Expert: Jessica - 1/26/2010

Question
my male neutered cat is around 5 or 6. An about 3 years ago he started stealing only socks. He humps them an then puts them in the dog's water bowl. I know its not normal because if i leave my door open i can have at lest 10 pairs of socks in the dog bowl and around the house. I gave him a pillow to hump,which he loves but now he humps the pillow with my sock..And if theres no water in the dog bowl he steals my socks and then leaves them at my door. I just want to have an idea on why he does this

Answer
Hi K.C.  Actually, dragging around socks (or underwear) and leaving them in food bowls is very common.  No one's entirely sure why cats do it, but some suspect it to be a type of hunting behavior.  The cats "hunt" the object first and then save them for later in a spot they associate with food.

It doesn't really explain why he'd be humping the same objects, but this is also quite common.  Cats can hump for pleasure or to exert dominance over an animal.  If the items are dirty socks, it's possible he's trying to exert some dominance over you.  If the socks have been washed, the scent of the detergent you use may be arousing him.  You might try using another detergent if it concners you.

In the end, this is a behavior that we may never understand about cats but simply have to accept.

Best regards,
Jessica