Expert: Ali - 6/22/2009

Question
we've had our rescued cat Midna for over a year now, she's a very sweet and loving kitty; we love her. We don't know much about her past prior to us having her but we assume at one point she was a stray. She just recently started doing something a bit strange. She loves mice toys or anything she can throw and chase after. When she plays really hyper she starts to meow and what sounds like low howls. When she first started we made sure she wasn't hurting herself or becoming sick. It's just confuses us why she's doing this. She only does it when she plays with her mice toys, not when she plays with our other cat. Can you give us an idea on why she's doing it

Answer
Courtney,

Midna's one lucky kitty to have been rescued and brought into your loving forever family - not all strays are lucky enough to be given a second chance at life. Our youngest cat Kizmit came into our family very unexpectedly on a windy, cold and rainy night almost 4 years ago. When Kizzy came into our family she had obviously been seriously neglected and deprived of the most basic necessities of life. This kitten was incredibly thin, based on the findings of a complete physical exam the vet suspected that Kizmit had been the victim of cruelty in addition to being badly neglected and deprived of basic necessities. At that point we made the decision that she was going to be a permanent member of our family. I still have no idea how Kizmit knew that she'd be safe, loved and cared for when she took a chance on us. Who knows? Maybe cats can smell a soft hearted sucker from a mile away, maybe happy cats have a specific smell that less fortunate cats instinctively recognize, I don't suppose we'll ever know quite why Kizmit picked us. It doesn't really matter why Kizmit decided to take a chance and come running into our lives (and hearts#, but one thing is very obvious - this kitten had courage and a strong will to survive.

I've heard a variety of possible explanations and opinions about cats talking to their toys while they carry them around the house or play with them. Kizmit often meows while she plays with her favorite toy #which toy she favors varies depending on the day# and when she can't see us she'll pick up her favorite toy and use her full lung capacity to explain her plans for the next few minutes to her toy. Over the years I've had a number of cats who talk to their toys and I really think it's just a unique expression of that cat's individual personality. When Kizmit decides she wants attention, affection or reassurance from us when we're not within her line of sight during the day or once things get still and quiet late at night she'll pick up her toy and continue to talk to it while she waits for one of her human staff members to call her to us #during the day# or get out of bed, gently pick Kizzy and her toy up, give her some soft pets and offer a few quiet words of reassurance. Since Kizmit talks to her toys in a variety of situations at different times of the day or night it's difficult to know for sure if this behavior stems from her need for reassurance from time to time or if her discussions with her toys are just a quirky habit of hers since all cats differ in personality, intelligence and habits.

Some folks say that a queen who talks to her toys is treating them as a substitute kitten to nurture others believe that cats who hold conversations with their toys are doing so because it's a self soothing behavior similar to a child who sucks their thumb to get to sleep or has a special blanky. In my opinion it's quite difficult to say with 100% certainty which opinions are right since I've seen this behavior in intact or altered cats of both sexes and all ages who come from a variety of backgrounds. I think that several different variables come into play when it comes to explaining each cat's little quirks and unique personality traits. I really believe that for some cats being more vocal than most is just in their nature and in some cases these odd behaviors can reflect how secure and stable a cat's life has been up until the point where they've found their loving forever family and whether or not they've been socialized from an early age to trust their human caregivers. If you want to try and stop this behavior I really can't offer any advice - we're still trying to convince Kizmit to confine her loud conversations with her toys to daytime hours. We've come to accept that talking to toys is just one of Kizmit's unique traits and I think that it's kind of cute #except at 2 or 3 am). If you have any further questions or you'd like me to clarify any points in this answer, please feel free to contact me again.