin cat is a DSH and peachy/cream in color...what color is yours maybe it's genetic!?:idea:
Then again he's also somewhat of a hefty cat and I've been cutting back on his food...so he's prob hungry :D
 
:laugh: LOL that's great, i'm not alone on this one! Hmmm...my plastic lickin cat is a DSH and peachy/cream in color...what color is yours maybe it's genetic!?:idea:
Then again he's also somewhat of a hefty cat and I've been cutting back on his food...so he's prob hungry :D

At least your cat just licks them! Mine shreds them. Its the most obnoxious thing ever. Not to mention it makes me worry when i find shreds of grocery bags in her poop.
 
My cat is a DSH and is grey and white. She'll lick them even if she's just eaten. I can't tell if she genuinely likes the flavor, or just likes the sound it makes, or what? :idea:

My other cat will watch her confused, like, "Why are you doing that?"

It is a very confusing noise to wake up to. :laugh:
 
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