We reached out to Anita Kelsey who is a certified and vet-referred cat behaviorist in the UK and author of Let's Talk About Cats: Conversations On Feline Behaviour. She was kind enough to share her thoughts about why felines sometimes do strange things that don’t quite make sense to humans.

First, Kelsey mentioned that it really depends on what you define as “strange”: “We cannot explain all things to do with cats and I still come across the odd cat in my behavior practice whereby I will have no idea why they are doing a particular thing,” she told Bored Panda. 

However, when we notice our little pets doing such weird stuff as in the What’s Wrong With Your Cat online community, there could be a reason behind it. “Generally, a cat acting ‘out of character’ would signify there’s a conversation to be had to understand why,” the feline behavior expert added. 

While the feline actions of your house cat may seem perplexing, Kelsey mentioned that usually their behaviors are based on evolutionary traits and instincts. “Cats are very curious animals,” she said. “So lots of things they do out of curiosity do land them into trouble, which could be classified as strange when being viewed from the outside. A cat does not act mysteriously just for fun, that is human labeling.”

However, the expert provided a few examples of when you should be concerned about the way your pet is behaving. “When a human knows their cat well, including the typical structure of their day and behaviors, it is easy to spot worrying changes,” Kelsey explained. 

“An example of this is sleeping for longer than usual, hiding away from their guardians, lack of interest in play or food, not going outside anymore if free-roaming, toileting outside of the litter tray, or aggression that isn’t normally there.”

It seems that there’s a lot that we still don’t know about cats. While the general public feels confused by the actions of their little furry friends, feline behavior experts believe that some weird cat behavior can be explained. 

Many are familiar with the cute kneading of their paws, when cats move them up and down, as if “making biscuits.” Nikki Johnson, an animal behaviorist at RSPCA Victoria, told INSIDER that kittens will knead their mothers to stimulate milk production. 

“We think adult cats knead because it’s connected with the soothing and comfortable practice from when they were kittens. It’s the same reason some cats drool. They are both little behaviors left over from kittenhood,” she explained. 

When it comes to finding cats in the most unusual and tiny places, it probably makes them feel secure: “You will see tigers exhibit the same behavior in zoos when given access to boxes,” the animal behaviorist said. “We think it’s linked with a feeling of safety and security. If you have your back against the wall, you can see everywhere.”

Meanwhile, if a cat nudges or is headbutting your leg, it doesn’t always mean they’re asking to be petted. Richard Gowan, a senior veterinarian at The Cat Clinic, explained that “​​we, as humans, perceive headbutting as a sign of affection but the cat may not tolerate you bending down to pat it.” 

“Cats have limited scent glands around their body. They have these glands around their feet, face, and bum. So generally, when cats do things like kneading, scratching, or headbutting, they’re actually marking you with their glands,” the veterinarian added. 

Even though our cats both amuse and baffle us, we still accept them into our families with open hearts. And if trying to better understand them helps us harmonize our relationship with them, it’s certainly worth a try.