DEAR JOAN: My 1½-year-old Burmese cat, Zephyr, is the most stubborn, curious, smart, high-energy cat I have ever had. He becomes fixated on things, such as the lights over the refrigerator (which he will not stay off of). He also constantly gets into the fireplace, which is blocked off, and tries to dig his way behind the dishwasher.
For the past month, off and on, but more so lately, he has been fixated on the corner behind his litter box. He stares at the scoops and lays down next to the box. He is eating fine, and all bodily functions are fine. His litter is scooped twice a day. It is really hard to dissuade him from staring and then sleeping or hunkering down next to it.
I’ve cleaned the area, and short of introducing a new litter box, I don’t really know what to do.
Last year I wrote to you because there was a squirrel inside my wall. Zephyr alerted me to it by staring up in the corner for hours. Then again, as I noted, he gets fixated on other things, too.
Before I call pest control I am hoping you might be able to give me another reason he would begin acting so strangely. I should mention that for a while he would not use the litter box nearest the wall and the scoops. He uses it now.
This is a strange one, I know.
Paula Mints, San Jose
DEAR PAULA: I love cats.
Believe it or not, many folks who share their homes with cats have seen this same rather unsettling behavior. There are four possible explanations, beside the obvious one that cats are the definition of quirky.
It could be a health issue. Cats with a rare condition called feline hyperesthesia, suffer from muscle contractions they can’t control. If Zephyr is loudly yowling, aggressively biting at the base of his tail or attacking his tail, then suddenly breaks off this behavior to stare at the wall, he might have hyperesthesia. If you’re seeing this behavior, he should be checked by a vet.
The other reasons are less worrying.
Cats have astounding hearing and it could be that Zephyr is hearing or has heard something in the wall. That something could be another squirrel, but it also could be something as small as a spider. That’s how good their hearing is. The next time you see Zephyr staring at the wall, pay attention to his ears. Are the ears erect and alert, and moving from front to the side and back like they’re trying to locate the sound? He could be hearing something.
Cats also have a great sense of smell. They have up to 200 million scent sensors in that cute little nose (humans have 5 million). Zephyr might be smelling something he likes or intrigues him, and so he sits and sniffs. An indication he’s smelling something would be if his nose is in an upward position and his mouth is slightly opened.
Cats also have good eyesight, and Zephyr might be seeing something on the wall – something very tiny. It could even be some tiny particles of litter dust that move just enough to capture Zephyr’s attention.
The last reason is that Zephyr might be bored. He’s a very active cat, judging by his other hobbies, so he might be trying to tell you he needs more interactive toys.
As with everything with cats, we have to try to figure out what they’re trying to tell us. Good luck with that.
The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.
Source: www.mercurynews.com