Pets are a finicky lot. They have complete and well-established personalities, a sense and approach to life that, despite not speaking, we know all about.
Of course, a cat, dog, rabbit, bird, etc. has a general demeanor that becomes obvious by their walk, attitude towards other animals and people, and the spots they love to sit and sleep in the house.
But there is another, far more particular realm that fleshes out the finer elements of an animal personality. Through freak-outs and nitpicky behaviors, a pet's whole self is made clear. These pet pet peeves somehow manage to be both the reason we know and love them, and often why they make us routinely pull our hair out.
One Reddit thread was a haven for the furthest corners of obsessive, impulsive pet maneuvers.
didnthinkabouthat asked, "If your pet had a pet peeve, what would it be?"
"HIM AGAIN?"
"The mailman still showing up everyday, after clearly telling him that he is not welcome here" -- whipwhip2
"The audacity" -- saltygipsy
"My one dog hates the mailman so much he gets mad at other letter carriers on different streets, if he sees them." -- justfortoday2017
Reverse ASMR
"My dog hates that raspberry sound people make with their lips. He will charge across the room, jump in my lap, pretend he's going to bite me then lick my face. Then glare at me."
"If I do it again he will leave the room. Somehow he leaves the impression he has gone to call someone and complain."
Posh
"My dog has a sensitive butthole and refuses to poop on a lawn unless it is cut to the correct length and has a proper grass consistency." -- mahelke
"Oh god, ours does too. He won't let other dogs sniff his butt, he only does the sniffing. I feel like I have to apologize to other dog owners for it. It stems from an unfortunate vet trip he had to make as a puppy after he ate a sock."
"They had to 'extract' it (and get sprayed by a waterfall of dookoo in the process)" -- SravBlu
Very Good to Know
"My friend's cockatiel gets mad when you don't let him play with your feet. Cockatiels have a weird foot fetish.....no, seriously, Google it." -- eF240uKX52hp
"Cockatiels are sooo much personality stuffed in a tiny fragile body. I had one growing up that loved seafood and landed on the table during dinner, grabbed a lobster claw/leg/thing, and tried to run off with it. Of course, her run was more like an awkward waddle because the lobster claw was almost 2x her body length" -- naps_and_cake
More Complex Than We Thought
"Seeing any of the bottom of the food bowl" -- mattreyu
"Yes. Seeing the bottom of the food bowl is apparently a dire kitty emergency. Especially at 2 am." -- FrostyBeav
"I read once that cats don't like seeing the bottom of the food bowl because of their whiskers. It's not that they hate the bottom of the food bowl, they hate eating out of the edges, because it touches their whiskers and squigs them out.
"Cats (at least non chonk cats) can fit through any opening their head fits through, and they determine this with their whiskers. So eating out of the corner of the bowl makes their whiskers touch, and this makes them uneasy." -- SavvySillybug
Not a Chicken Leg Fan
"My dog lies down with his legs pointing backwards making his rear look like a cooked chicken so I grab his legs and yell CHICKEN LEGS!!!! Let me tell you, he does not like that" -- iicow_dudii
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Your dog's legs look like rotisserie chicken." -- MissHillary
Temptation
"She does. It's when I touch her toes." -- ooglecat
"It's not fair. They look so touchable." -- EssentialHeart
"I love to stick my finger between my cats toe beans because he has these adorable tufts of hair sticking out between them and he hates it when I do this." -- writingwithmovement
"No human can resist the allure of toebeans!" -- naps_and_cake
Fashionista
"My doggo hates crocs... will try and take them and bury them. Essentially doing a public service" -- opportunistic_trex
"We had a lab that moved in, immediately hid my red garden Crocs in his blankets, and took them out to hump them every night. He was bucket-list age so we let him. My wife was not sad to see them go." -- Catsrecliner1
"Your dog is cultured AF." -- thespotts
Cats Against Drum Nerds
"She does, actually. My cat does not like when I play air drums. When I do, she comes over and sits on my feet, or gently places her paw on my hand. 'Please stop, human. I'm trying to sleep.' " -- InternetKidsAreMean
"When I play air guitar, my dog hears every mistake." -- elee0228
"Opposite, my cat actively thinks it's play time When I'm playing real drums. Just wants to hit the skins too. I have to lock her out. (It's an electronic kit so it doesn't blast anyone's ear drums)" -- ghoulsmashrr
Fickle Creatures
"Not getting enough attention and then getting attention. Yes, it's a cat." -- Merry_Pippins
"Pet me, pet me, pet me! NOM Stop petting me! NOM Why did you stop petting me?!" -- Malzun
"In our household we call this 'pet me with your eyes' " -- milkymoocowmoo
"I am convinced that my dachshund is a cat in a dog-shaped trenchcoat for this very reason." -- LeMoomin
Steady Now
"A moving lap. Any sign of movement not contributing to stroking is a sign of an imminent catastrophe, prompting immediate execution of emergency procedures."
"Emergency procedures involve evacuating to the arm of the sofa until the lap has stabilised. After assessment, it may be recolonised."
Anti-Shredding
"My dog has a ton of pet peeves... She can't stand the guitar, dislikes being hugged and touched in general, and dislikes being in water."
"Even with all her dislikes, she's adorable, puts up with hugging even though she walks away as soon as possible, and looks so sad during bath time but stays still and let's it happen. She's a good girl."
-- totaln00b
Triggered
"Anybody being in the pool. He fell in when he was a puppy and since then he has barked and growled at people who get into the pool. If you go under water he jumps in and tries to 'help' you, but ends up scratching you with his claws. (He is a pure breed German shepherd, and a big one at that)"
-- darkhub4
Like Clockwork
"Cat- being picked up or getting her belly touched. Also, me singing at her."
"On the plus side though, whenever I want to play with her, all I have to do is lay on my belly and hum the Jurassic Park theme song. She'll crouch into hunting position, and slowly creep her wait to me until she pounces, and batts my face (with her claws in so I know she's playing) and I laugh and we then break out bouncy balls and play a game of soccer."
-- CoulsonsMay
Posh Taste
"Mr. Kitty loves his jeweled collar, with its faux jewels of different colors gleaming in the light. He wears it proudly."
"However, he refuses to wear any other type of color. It's got to have multicolored jewels, or he 'MROW's' in protest to anything else."
-- Back2Bach
The Wrong Kind of Talking
"My cat LOATHES when my wife reads aloud. The cat loves when she talks to him."
"But heaven forbid that my wife attempt to read aloud! It does not matter if it is the instruction manual to the TV remote, a wedding invitation, or a section from a Harry Potter book, the cat will charge at my wife and bite her in the face until she stops reading."
-- Geemanneff
3 Strike Policy
"Having his tail touched."
"You generally get two warnings, three if he's feeling patient with you. The first warning is a growl. The second is a hiss."
"After that, out come the claws and fangs. Best not to have exposed eyes at that point, because that's what he's going for. Other than that, he's a perfectly well-adjusted and lovable Siamese."
-- shugerbooger
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Pets make our lives better just by being their fluffy, feathery, or scaly selves. They give us unconditional love and another being to spoil with too many toys and treats.
They are their own beings, however, and have their own idiosyncrasies and weird behaviors.
Sometimes these peculiarities are absolutely adorable, but they can also be a major pain in the butt.
Reddit user u/thoughtcity asked:
Pets bring joy to our lives and comfort us when we're upset, but it's not always sunshine and roses.
They also do some pretty bizarre things and have interesting expectations of their humans.
Reddit user u/matthwhz asked:
"Pet Owners of Reddit, what is the most bizarre thing your pet expects from you?"
Cat Goes To The Extreme To Get Some Attention From Its Owners In Hilarious Viral Video
In many ways, our pets are like our furry children who demand attention the same way a human child would. And, just like a human child, pets tend to misbehave if they're not given the attention they believe is their due.
Reddit user u/otiefish learned this the hard way when he left his cat alone too long in his dining room. Frustrated and bored, his feline decided to show him how it felt about being neglected by performing a minor acrobatics routine.
Fortuantely Otiefish caught the entire display on video and posted it to Reddit:
Reddit user AvogadrosArmy knew exactly what was going through the cat's mind:
"You gonna ignore me? Oh yah? looks around for a mess to make"
redditslim painted a bleak picture of cats:
"I swear they're little terrorists, sometimes. Little balls of hate, who just want to see the world burn. Sometimes."
toastyghost looked at things a little more positively:
"Adorable little fluffy balls of hate 😍"
rabidjellybean couldn't help but notice how many cats loved to dangle:
"Meanwhile mine just risks her safety by hanging off the upstairs railing. She knows I don't like it."
LollyHutzenklutz has been there:
"That would be my cat, Bindi! When I dare to "ignore" her, she just looks around for the most annoying thing she can do. Last night she managed to push an entire box of cookies off the counter and into the garbage... at least I can say she has good aim? 😒
"If I didn't love her so much, I swear; there are times when I feel like tossing her (back) on the streets! I'd never do that, of course, but the thought has crossed my mind. LOL"
snowlights has a cat with its own technique:
"My cat will find something plastic to furiously chew on. Then I have to chase her around to take the plastic away so she doesn't swallow it. She knows exactly what she's doing."
RoutineTwo has two cats that can't wait until later:
"My boys are a bit more direct when I ignore them. Like occasionally walking up to me and 'patting' me, with a claw, in the small of my back. It's sort of like their version of NOW."
N3R0Bisangwa has seen behavior like this before:
"Just like a little petulant child. Lmaooo"
Para11axis thinks cats are smart...maybe TOO smart:
"My cat has learned that scratching the carpet gets attention, so every morning at 5am she lightly scratches the carpet to wake me up and feed her. I know I should ignore her but I end up just groaning and flailing an arm in her direction, at which point she runs towards her food bowl."
applepieq has a cat which will cause chaos at the drop of a hat:
"Are you ignoring me? Fine. Watch me now cuz I'm gonna DESTROY YOUR HOUSE'
"My cute little cat likes to manipulate me by chewing something that's not food (my backpack, the remote control, etc) He prefers things that make noise like plastic bags or plastic flowers."
-AUniqueName- never expected cat ownership to involve so much Velcro:
"My cats enjoys knocking over my bedside table lamps. I had to Velcro them down.. the lamps, I don't Velcro the cats."
Daddyless_Princess could hear the cat singing as it climbed:
"IIIIIIII'M GONNA SWIIIIIIIING FROM THE CHANDELIIIIER"
All of you cat owners out there had better start giving your critters some attention or who knows what havoc they might wreak!
I think my cat wants my attention.... https://t.co/5GX2rHxR2m— Bronzeaxe (@Bronzeaxe) 1556011542.0
You know when you have a cat and sleep with it but then!!! THEN! She decides she wants attention at 3 am so wakes y… https://t.co/cNbdvzfwa9— Hans jiddies saw Nams tiddies 5/5/19❤️//break (@Hans jiddies saw Nams tiddies 5/5/19❤️//break) 1556113309.0
why does my cat gotta meow like he’s being hurt when he just wants attention— ghoulette love bot (@ghoulette love bot) 1556096365.0
Kitty just wants a little attention! 😊 https://t.co/8HkVRY6WRa #cats #adorable #attention— Syyrup (@Syyrup) 1556120708.0
Man Wakes Up To An Adorable Cat Snuggling Him Following His Surgery—But There's A Hilarious Problem
New Zealand MP Andrew Falloon just shared a photo of his father, who recently underwent surgery and is currently still recovering, on Twitter.
In the photo, his father was asleep on the couch with a furry feline friend, in the most adorable position possible: holding hands!
Falloon's mother had left the house a few minutes prior and had evidently left the door ajar. This allowed the cat to slip inside and cozy up to the recovering man on the couch.
The only problem with this kitty wellness check? The Falloons don't have a cat.
Twitter users were quick to point out that they seem to have inherited one, whether they were looking to or not.
Cats definitely have a mind of their own.
@andrewfalloon That's lovely. Kitty saw someone who needed a cuddle.— 🕯 Hadda Gutfull (@🕯 Hadda Gutfull) 1555223245
@andrewfalloon Cats are quite capable of making their own friends. Ours went and introduced himself to the neighbou… https://t.co/f0gO4CDfW6— Anura Samara (@Anura Samara) 1555223527
Some couldn't get enough of the adorable pose.
Surgery recoveries would be much more pleasant for many people if this was the case:
@andrewfalloon "You have the right to be comforted by a cat. If you do not have a cat, one will be provided for you… https://t.co/3B4iWMMMlU— Metta Bhavana "the individual in question" #jabbed (@Metta Bhavana "the individual in question" #jabbed) 1555234261
"Rescue Human"
@andrewfalloon @MorpheusBeing Nice. Cat went out and got a rescue human. 😂— Thechachi (@Thechachi) 1555228417
Apparently strays finding their way in to a warm human to sleep on is a surprisingly common thing.
@andrewfalloon Yeah, found this guy in my bed yesterday. We also do not have a cat. https://t.co/oKgte5EZjA— Ahmad Childress (@Ahmad Childress) 1555275460
@kittensnotkids @Thechachi1 @andrewfalloon @MorpheusBeing #notmycat appeared when I was going out of my mind waitin… https://t.co/k30Qfg1O8H— Jay (-)(*)astectomy Network (@Jay (-)(*)astectomy Network) 1555276999
Falloon told Mashable:
"I'm just happy Dad's on the mend, and if the photo made a few people smile that's nice too."
He said the biggest change that will come about from the popularity of the photo has less to do with cats and more to do with technology.
He said that his father isn't usually much of a cat person, and told Mashable:
"Now I need to explain to Dad what Twitter is
Whether you're a cat person or not, I think most people would agree that the situations and places they manage to get themselves into boggle the mind.