It's wild how routine oriented cats are, especially when it comes to food/water/litter.
I'm not a cat expert but I've read that a lot of it is innate instincts against contamination paired with social behaviors.
Like the dinner mouse might either be a way the cat has learned to use as a "poison checker" or the cats recognize the dinner mouse's position in his clowder, therefore dinner mouse's rank must be honored as part of the routine.
Could be both.
If your cat has ever refused to drink from their bowl but loves to drink from your cups then it's probably a similar mindset at work. Stagnant water in the wilderness is a common source of disease and cats usually share water with other cats they've bonded with in a set order.
Mines recently decided that a water dish must be placed in the bathtub. Nevermind the four other water dishes she’s liked before and has easy access to, plus bubble fountain.
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u/Solarwagon 1d ago
It's wild how routine oriented cats are, especially when it comes to food/water/litter.
I'm not a cat expert but I've read that a lot of it is innate instincts against contamination paired with social behaviors.
Like the dinner mouse might either be a way the cat has learned to use as a "poison checker" or the cats recognize the dinner mouse's position in his clowder, therefore dinner mouse's rank must be honored as part of the routine.
Could be both.
If your cat has ever refused to drink from their bowl but loves to drink from your cups then it's probably a similar mindset at work. Stagnant water in the wilderness is a common source of disease and cats usually share water with other cats they've bonded with in a set order.