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This cat has got OCD!

1 Day 1 World Project: Donna at 6:00pm – 7:00pm (last week)

dog and cat sitting on park stools

So we were taking an evening walk in the park, when I saw this cat sitting on the stool.

And I thought- wouldn’t it be cool if I have Donna sit on the other stool for a photo that says: “Hey, Donna is a cat!”

So I led Donna to the empty stool and have her hop on it and do a sit-stay.

By pure luck, that cat just stayed there. She didn’t run away.

Rather, she appeared to be analysing if this was a threatening situation.

As she stared at me, I quickly snapped just two shots. And what luck, I got both of them looking straight ahead in one!

And then I noticed this little paper tray sitting on the table. So I moved to remove it, and that’s when the cat snapped out of its assessing mode.

She hopped off and on to the other stool next to Donna and started to do the strangest thing.

dog and cat sitting on park stools - side view
Why are you leaving me here alone with her, human?

She started to rub against the park table non-stop!

cat rubbing face against table
Rub… rub… rub…

I was surprised by how the cat kept rubbing the table the whole time we were there. In fact, after a while I became concerned because I remember this article floating around about head pressing being a sign of a neurological disorder!

cat rubbing face against table
Pause… Looked at me…wary cat
Looked at Donnacat rubbing head against table
Rub… rub… rub…

It was only when I came home and Googled that I found possible reasons to her behaviour. At first I thought that this cat might have been trying to be assert her territorial rights to the table to us!

 Cats rub their heads (bunting) against prominent objects to leave scent markings as a part of scent communication. – cats.about.com

dog and cat on park stools
This is my table… this is my table… this is my table…. this is my table… this is my table…

But then I found that perhaps the rubbing is the cat’s way of coping with the stress of having the dog and human in its space.

Cats are equipped with glands, located on the forehead, lips, front paws, and on their flanks and rears, that secrete pheromones. Pheromones secreted by glands on the face seem to have a calming effect on cats. When cats rub their faces on various objects they leave their scent, which is reassuring to the cat and non-offensive to humans. – petplace.com

I obviously am clueless about cat behaviour, what do you think?

For 24 weeks, weliveinaflat will post photos taken for a specific hour in that week.
We will cover 24 hours in 24 weeks. (I’ve no idea how we will do the sleeping hours, lol!)
More about the 1 Day 1 World Project here.

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22 Comments

  1. Hawk aka BrownDog

    Hi Y’all!

    What an amazing adventure! Kitty and Donna getting along like old friends…BOL! What an obedient gal!

    Y’all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

  2. Your photos are so amazing! What a cute kitty. I’m no behavior specialist, but she’s certainly putting her scent on that table! At least it’s not head pressing, even if she is a little stressed out :) I love the first two pics so much, they’re totally frame-worthy.

  3. Thanks for joining the hop. My kitty rubs all the time. That is what kitties do…lol. You got some great shots.

  4. Great shots. I know little about the cat world.

  5. Thanks for joining the blog hop, at first I thought it was a cat blog. ;-) Yes, kitties do lots of head rubbing which I think is different than the pressing thing.

    It’s very cool that both cat and dog were so calm while in each others presence.

    As for the 24 hour thing, is it something you can schedule?

    • Sorry for the late reply, but with regards to your question about the 24 hour project. Every week we’re suppose to take a photo for one hour of the day so this week it’s a photo taken between 8pm to 9pm and next week 9pm to 10pm. You could schedule the posts for any day/any time within the week, but the actual photography has to stick to fixed time slots at any day of the week. I’m not sure if I’m clear?

  6. Yes, you’re clueless about cats. But so are the cat experts.

  7. I know little to nothing about cats but your first photo is priceless! I love how excited Donna looks when she gets a pose just right. ;)

  8. Wow – impressive that the cat hung out! I have no idea as to cat body language, either, though. Which is sad for someone who has 2 cats.

  9. I watch my animals doing some bazaar things everyday. It is what keeps me sane just watching them. Besides spreading it’s scent it may of just had a itchy area or it just felt good or he was waiting for lunch? Very cute the way he/she just kept on that stool next to Donna

  10. How interesting that the cat just stayed there while Donna hopped up next to her/him. I can see a cat not being afraid of my Maya, but a smart cat would run and jump high if my Pierson came along. I’m not sure about the cat behavior. Too bad we can’t ask him.

    • I guess anything the cat says may be short and sweet :P so she is otherwise pre-occupied. :P At least Pierson will not get bullied by cats!!

  11. Very nice! Amazing that you got Donna and the cat not only together, but positioned just right as well. I think cats are in their own world, and that’s part of the reason she didn’t move.

    BTW, I still marvel at how you’re able to put so much energy into Donna and your blog. :)

    • It’s something fun to do, but I probably should cut back a bit hahaha… life’s getting a little busier over here as well.

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