Salutations and welcome to another session of WWBS or What Would Bangs Say? Today's topic was requested by follower - Diane.
"Ok, Miss B, have a question about cat behavior. Our neighbor’s cat sticks with us during the day when her family is at work. I feed her at least 3 times. I let her in, wash the bowl then head to the island to put food in the bowl. My question is why does she walk crisscrossing in front of my feet the entire time I am trying to get to her food. Telling her she would get it a lot faster if she would let me walk but no, she’s weaving back and forth almost under my feet. Maybe she’s read How to kill your owner/ neighbor?" Great question, Diane! No, I wouldn't worry that this kitty is reading up on how to kill you. It sounds like she loves you a lot, in fact. I do this to my human quite a bit too, you know. It's something that's built into all us cats at least a little bit. It's called "Cat Herding."
You might have thought only dogs herd people but surprisingly, us cats are guilty of it as well. We mostly do it to make sure our humans know what we want and it sounds like in your case, this kitty wants to make sure you know where you are going and getting the right thing for her. We just like to be sure, you see. Sometimes though - Herding is a sign of dominance or separation anxiety. This kitty could simply miss her owners and want attention as well.
In my case, I like to show human where to go but I admit - I do like to show dominance from time to time. Human can be stubborn you see. They insist on being on that computer of theirs all the time so I have to make sure they remember who's in charge!
We hope this answers your question, Diane. I'm certain this kitty appreciates you giving her attention while her humans are away. Thank you so much for caring for her and for your question. How about you, starlights? Do your cats herd you from time to time? We hope you all enjoyed this session of WWBS and have a wonderful week. Shine bright, starlights! Have a request for a future post? Let us know through comments or email to find out What Would Bangs Say? Contact us here: https://krisnbangs.com/contact
Great article, Bangs! Spot does this to me all the time - usually on the stairs in the morning, which is a terrible time to do it!! The hand holding pic is absolutely adorable!