Hi, I’m Christopher. To find out more about me and my silly Russian Blue cat, Olga, please read my about me.
Not that I had a boring life before getting Olga, but she has entertained me for almost 8 years. When studying cat behavior, we often link it to instincts: their aversion to water is due to their desert origins, and their love of playing with toys is linked to their predatory instincts, but is their sense of humor also instinctual?
Comedy Cat
I think most felines have a sense of humor, and it’s hard to argue that they don’t appreciate a bit of physical comedy. Olga doesn’t laugh or smile, but she does take great delight in knocking my glasses off the shelf above our bed, especially when they land on my face. She will attack inanimate objects when she’s hungry and wants attention, but sometimes she does so for entertainment.
The other day, she sat half asleep on my lap while I was working on my computer. She stretched out her left leg lazily and pushed a pen off my desk. It’s not in her nature to annoy me, but Olga finds it amusing and enjoys teasing me and laughing (in her mind). Without her sense of humor, she wouldn’t be the same cat and I wouldn’t enjoy living with her.
Slam the door
Strange cat behavior is not uncommon, but until I had Olga, I never realized that opening and closing doors was something she enjoyed. Olga loves to squeeze her body into the narrow gap between the door and the wall, stand on her hind legs, and push the door shut with her front paws. She can grab the door handle and open the door, but sometimes has a hard time.
She screams if I can’t open the door and gets louder if I ignore her. If I open the door she barks at me and runs away. Most cats don’t like being locked in a room, and once they’ve experienced it they’ll never do it again, but Olga is goofy. She’ll wait a few minutes before running into another room and slamming the door.
If I’m being naughty and lock the door, she will scratch the carpet next to the door and whine. If I ignore her, she will start banging against the door. She’s a small cat but she barks like a bull or a battering ram. Her barks sound urgent and she seems upset when the door opens, but she won’t give up and will find another door to attack. Her behavior is not instinctual and she won’t slam the door repeatedly unless she’s having fun.
A source of entertainment
As kittens, cats are entertained by their siblings, parents, and eventually their owners. Cats living in shelters lose their sense of humor unless they are adopted. Stray cats, often suffering from injuries and illnesses, may not be as interested in entertainment, but at least those who live in groups can indulge in communal despair.
Cats like Olga are lucky to experience joy and humor: to them, we are a source of laughter and without us, they would revert to being humorless predators.
This article is part of a series on Christopher and Olga.
