Hello, I’m Christopher! To learn more about me and my silly Russian blue cat, Olga, please read my bio.
Cats’ hunting instincts influence how they play with toys, but there’s more to cat play than evolution. Domestic cats are predators, and we tend to think that their behavior is predetermined by genetics. It’s hard to argue that they love hunting and playing, but most cats are smart enough to tell the difference between them.
olga the hunter
My cat just hunts and kills insects in the house. A few years ago, she chased an anole (Anolis carolinensis), I pinned it to the floor to prevent it from moving around under the dryer. She didn’t wave it around or bite it in half. Although Olga is sometimes aggressive, she does not have a strong prey drive or desire to torture and eat small lizards.
I don’t let her outside to chase birds or rodents, so I wouldn’t claim she’s more gentle than other cats. She could kill small animals in cold blood, but I don’t think her play behavior is a good indicator of her hunting skills, so I don’t know.
Olga hits and attacks toys, but she also cuddles with them and sometimes falls into a deep trance. If I let her out and she treats mice and birds the same way, the animals will hurt her and she could suffocate after sleeping on them.
trance induced by toys
When she purrs and stretches out with a toy on her head, I can rub her belly without tearing my hand apart. He purrs when I hold the toy, but I think he enjoys it more than petting it. Without a toy, she would cling to my hand and insert her fangs into it. Most felines don’t like someone touching their intestines, except for the Siamese cat I had.
I thought only her plastic plant holder sent her to another world. But Actinidia rats, paper balls and branches of Actinidia also calm Olga and reduce her defenses. He doesn’t always do it, but he seems to enjoy sleeping on toys. In the morning, you may find a paper ball or stuffed mouse at the foot of your bed.
olga comfort blanket
When I was younger, she would often drag plant holders around the house and drop them at my feet, encouraging me to play with them. She acted like Linus in a tattered blue blanket. Like him, her favorite inedible food comforted her. When she’s in a trance with the toy, I can inspect her belly for parasites or bumps, but eventually she gets irritated and doesn’t want me to brush her. Not allowed.
After Olga’s dental surgery, I considered giving her a toy to distract her while I put a syringe of antibiotics into her mouth, but decided against it. She wasn’t very cooperative when she saw the oral medication in my hand, but I didn’t want her to associate one of the toys with a traumatic experience. I’m happy when he’s into me, and he’s usually a grumpy cat, so I like to see him in a good mood.
This article is part of the Christopher and Olga series.
