Picky eaters, adorable cuddlers, and rule followers or breakers... you may think we’re talking humans, but no. This post is entirely dedicated to our beloved four-legged friends who, just like their two-legged hoomans, have their own personalities, tastes and dislikes.
And quirks too! Believe it or not, some of them are so bizarre, no wonder their owners are met with eyerolls and have to prove they’re not lying. “What quirk does your pet (past or present) do that nobody believes when you tell them?” asked DMLorance on Ask Reddit, and received tons of entertaining stories.
Below we selected some of the most interesting ones so that we can all conclude that animals, too, are a bunch of weirdos.
#1
One of my cats legitimately sleeps in my bed. Head on my pillow, under the blanket, held to my chest like an actual baby. He will spend all night like this and get mad if I stop cuddling him at any point. We sleep with our noses almost touching, and I know when he boops my nose with his that he wants me to cuddle him tighter. It's bizarre but adorable.
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714points
#2
Every night at around 10 pm, my childhood dog would tell me it's time to go to bed. I could be in the living room watching TV and she would sit at the doorway and make little 'boofs' until I eventually got up and followed her to bed. This happened every night from my high school years until the day she passed at 15 years old. I miss that old sassy girl.
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672points
In order to find out just where these unusual pet quirks are coming from and what they say about their behavior, we reached out to Julia Oliinyk, the representative and marketing manager at Online Vet by PetCube. Online Vet offers peace of mind for pet parents with 24/7 vet help on any question concerning pet’s health, nutrition, behavior, and more, so you may wanna check them out in case you need a professional consultation about your four legged friend.
#3
My cat is litter trained, but at some point he figured out the purpose of the toilet and decided to use it. It was just the two of us at the time, so I was confused by the tiny turds in my toilet until I actually caught him squatting on the seat and hanging his furry little butt over the bowl. It was pretty freaking impressive, honestly.
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642points
#4
I'll just be laying around and yell for my cat when I haven't seen her in a while, "Mildred! Come give me a kiss!" She will always come running into the room and jump on me, she will turn her head to the side and I'll kiss her cheek, then I turn my head to the side and she quickly pushes her nose into my cheek, she will jump back down and go back about her way after. It's the sweetest, but I dont bother telling anyone, though. I don't need to be perceived as the crazy cat lady anymore than I already seem, lol.
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571points
According to Julia, it is always crucial to differentiate whether the behavior you observe is a unique little quirk or a worrying symptom. “Such dog behaviors as walking in circles before laying down or cat kneading are just two examples of ancestral oddities. These behaviors are not necessarily abnormal, but they are still interesting to observe.”
She added that while each pet's behavior is unique, some of the most common reasons for unusual pet behaviors include boredom, anxiety, and lack of exercise.
#5
My father's dog designs elaborate alarm systems with his toys. At night before bed he arranges toys that squeak inside of doorways and at the top and bottom of stairs. If you move the toys he politely waits until you aren't looking and then places the toy back. They don't just end up in a spot they are placed there. It also seems that the toys are chosen for each location based on ease of squeak and volume. The loudest toys are inside the door of the bedroom.
One final note on placement. If the door swings inward the toy is placed outside of the door's arc. If it swings outward it's right in the middle.
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468points
#6
We have a very unique dog that seems to have internalized a set of rules. He is friendly with our 3 cats however if he observes them doing something that we(the humans) have corrected them for previously he will then take on the responsibility for future occurrences by sitting beside the misbehaving cat and barking at them until they stop.
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453points
#7
Whenever I do push-ups, my dog crawls under me and pushes up off the floor against my torso, trying to help me up.
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422points
When asked whether every pet has distinctive character features, Julia said that there is no universal answer to this question, as the character traits of pets can be influenced by a variety of factors, including breed, environment, and owner. “However, some generalizations can be made,” she added.
“For example, certain breeds of dogs may be more prone to aggression or excitability than others, while cats that are used to being around people are likely to be more social than those that are not. Additionally, the way a pet is raised can also play a role in shaping its personality. For example, a dog that is routinely praised and rewarded for good behavior is likely to be more obedient and well-behaved than one that is not.”
#8
I had a kitty who once accidentally got a static electric shock touching her nose to the edge of my metal flat files. For the rest of her long life, she would touch her nose to the corners of things; doorways, furniture, etc looking for more. When she did get shocked again she’d paw at the object and bite in its general direction. I used to “charge her up” in winter by roughing up her fur so she could play her strange game some more. I’ve never heard of anyone else’s cat that did this. She was so unique with such a wonderful personality. Rest In Peace, Corners, my dear friend.
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415points
#9
I got my dog Snoopy when I was 10 years and ever since he was a puppy he had this weird love for lettuce. He would go absolutely nuts for it and so whenever I had a sandwich or a burger I would give him some of my lettuce.
Over the years it became a ritual that whenever I prepared any food that involved lettuce for myself, I would grab extra lettuce for him so I could toss it to him as I ate.
He passed away almost 5 years ago after nearly 17 years together, but I still find myself grabbing that bit of extra lettuce for him. It's kind of funny that his little quirk has still stuck with me for all these years and I honestly never want it to go it away, because it's a little way I remember him.
398points
#10
Mine is that our cat that passed away last year use to play hide and seek with my husband Curtis. Curtis would hide and our cat Buster would run around everywhere until he found him. He would even try to sneak up on him. If he was hiding on the other side of our TV console, Buster would crawl under the console just so he could jump out and “scare” him. If ever Curtis hid so well that Buster couldn’t find him, my husband would jump from his hiding spot and say boo. This would make Buster pout that he had not found him on his own and he would go sit on the couch staring at my husband with a “You son of a bitch” face. Buster even got to where he would hide while playing the game. Cats are hard to find sometimes anyway without one intentionally playing hide and seek and playing with the dedication that Buster would play with. We would both look for him until we gave up and sat on the couch. He would then stroll out a few minutes later with a smug smile on his face.
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383points
“A pet can potentially develop a weird behavioral quirk in their adulthood, but it's also possible for this behavior to develop at any other point in the pet's life,” the spokesperson at Online Vet explained. “It could be anything from a sudden fear of loud noises to a newfound obsession with chasing shadows. In other animals, you could observe more aggressive behavior, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, or being more fearful of people and other animals.”
However, if you are concerned that your pet is developing a new, previously unseen behavior, please consult with a veterinarian to rule out any underlying medical issues. While it is often just a weird behavioral quirk, sometimes it’s also a sign of some more serious problem.
#11
My rabbit feigned illness to get attention.
There were so many times throughout her life that my pet rabbit would pretend to be dying that I'd stay home from work or trips, shower her with love and treats, etc. that my boyfriend began to notice a pattern: She was "deathly ill" each time we'd start packing for a weekend away. Not eating, lethargic, refused her favorite treats, when I shook the bag when normally she'd come running, etc. I'm panicking and stop packing, getting ready to call the vet when my boyfriend pointed out, "she always does this. Just leave the room for a bit"
So I left the room and nervously kept getting ready when I hear a shuffle from her cage. She sprinted to her food dish where I dumped the treats and ate them in 2 seconds, sprinted over to her fresh pile of hay and started shoveling that into her mouth. I called out her name from the door frame and she greeted me with a thump of her foot while still eating.
Another time, once the "oh you're leaving? I'm sick" trick wasn't working anymore, I noticed she wasn't hopping at all. She... walked, with her back legs. She walked across her whole play pen, walked into the litter box, walked out, then settled awkwardly in her bed. I tried picking her up and she was just dead weight. I panicked because here was my 6 year old rabbit with a dislocated hip or something so I shook her treat bag because that's all I thought of doing and she sprinted normally over to me, stood up on her back legs with her front legs in the air, bright eyed and bushy tailed waiting for those sweet, sweet dried peas and carrots.
She actually just passed away last weekend at the age of 9 1/2. She suddenly stopped eating and it took half a day of me syringe feeding her for my now fiance to actually believe something was seriously wrong. It's the reason I always allowed myself to believe her tricks because there'd come a day when it wasn't a trick. Unfortunately she was just old, and even syringe feeding wasn't enough to keep her going. Rest in peace you little trickster. I sometimes think you were more dog than a rabbit
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328points
#12
With my old cat, who died a year or 2 ago, we had a game.
We called it Gun.
The game involved shooting him, in the face, at point-blank range, with a NERF gun. Now this on the surface sounds cruel... but he loved this game. If I cocked that NERF gun he would literally come running from anywhere in the house. He'd then hunker down directly in front of me... bracing for impact. Then he would give a short meow. I (And others who played with him) specifically waited for the meow. That was his "go" signal. And we'd let fly, aiming directly at his nose, usually from around 3 feet away.
Sometimes he would then bound after the dart, sometimes even fetching it. Sometimes he would hunker down again and meow, asking for more. If you were willing, he would play this game for as long as you'd keep playing... although I usually stopped after unloading all 6 rounds.
In the end we buried him with a NERF dart.
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328points
#13
My old cat Star could tell when I was suicidal and would lay on my chest and go limp so if I tried to move her, she wouldn't be able to be moved without making me feel worse. She would purr and purr while giving me kisses until the moment passed.
I miss her more than anything.
My 9month old kitten will treat me like a playmate and not like a regular cuddly person. She will wait around corners to jump out and play. She will run at me sideways all POOFED up to initiate a chase. High fives with no treats and sitting when asked to do so.
Torties are the best!
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314points
#14
My cat loves having her teeth brushed and will cry if I don't brush her teeth.
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289points
#15
My dog demands I read to him. Whenever I'm sitting reading something he'll come over, put his head on pages, and paw at me until I start reading to him.
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282points
#16
My dad had a male cat years ago. He was an indoor/outdoor cat and one day when he did not return home for the night, my dad went to look for him and found him injured somewhere after what looked like a dog bite. So he got bandages and stitches on his leg and had to stay indoors because he was injured. Then he gradually healed and had a limp on the injured leg so my dad didn't let him outdoors fearing he might be attacked again. The vet said the limp should go away soon. But it didn't. My dad believed the cat was faking the limp, so one day he watched him from the corner of the kitchen door as the cat walked perfectly without a limp when nobody was around. He just did not want to go outdoors because he feared dogs now.
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282points
#17
My cat is extremely territorial. My new boyfriend didn't believe me until while we were making out on my couch, my big ol' main coon went behind him and when he went to look to see what my cat was doing, my cat sucker-punched my boyfriend on the face three times with his paw, ran away to my kitchen, started opening and slamming shut the lower kitchen cupboards, and then ran to his litter box to take a massive s**t.
He also would get in between us in bed, put his back to me, stretch all four legs out and slowly put his claws into my boyfriends back and then retract them again. When my boyfriend told him to stop and turned over to go back to sleep, five minutes later my cat did the same thing with all four of his paws, but would only put *1* claw into his back.
They are bffs now because my boyfriend is a morning person and I am not, which is something very useful to my cat.
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281points
#18
My childhood cat burglarized our neighbors. We found swimsuits, sporting equipment, and even one time caught him dragging a kids backpack through the kitty door. What happened to the kid, I wonder.
254points
#19
My childhood dog had a weak rear right leg, so anytime he wanted to hike his leg on something off to the left he would just do a handstand rather than try to support his weight in the bad leg.
But wait... there's more. When he started getting older we brought home a puppy who absolutely idolized his big brother. Within about a month he had worked his way up to also doing handstands when he peed, but for this dog it was EVERY SINGLE TIME. I guess he thought that was just how you were supposed to do it.
Nothing like having two dogs pissing down their own chest several times per day.
243points
#20
My husband is a roofer and our first dog would climb the ladder and sit beside him. Almost caused 3 cars to crash and a runner to jump in a ditched when she barked at him we've had great dogs since but she was special.
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235points