Kitty likes my shoes

[blueerica]

Curiosity's got me.

Why does my mom's cat, Marbles, love my shoes so much. He's not eating at them or peeing in them. Loves to sniff them, and lay down on them. He hugs them.

Anyone here know what that means?

I can't seem to get anything clear off the internet too easily...

-e

[Kevy Baby]

Whatcha been steppin' in?

Actually, I know that our cats will latch on to certain items and make love to them (not in the Biblical sense - just do the stuff you described). Odd and unexplainable. But then, that's what cats are all about!

[CoasterMatt]

My cat Perry absolutely loves the subwoofer for our home theater system

[Not Afraid]

Cats seem to like people smells - the stinkier the better. Lyra loves to smell Chris' armpits at night. Jack likes to sniff the toilet. Scoundrel finds all sorts of things to sniff and then performs that open mouth cat thingie which is called Flehmen. Buster likes toes. Dexter doesn't seem to have a favorite smell other than turkey.

Cats have an incredible sense of smell that is much, much stronger than humans. They don't really taste things as much as smell them. My cats can tell when I've "been" with another animal and will sniff me up and down. Shoes have the most contact with the outside world as you step in all sorts of interesting scents. I think that is what cats love about shoes. They may rub their lips against the shoes therefore depositing their own scent into the mix.

I've not only seen my own cats demonstrate this behaviour but I've seen big cats, leopards, lions, etc, do the same thing. Fascinating stuff to watch for on your next trip to the zoo.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Scoundrel finds all sorts of things to sniff and then performs that open mouth cat thingie which is called Flehmen.

CP and I saw the white tigers at the Mirage in Vegas. One of them stood at one of the fake palm trees, and kept licking it and making that face. We were trying to figure out if the tree tasted funny, or if the cat was just expressing his opinion of the decor.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

I've not only seen my own cats demonstrate this behaviour but I've seen big cats, leopards, lions, etc, do the same thing. Fascinating stuff to watch for on your next trip to the zoo.

How did the lions and leopards get your shoes?

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by Tom

How did the lions and leopards get your shoes?

LOL. After I snuck into the cages to cuddle with the big cats, of course.

Actually, I saw a black leopard kitten Flehman after smelling his sibling's pee. I'd probably flehman too. If you stand around watching the big cats long enough, they will find something smelly - beyond my shoes.

[€uroMeinke]

Cat's like certain scents, and apparently your feet are like catnip to some of them.

[blueerica]

Yeah, one of the things I read when I was quickly breezing through the internet on this topic was about their sense of smell, and their sense of property. Just type "Cats sleeping on shoes" into google and you'll get stuff about all of it, including how to help a cat adjust to new furniture, by rubbing either one of your blankets or one of theirs onto the furniture.

Heh

[Prudence]

Who knows why they do these things? Boris loves shoes and men's armpits. Sasha likes to lick the painted rocking chair. And the painted fireplace. The cranky ol' family cat we had when I was a kid liked to lick plastic bags. And all of them think post-shower residue water was the finest delicacy around.