Why Does My Young Cat Do This?

[Velocivixen]

We adopted two older kittens in June. They are about 11 months old now and both females. This particular female has had kittens prior to being spayed (she was a stray). She jumps onto the kitchen counter and takes the sponge out of the holder in the sink. She either brings it to me or to places in the house where I spend a lot of time (although sometimes it's just in the middle of the living room or somewhere). She doesn't eat it or chew it or play with it. Just now she dropped it outside the office door then began meowing several times as if to alert me! Do you think she's bringing me a "gift"? I soaked the sponge in bleach water earlier today thinking that maybe it smelled or something. Anyway, she's super cute, but it's only the sponge. She doesn't do this with anything else.

Ideas? Speculation?

[lph]

Well, many cats will present prey they've caught to their owners and draw attention to it, and I've heard that this is because they're bringing "food to the family", i.e. those dumbasses who can't hunt for themselves ;). Maybe the sponge is the closest thing that triggers that instinct. But if she had kittens, and they were taken from her early, I guess it could be something to do with carrying kittens around.

If you don't want her doing this I'd try first praising her, then taking the sponge and hiding it for a few days, and if she does it again when it reappears try not giving her attention and then hiding it for longer. I think she'll outgrow it.

[skhill]

One of my cats does something similar-- she'll walk around the house carrying a sock, making weird noises, then present it to me. From what I've heard, it's hunting/prey behavior. Does your girl speak while she's carrying her sponge?

[Velocivixen]

Thanks for the quick reply. I was thinking the exact same things. Either she is presenting me with prey or since it's damp/wet and about the right size for a kitten maybe it's her "mothering instinct". Now she is laying behind a chair and she put the sponge about 6 inches away from her next to a wall. She's just lounging, and she's nowhere near where I'm at. So that makes me think it's a "kitten" thing. Yet when she brings it to me it seems like a "prey" giving ritual. She doesn't make sound while carrying it (I've never actually seen her carrying it) but when she brings it near me she does a multiple, quick "meow-meow-meow-meow" then looks at me.

I don't mind that she does it, just wondering what you thought it meant and if it's common.

[lph]

She sounds really cute :)

If you behave like it's prey, toss it around a little, what does she do? Join in, or take it "into safety"?

[indysteel]

One of my cats does something similar-- she'll walk around the house carrying a sock, making weird noises, then present it to me. From what I've heard, it's hunting/prey behavior. Does your girl speak while she's carrying her sponge?

Yep; one of cats did this with her toy mice. She would vocalize somewhat oddly as she was bringing it to me and then lay it at my feet. This happened almost nightly. She would also leave them in my shoes. She only did it with two specific toys, one of which was included in her ashes, it was so central to life with her.

But I would add that most cats have some stance habits that can't really be explained. They're funny that way.

[owlice]

I'd give her her own sponge; maybe then she'd leave yours alone.

[zoom-zoom]

We've had two cats bring us little wads of paper so that we could throw them...to play fetch. Both made cute little noises until we would pick up the paper and throw it. The game could go on for a very long time.

[Biciclista]

let's hope she doesn't bring the sponge to you in bed. And giving her her own sponge won't work unless it smells the same.
My cat had a mouse toy that she loved; she ATE it. when there was nothing left except bits of hard plastic, we tried to replace it with other toys. NONE were the same You can't fool them.

[Velocivixen]

So my cat was in the family room on the sofa and the sponge was near the sliding glass door, so I picked up the sponge, tossed it and "petted" it. Mila became very attentive, jumped down, sniffed of the sponge then walked over to our other cat. I guess it's just her little quirky nature.

[Brandi]

Oh my gosh my cat Bo did that same thing till he was about 2 and then just stopped all of a sudden. It was the strangest thing. I could never figure out why a sponge? Now my cat Aki brings me gifts all the time. and she is 7 now. When I leave the house she brings a toy outside and leaves it on the stairs for me. So funny.

[Brandi]

Once Bo came ripping through the cat door meowing like crazy. He came running over to me with a piece of plastic bag in his mouth. It was so strange. Well he did it again. Ok well I was out in our yard and noticed a piece of the same plastic bag near our ivy wall. Well it turned out there was a nest of rat's in there!. It was like he was telling me. Turned out my other cat took care of the infestation (yuck). But how funny!

[malkin]

Try a pack of foam golf ball sized balls. She might love to chase them and carry them.

[SlowButSteady]

One of my cats was kinky for the potscrubber that I kept by the sink. She would get it and do the playing with prey act.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My new cat brings us little sponge-foam cat toy balls, and also rubber bands. She drops them near us or on the bed for us and we are supposed to throw them for her. Then she brings them back for another throw.
maybe your kitty is trying to teach you to play fetch!
Here is our kitty with her sponge-ball.... http://youtu.be/WoHLcs0qiGg

[Possegal]

All the cats in my family love the 'puffs' toys. http://www.carealotpets.com/products/glitter-puff-cat-toys__720521b.aspx Mine have stripped out the glittery part and are still having a blast. I think the one may have a soccer tryout coming up, so she's in serious training!

[zoom-zoom]

Sheba is so smart! What a fun cat...that's exactly what our Gus used to do.

[bmccasland]

Squirrel, my cat's favorite toy has been loved to death. It had a velcro closure in the belly so I could fill the body with cat-mint. Calypso would carry Squirrel around, toss it up, "kill" it, have it near her, carry it somewhere else in the house to play.

Then Chloe came into the house, and there were some spats over Squirrel. It was in a sad state when I found it last night, there's no repairing dearly departed Squirrel. Guess I'll have to buy two now. Although a leather "mouse" is getting some attention.

I wish I got a photo of Calypso carrying Squirrel. Found it amusing that she'd carry it around, play with it, loose interest, then later find it somewhere, pick it up .....

[Ssydeying]

She is really cute, I agree with that it's just her little quirky nature.

[spokewench]

For a couple of months, I had a suspicion that another cat was sneaking in the house and eating Jag's dry food. And, lo and behold, I came home yesterday from playing tennis and I was home for a bit; fed Jag his wet food, took a shower, etc. and finally was getting ready to sit down to eat my soup and boom, I hear this incredible growling and hissing and commotion coming from the back bedroom (All Jag, he is really loud when he is mad).

I went back there thinking he had a mouse cause he growls loud when he catches a mouse and there under the bed hiding is another black kitty. I've seen this lady cat a few times in the last few days outside our house. I took Jag into another room and she let herself out but not before she lost her collar. Her name is Samantha. I called the number on the collar to tell her owner that I have her collar, but no call back yet.

I sure hope she is not a stray or lost! She is not friendly and runs like heck when you get near her.

[Velocivixen]

I typically find both sponges out of the sink in the mornings. I don't mind, just have never had a cat who enjoyed sponges. I've never actually seen them carrying it around. Just find them on the floor.

[indysteel]

All the cats in my family love the 'puffs' toys. http://www.carealotpets.com/products/glitter-puff-cat-toys__720521b.aspx Mine have stripped out the glittery part and are still having a blast. I think the one may have a soccer tryout coming up, so she's in serious training!

My Henry cat loves those things!! We call them sparklie ballies or brains depending on what state they're in. I have those stupid sparkles all over the house, no matter how much I clean. We bought one brand of them for Christmas a couple of years ago, and he went nuts. Unfortunately, he also managed to lose all of them. God knows where. I've also never been able to find that particular brand again, and he's not as crazy about their replacement for some reason.

[marni]

our little miss ike loves the rings that come off of milk jugs. Periodically I take a yard stick and sweep under the victorian organ in the dining room, and the welsh cupboard in the bed room and retrieve 4-6 dozen, which are then stored in the bathroom and kitchen and thrown and retrieved and chased until I have to do the yard stick sweep again.

My old cat Pellinore used to love to chase wadded up wrappers off of balls of yarn that I was knitting and or crocheting with, Unfortunately he only like Pinguin brand ( dutch) yarn so we had to save up any stash we could find. We actually had friends who were sending us the yarn wrappers after we moved back to the US.

God bless their little fixations.

marni