Another kitteh tale - we need a pet psychologist
For a couple months now, we've been finding one of our burlap catnip mousies drowned in one of the cats' two water dishes. Each time, we fish out the poor thing, rinse it, let it dry, and return it to the toy box. Then two days later, there it is. It's always the same mousie and the same water dish.
We figure Dexter has to responsible for this heartless deed (since it never happened before he came to us.) What we can't figure out is WHY he does it. We have some hypotheses:
- He thinks the mousie belongs there.
- It's a warning to Miss grumpy ol' Orlando (the burlap catnip mousies are her favorite toys, and it's the dish she usually drinks from).
- It's a warning to us (one day it will be you, monkeys...)
- It's like the folk parable of the dog dropping his bone into the river - Dexter goes to get water while playing, sees the reflection of a new mousie and drops the one in his mouth in an attempt to get the new one.
- He's trying to spike the water with catnip, dudes.
UPDATE 12/9/10: Yep, it's Dexter all right. Eric set up his laptop's webcam for motion detection, and the camera caught him - I think Madcap's explanation might be the winner. Dexter played with the mousie, then picked it up, walked over to the dish and dropped it in. He watched it for a moment, then took a drink and wandered off. What a dingbat.
We figure Dexter has to responsible for this heartless deed (since it never happened before he came to us.) What we can't figure out is WHY he does it. We have some hypotheses:
- He thinks the mousie belongs there.
- It's a warning to Miss grumpy ol' Orlando (the burlap catnip mousies are her favorite toys, and it's the dish she usually drinks from).
- It's a warning to us (one day it will be you, monkeys...)
- It's like the folk parable of the dog dropping his bone into the river - Dexter goes to get water while playing, sees the reflection of a new mousie and drops the one in his mouth in an attempt to get the new one.
- He's trying to spike the water with catnip, dudes.
UPDATE 12/9/10: Yep, it's Dexter all right. Eric set up his laptop's webcam for motion detection, and the camera caught him - I think Madcap's explanation might be the winner. Dexter played with the mousie, then picked it up, walked over to the dish and dropped it in. He watched it for a moment, then took a drink and wandered off. What a dingbat.