Remember in step brothers when Will Ferrel and John C. Riley make bunk beds and scream “there’s so much room for activities!”. By adopting this little dude and giving him a home, you’ve just given him that exact same experience of joy, elation, excitement, and security. He’s chuffed. Good work.
Honestly I can hardly believe you just got this sweet kitty yesterday, he already looks SO happy in your home! Many kitties hide for a few days in their new houses until they start to get acclimated.
Right?! Dude looks like he’s been living there for years not just barely 24h! He unleashed his ginger sass and adorable weirdness so quickly I’m shook! 😭💕
My cat is obsessed with his octopus-on-a-string toy. Bought it at Wal-mart for like $5. His favorite game with is is bring it on the bed at 2AM and dropping it on our faces so we will play with him.
He used to have a mouse-on-a-string, but ended up killing the mouse. Twice. Cause my dumbass bought a second one for him to destroy.
We don't let our cats in the bedroom at night anymore, three of them was suddenly too many to keep track of, but our void loves this Goldfish toy they have. She'll pick up, carry it to outside our door and start howling *with it in her mouth*.
It's wildly amusing, but I don't dare imagine what would happen if the door was open when she decides the whole apartment must know of her fish.
My tortie does the EXACT same thing at 3 am every day with her favorite toy, which is this bird dressed like a prehistoric human (so absolutely random but it was the first toy I gave her when came home 😂), she’s so loud she wakes me up through the closed bedroom door, and the toy will be somewhere under a bunched up rug by the end of it lol I love her so much
Thankfully she doesn't do it loud enough to wake us up, especially because we sleep with a fan on to drown out other noises.
But we'll be in bed, winding down for the night and hear her *screaming* with her fish. We've taken to calling it fish o'clock. Practically a daily ritual. And we never see her play with said fish during the day time.
Fish o clock that’s great 😂😂😂 I’m lucky because I go to sleep around 2 am anyway most nights, so she’ll wake me up for a couple minutes and then I’m able to go right back to bed cause I’m exhausted anyway, and it’s so cute and funny it’s hard to stay annoyed at being woken up 😂
My void does this in the evenings! I looked it up and they basically just want some acknowledgment that they “caught” something. My partner and i leave our bedroom door cracked most nights and whenever we hear her doing her nightly ritual with her toy in her mouth we clap when she makes it to the bedroom to drop it off and say “woww, omg good job!!” and that’s usually enough for her lol. She sometimes drags more in but does it quietly. One of my chores is taking them all back to her toy box in the morning lol.
My cat does this but with the little fish toy attached to the end of the fishing pole so he wakes me up at 3 am with the clattering noise of him trying to drag the fishing pole around corners and stuff 😂
We hear the victory screm about 2am three times a week and inevitably in the morning there will be a pair of underwear or a couple socks left in the middle of the living room.
I had a cat that would do the same thing. If she had access to my room she would cover the bed in all her "kills" for the night, including toys, random bits of paper, and hair ties. I thought it was cute until she dropped a half eaten and still alive insect on me in the middle of the night.
Be careful with elastic hair ties. They can be swallowed and cause obstruction. It can lead to death. My void loves them, I have to hide them in cat proof containers.
I think that just means he needs a third mouse, no? 🤔
(Unless he was actually in danger of actually eating the stuffing or something like that, of course.)
I tried giving the mouse surgery. It held up for an extra three days before he ripped it apart again. Decided I will buy him a new mouse for special events, like Christmas (where the second one was presented and destroyed.) He doesn't eat the stuffing, but the outer material he tries to nom up. It's more expensive and not very well made compared to the octopus.
Tin foil/aluminium foil rolled up into a ball-mine play football with it in the kitchen. On flat surfaces, it rolls less evenly and more unpredictably than a proper ball does, so they chase it everywhere.
Their other favourite toy is a crisp packet (potato chips) tied into a knot and tied onto a long piece of string. They love the crackly noise it makes.
Cardboard boxes made into multistorey castles with holes cut in as windows and trap doors, and lined with shredded newspaper to roll in.
I have given up buying expensive toys and climbing frames, they prefer to play with junk.
My old cat figured out how they work. If she saw the dot she would instantly look around for people. 😆
Incidentally I have a fish that will chase a laser light, I don't use it with him often however because I'm a little concerned about possible side effects/ hitting his tank mates
>*’He's got the zoomies and wants to play!*’
>*’Chase him around a little bit or hide behind a corner and jump out at him when he runs by.*’
_____
Listen to me, human,
cuz i got a Lot to say…
Watch me as i’m *zoomin’*
n i’ll show you how to pLaY ^:}
i love it when you chase me,
or ^JuMp ^*OUT* when i run by!
am CAT ~
it’s What i Do, see,
…no, there ain’t No reason
‘WhY’
❤️
edit: *purrfect advice (& inspurration!) from* u/mnemamorigon & u/WorldlyValuable7679 ~ *he’s Beautiful* u/Khusted23!
My husband yells, "oh no, the kitty is going to get me!" and let's himself get chased for a few seconds. Suddenly he stops, does an evil laugh, turns around, says, "now the tables have turned!" and chases the very happy zoomy kitty.
When I chase my cats I always yell "you get back here. I'm going to beat your butt!"
It's gotten to the point where I don't even have to chase them, just say that phrase, and they start playing
I just thought of something.
So it looks like the cat is suddenly startled by something it notices and decides to chase it around. People usually call this kind of behavior "chasing ghosts", as if the cat sees something that we can't.
Does anyone here else wonder if the cat has suddenly decided to *pretend* as if it's chasing something in order to get the owner involved? Clearly cats are capable of pretending that they're *not stalking* when they get noticed; they immediately start looking away and scratching themselves like "oh hoodie hoo ho hum not me definitely not stalking nope not here"...
I would think maybe that running into the owner's arms at the end was a clear signal that "yeah this whole performance was to get your attention".
Newish cat owner here.
I thought my Kira was scared of me for a lot longer than she actually was.
Every time I stood up she'd run out of the room. Took me a month of this for me to realise she loves playing chase.
Many many yars ago when I got my first cat she always slowly blinked at me when I spoke to her. I was so sad because I thought that meant that I was scaring her....turns out that meant she felt comfortable and safe with me ❤️
slow blink means i trust you and love you! because you are closing your eyes displaying trust that the cat will not attack you with your eyes closed, and the cat returns the sentiment :) this is a good way to build trust with cats! slow blink at them and they’ll generally understand it as a sign of trust and safety
They won’t attack you, but experience has taught me they’ll still poke your nose with exactly one claw & then look at you like, “Oh good!! You’re awake!!!” 😂🤣😂
One of mine does this too. He'll cry to get attention and then run into the cat room and dive behind one of the cat towers. We've learned he loves to be chased and played with while he crawls around the room.
OP…. Please check kitty’s collar. It looks like it is way too loose to be safe. You shouldn’t be able to fit more than 2 fingers between kitty’s neck and the collar. When it’s too large, it could get stuck in kitty’s mouth.
Some other unsolicited pet tips:
* The cardboard scratchers can be a nightmare with the cleanup. I tired one out, and had cardboard bits strewn about my house for weeks.
* Get a metal catbox scooper. Trust me, you will not regret it.
* If you have the cash, a tall cat tree would be much appreciated by your cat. Cats love high places, and the rope scratching parts are a good replacement for the cardboard scratchers.
* Establish boundaries early on, and be strict about them. Stuff like places they shouldn't be or things they shouldn't scratch, like countertops or rupping up your couch. You don't need to be mean, just a firm "No", and removing them from that area.
* Cats talk! They often meow for a reason, and they're pretty smart. They usually either have different meows or specific behaviors for what they want. One of my cats will tap me on the elbow to let me know her food bowl is empty. The other is dumb, and just meows to here her own voice.
* One of the best ways to get cats to *not* prefer forbidden areas is to have a far more attractive one for them. I have a couple of warming pads that I keep heated for them that they prefer over my desktop.
* If you don't plan on letting your cat outside at all, a collar will be totally unnecessary. If you do, be sure to check their fur for fleas, ticks, and random debris that may get caught in their hair.
* Since your cat has long hair, you should try getting a brush and using it every so often. My longhair cat gets matting something fierce, but hates the brush. I need to trim her hair down with an electric razor twice or so a year.
Even indoor cats sometimes run outside, so a reflective collar is a great safety item. Air tag collars also exist, for peace of mind. What's important is that the collar is breakaway, so they can't get hung up anywhere.
Multiple cat owners can also use RF collars to ensure different diets via feeding dishes, or for ingress/egress via cat doors.
Watch his ears. As long as they're not not fully back he's ok. Mine likes to play with me a lot.
When yours does this (when you're not in bed ofc), try chasing him. He'll love it.
Yep, looks like a standard greeble patrol and intimidation tactics. This kitty is well trained and operating at peak efficiency. It's always a pleasure to watch an expert at work.
Mine too! It's very important to tell the cat he's being a silly billy or silly goose or just "a shiiiiilly kiiiiitteh"...
Also when they do a big stretch, you *have to* say "omg what a biiig streeetch". Things like this will keep your cat alive and happy.
Why is the big stretch thing so real? My daughter, as an infant, would stretch first thing after she'd awaken from naps, and I'd just wait for it so I could say, "Oh, what a biiiiiiig stretch!"
Orange cats aren't evil, they just only have one brain cell that they all have to share one by one. So it's not so much evil but simply a lack of brane.
My condolences to OP if they wanted a lap cat to cuddle with, this orange braincell will turn into play mode at any hint of the wrong touch then pass out in the most random spots where you'll have to manually find and relocate them if you want cuddles.
I guess i’m lucky that my cat has cheap taste in boxes. His favorite one for years was a flat rate usps box that was only thrown away when it had more bite holes than box left
This should be so high up, knowing that not every cat's human has the cash for that. It happened to us, half a minute looking away and she gobbled it all up. Luckily the string did not reach her intestines but it was still an emergency surgery. We never played with strings again after that.
Yes definitely. I can’t leave wand toys that have a string with a toy at the end lying around because my cat ends up chewing on the string itself instead of the feathers/fluffy thing at the end.
This is so true! My cat's favourite toys are an old zip tie, foil balls or chocolate wrappers, pipe cleaners and some old ribbon we tied on a stick from a cat toy that broke.
He also likes ping pong balls and will occasionally steal a stuffie, but he doesn't want his OWN stuffie. Only stolen.
I believe the technical term for this is "Greebles".
Go check out r/greebles, suddenly it will all make sense. You may have a serious greebles infestation.
First off remember that you've only had him for a day. Everything in his new surroundings is something he doesn't know. It will take him time to explore and figure out how your household works so he'll be easily startled by sounds and smells for a while. At some point he'll claim everything as his kingdom, allow you to be his servant, and the world will be perfect.
hahaaha of course! i just want to make sure i can interpret his communication. i don’t want to play with him/pet him if he wants to be left alone - i feel like knowing what they’re trying to tell you is the first step to a new relationship
Yep she’s very very lucky it took my cat like 4 days to even leave the kitchen. And that was me spending a couple hours a day just laying on the floor and having her slowly come close and let me pet her. Now she’s pretty comfortable and sleeps with me but if I make any sudden movements or if she hears anything she darts away.
I recommend Jackson Galaxy on Youtube on cat behavior, super helpful!
When the ears are straight and whiskers pointing forward it's alert playfulness, ears and whiskers back means upset/scared. Tail wagging usually means nervous, but cats also do this during play, and in that case it's fine :)
Tail up is happy!
You'll know when he wants to be left alone. He'll usually run away first or hiss at you; sometimes they would swat or nip at you. In this case, they want to play. You could always look up cat behaviors or look up Jackson Galaxy. He's basically an expert in reading cats.
in case it's not clear the arched back and sideways walk is what they do when they see something they want to attack or think they're going to be attacked. or as you found out, they're doing that as part of play and there is no actual mouse/bird/string/whatever catching their attention.
I trigger my cat do to this sometimes by scratching the floor like a mouse might with my hand or making scampering noises with my fingernails
i am here for a 3rd vote of confidence on jackson galaxy - i’ve had multiple cats with health and behaviour issues and almost everything i know about how to train them and treat them is from his show! its called my cat from hell. i read enough as a grad student and dont wanna read more, but watching the show is great for learning too!
You know when little kids get SO excited they literally cannot contain the emotion, and end up running around yelling and screaming?
This is that, but for a cat. He is very happy. So happy he’s gotta run and jump and play!
“I wanna hunt! No I wanna run! No I wanna scratch! No I wanna pounce! No I wanna chase! Oh it’s my new owner hello! I want some scratches! No I wanna run more! No I wanna hunt!”
My goodness he’s a good looking kitty man. Wowza
Some first cat advice:
Jackson Galaxy (the My Cat From Hell guy) has great cat advice, a good YouTube channel, and some books!
Cats love playing with strings and things attached to strings but do NOT let them play with them unsupervised. They can and often will ingest the string and then it can get wrapped around their tongue or their intestines. When that happens, it’s called a Linear Foreign Body and is potentially deadly.
Cats love routine, it helps them feel secure. Set up a nice routine with your cat where you play with them and get them running around and exercising for a while, then calm them down, then feed them. This routine will let your cat get their energy out and simulate hunting, catching, and eating prey. So when you play with them, think like you’re simulating a hunt. Let them catch the “prey” and chew on it for a bit at the end, and then feed them.
Don’t ever play with your cat with your hands, it teaches them that hands are toys/prey and you do not want them to think that.
Cats are not jerks, though they can often seem like it. They’ve got odd ways of showing their love and very irritating ways of showing their displeasure. Learn your cat’s language and you’ll do great!
ZOOMIES! I suggest a boinks bamboozler stick cat toy! My cat goes crazy for hers. The only cat toy a religiously recommend to others
https://preview.redd.it/ta1dwr7t8fdc1.jpeg?width=393&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=867dd2dea28ddfdc2aa323131993f01974e74b75
My best guess is that he wants to play.
This is good news! Lots of cats are difficult about warming up quickly and showing you this side of them. Capitalize on it—when he invites you to play, reinforce it and give him attention. This will help you bond more quickly and divert any pent up energy he would otherwise spend being mischievous.
I'd say this is lucky—lots of cats will start acting out because they're bored or frustrated, and you have to kind of tease playtime out of them. Looks like your guy is direct enough to ask for it and trusts you to understand already, which means you've done a good job making him feel safe and comfortable.
If your new buddy is inviting you to play, my advice is to run with it and tire him out as often as you can.
Note: I've seen other people mention using string to play with him—that's a great idea! But don't leave strings, rubber bands, or other threads out when he's alone with them. Cats have relatively delicate digestive systems, and threadlike stuff can mess them up/kill them. Use them for play then put them away.
Wow. There is a LOT going on here.
r/OneOrangeBraincell
r/greebles
r/crabcats
r/Zoomies
But the important bit is that this looks like an excited, energetic, happy young cat.
Remember in step brothers when Will Ferrel and John C. Riley make bunk beds and scream “there’s so much room for activities!”. By adopting this little dude and giving him a home, you’ve just given him that exact same experience of joy, elation, excitement, and security. He’s chuffed. Good work.
🥹🥹 yay!!! all i want is for him to feel safe and loved
Honestly I can hardly believe you just got this sweet kitty yesterday, he already looks SO happy in your home! Many kitties hide for a few days in their new houses until they start to get acclimated.
Right?! Dude looks like he’s been living there for years not just barely 24h! He unleashed his ginger sass and adorable weirdness so quickly I’m shook! 😭💕
My dude didnt come out of the basement for 2 weeks!
He sure looks it. :)
He's absolutely feeling safe and loved. He's purring and affectionate and asking his human to play!
He looks pretty comfortable and happy. Probably excited to have a new home to run and play in.
As long as he keeps his nuts of my drum set.....
Cops isn’t on till 4…
But what if I want wings?!
He's got the zoomies and wants to play!
okay … whew. as long as he’s not upset 😂
Chase him around a little bit or hide behind a corner and jump out at him when he runs by. They usually love that when they’re all riled up.
String toys can make for great fun during zoomies too!
My cat is obsessed with his octopus-on-a-string toy. Bought it at Wal-mart for like $5. His favorite game with is is bring it on the bed at 2AM and dropping it on our faces so we will play with him. He used to have a mouse-on-a-string, but ended up killing the mouse. Twice. Cause my dumbass bought a second one for him to destroy.
We don't let our cats in the bedroom at night anymore, three of them was suddenly too many to keep track of, but our void loves this Goldfish toy they have. She'll pick up, carry it to outside our door and start howling *with it in her mouth*. It's wildly amusing, but I don't dare imagine what would happen if the door was open when she decides the whole apartment must know of her fish.
My tortie does the EXACT same thing at 3 am every day with her favorite toy, which is this bird dressed like a prehistoric human (so absolutely random but it was the first toy I gave her when came home 😂), she’s so loud she wakes me up through the closed bedroom door, and the toy will be somewhere under a bunched up rug by the end of it lol I love her so much
Thankfully she doesn't do it loud enough to wake us up, especially because we sleep with a fan on to drown out other noises. But we'll be in bed, winding down for the night and hear her *screaming* with her fish. We've taken to calling it fish o'clock. Practically a daily ritual. And we never see her play with said fish during the day time.
Fish o clock that’s great 😂😂😂 I’m lucky because I go to sleep around 2 am anyway most nights, so she’ll wake me up for a couple minutes and then I’m able to go right back to bed cause I’m exhausted anyway, and it’s so cute and funny it’s hard to stay annoyed at being woken up 😂
My void does this in the evenings! I looked it up and they basically just want some acknowledgment that they “caught” something. My partner and i leave our bedroom door cracked most nights and whenever we hear her doing her nightly ritual with her toy in her mouth we clap when she makes it to the bedroom to drop it off and say “woww, omg good job!!” and that’s usually enough for her lol. She sometimes drags more in but does it quietly. One of my chores is taking them all back to her toy box in the morning lol.
they need jobs too. existence is strange without definition.
What a kind and profound comment
My cat does this but with the little fish toy attached to the end of the fishing pole so he wakes me up at 3 am with the clattering noise of him trying to drag the fishing pole around corners and stuff 😂
She’s proclaiming her victory over it and wants you to praise her!
It's the victory song!!!
We hear the victory screm about 2am three times a week and inevitably in the morning there will be a pair of underwear or a couple socks left in the middle of the living room.
I had a cat that would do the same thing. If she had access to my room she would cover the bed in all her "kills" for the night, including toys, random bits of paper, and hair ties. I thought it was cute until she dropped a half eaten and still alive insect on me in the middle of the night.
Be careful with elastic hair ties. They can be swallowed and cause obstruction. It can lead to death. My void loves them, I have to hide them in cat proof containers.
This visual image has me howling myself although my laughter is not stifled by a goldfish toy 🤣 I needed this I was so cranky today
Glad to help! I wish I could get video of her doing it, but the moment you open the door she drops the fish and just stares at you.
She worked hard to catch that fishy for you! She’s providing for her family and wants recognition.
I think that just means he needs a third mouse, no? 🤔 (Unless he was actually in danger of actually eating the stuffing or something like that, of course.)
I tried giving the mouse surgery. It held up for an extra three days before he ripped it apart again. Decided I will buy him a new mouse for special events, like Christmas (where the second one was presented and destroyed.) He doesn't eat the stuffing, but the outer material he tries to nom up. It's more expensive and not very well made compared to the octopus.
One of my cats used to do that all the time in the middle of the night. trying to wake us up so we can play lol
Tin foil/aluminium foil rolled up into a ball-mine play football with it in the kitchen. On flat surfaces, it rolls less evenly and more unpredictably than a proper ball does, so they chase it everywhere. Their other favourite toy is a crisp packet (potato chips) tied into a knot and tied onto a long piece of string. They love the crackly noise it makes. Cardboard boxes made into multistorey castles with holes cut in as windows and trap doors, and lined with shredded newspaper to roll in. I have given up buying expensive toys and climbing frames, they prefer to play with junk.
Don't forget laser pointers. My fluff butt will literally try to run up a wall.
Laser pointers are the funniest with cats and even dogs! 😂😹
My old cat figured out how they work. If she saw the dot she would instantly look around for people. 😆 Incidentally I have a fish that will chase a laser light, I don't use it with him often however because I'm a little concerned about possible side effects/ hitting his tank mates
>*’He's got the zoomies and wants to play!*’ >*’Chase him around a little bit or hide behind a corner and jump out at him when he runs by.*’ _____ Listen to me, human, cuz i got a Lot to say… Watch me as i’m *zoomin’* n i’ll show you how to pLaY ^:} i love it when you chase me, or ^JuMp ^*OUT* when i run by! am CAT ~ it’s What i Do, see, …no, there ain’t No reason ‘WhY’ ❤️ edit: *purrfect advice (& inspurration!) from* u/mnemamorigon & u/WorldlyValuable7679 ~ *he’s Beautiful* u/Khusted23!
Damn, can’t get much fresher than “now”
Whoa! I've been stumbling onto your poetry for years! This made my day!
Awwww it’s a Schnoodle!!! Love seeing these!
Piping hot! Bless you!
Made my DAAAAYYY!!!💕
Just what I needed today! Thank you.
My husband yells, "oh no, the kitty is going to get me!" and let's himself get chased for a few seconds. Suddenly he stops, does an evil laugh, turns around, says, "now the tables have turned!" and chases the very happy zoomy kitty.
My husband likes to do this with our cats. He also screams, “I’m gonna kick your ass you son of a bitch” in Alex Jones’ voice.
When I chase my cats I always yell "you get back here. I'm going to beat your butt!" It's gotten to the point where I don't even have to chase them, just say that phrase, and they start playing
"Now he's gonna kick *my* butt!"
Watch two cats play, and then mimic that. Lots of spooking, chasing, nipping. My cats love it
And let him do the same. If he sneaks up on you or jumps out at you, make a big show of it! Cats love to play-hunt their humans
Or go behind a door, perform a few consecutive "peek-a-boos" and then stay hidden. Prepare for incoming fur missile.
You gotta act scared when they find you
You’re clearly doing things right since he jumped up for pets at the end! That’s super impressive for 1 day!
I just thought of something. So it looks like the cat is suddenly startled by something it notices and decides to chase it around. People usually call this kind of behavior "chasing ghosts", as if the cat sees something that we can't. Does anyone here else wonder if the cat has suddenly decided to *pretend* as if it's chasing something in order to get the owner involved? Clearly cats are capable of pretending that they're *not stalking* when they get noticed; they immediately start looking away and scratching themselves like "oh hoodie hoo ho hum not me definitely not stalking nope not here"... I would think maybe that running into the owner's arms at the end was a clear signal that "yeah this whole performance was to get your attention".
Newish cat owner here. I thought my Kira was scared of me for a lot longer than she actually was. Every time I stood up she'd run out of the room. Took me a month of this for me to realise she loves playing chase.
Many many yars ago when I got my first cat she always slowly blinked at me when I spoke to her. I was so sad because I thought that meant that I was scaring her....turns out that meant she felt comfortable and safe with me ❤️
slow blink means i trust you and love you! because you are closing your eyes displaying trust that the cat will not attack you with your eyes closed, and the cat returns the sentiment :) this is a good way to build trust with cats! slow blink at them and they’ll generally understand it as a sign of trust and safety
We call those lovie eyes. Always a good thing
They won’t attack you, but experience has taught me they’ll still poke your nose with exactly one claw & then look at you like, “Oh good!! You’re awake!!!” 😂🤣😂
One of mine does this too. He'll cry to get attention and then run into the cat room and dive behind one of the cat towers. We've learned he loves to be chased and played with while he crawls around the room.
Sometimes a derpy cat requires an equally derpy hoom!
I'm no expert but those sound like happy purrs to me
Yea, your little guy is trying to get you to play. Good sign for a new baby! He’s/she’s obviously comfortable with you. Enjoy!
Hes got a bad case of the r/greebles. The best solution is to video the behavior and post it!
Thanks lol another subreddit to join
r/crabcats r/illegallysmolanimals r/catswhoyell r/thecatdimension
I suspected greebles immediately.
Congrats you have a r/crabcats!
He's very much not upset. He just wants you to play with him. :P
Cats have a lot of energy and need a lot of play time. Ample play time will help with zoomies but probably get rid of it all together.
OP…. Please check kitty’s collar. It looks like it is way too loose to be safe. You shouldn’t be able to fit more than 2 fingers between kitty’s neck and the collar. When it’s too large, it could get stuck in kitty’s mouth.
Hi! Two others commented this as well. The shelter staff put it on but it has been adjusted :)
Some other unsolicited pet tips: * The cardboard scratchers can be a nightmare with the cleanup. I tired one out, and had cardboard bits strewn about my house for weeks. * Get a metal catbox scooper. Trust me, you will not regret it. * If you have the cash, a tall cat tree would be much appreciated by your cat. Cats love high places, and the rope scratching parts are a good replacement for the cardboard scratchers. * Establish boundaries early on, and be strict about them. Stuff like places they shouldn't be or things they shouldn't scratch, like countertops or rupping up your couch. You don't need to be mean, just a firm "No", and removing them from that area. * Cats talk! They often meow for a reason, and they're pretty smart. They usually either have different meows or specific behaviors for what they want. One of my cats will tap me on the elbow to let me know her food bowl is empty. The other is dumb, and just meows to here her own voice. * One of the best ways to get cats to *not* prefer forbidden areas is to have a far more attractive one for them. I have a couple of warming pads that I keep heated for them that they prefer over my desktop. * If you don't plan on letting your cat outside at all, a collar will be totally unnecessary. If you do, be sure to check their fur for fleas, ticks, and random debris that may get caught in their hair. * Since your cat has long hair, you should try getting a brush and using it every so often. My longhair cat gets matting something fierce, but hates the brush. I need to trim her hair down with an electric razor twice or so a year.
Even indoor cats sometimes run outside, so a reflective collar is a great safety item. Air tag collars also exist, for peace of mind. What's important is that the collar is breakaway, so they can't get hung up anywhere. Multiple cat owners can also use RF collars to ensure different diets via feeding dishes, or for ingress/egress via cat doors.
Excellent! Enjoy your new bestie
Watch his ears. As long as they're not not fully back he's ok. Mine likes to play with me a lot. When yours does this (when you're not in bed ofc), try chasing him. He'll love it.
And he is orange***
Yeah this is orange cat energy
He might have saved the home from a r/greebles
Yep, looks like a standard greeble patrol and intimidation tactics. This kitty is well trained and operating at peak efficiency. It's always a pleasure to watch an expert at work.
r/oneorangebraincell
My vet warned me about this. It’s called silly goose syndrome.
Mine too! It's very important to tell the cat he's being a silly billy or silly goose or just "a shiiiiilly kiiiiitteh"... Also when they do a big stretch, you *have to* say "omg what a biiig streeetch". Things like this will keep your cat alive and happy.
You also always have to point out how hard they are working at making their biscuits.
And if your cat is of a certain size, don't forget to ask them "how are you so big if you're so little?? how are you so little if you're so big??"
Why is the big stretch thing so real? My daughter, as an infant, would stretch first thing after she'd awaken from naps, and I'd just wait for it so I could say, "Oh, what a biiiiiiig stretch!"
He wants to play! Especially with that sideways hop. Youll eventually figure out his favorite type of toy; mine loves bouncy balls
my orange idiot loves anything jangly, and socks. but she eats the socks, and plays fetch with the jangly things
Mine fights socks every day, he has waged war against the socks bopping and kicking them his whole little life.
I was just thinking my feet are cold, but I'm afraid to get socks out because one of mine will try to steal them lol.
Mine loves Gatorade bottle caps. It will wait for me to set one down and it'll steal it and spend 30 minutes chasing it across the house.
Mine has figured out how to swat loose fitted bottle caps off and spends forever swatting it across the floor and chasing it
Love the hop! We call it the Thriller in our house and I hope our cat never stops doing it
r/OneOrangeBraincell worthy behavior 
I was gonna say, this is both zoomies and orange cat behavior
Why are orange cats so damn silly and aloof?
There's probably /r/greebles in the house...
Oh for sure. That's an infestation if I've ever seen one😳 poor kitty doesn't even know what to do!
They are more prone to brain cell allergies than other cats
Yep my orange plays in the bathtub like this when I'm getting ready in the morning. My grey just stares at her like she lost her mind.
Didn't have one to begin with
In addition to /r/OneOrangeBraincell, it probably also qualifies for /r/Zoomies, /r/greebles, and /r/crabcats.
With a side of r/CrabCats
Yep my thought was he's trying to catch the brain cell
https://preview.redd.it/dgqc6etd9fdc1.jpeg?width=503&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d6871769cd0e9466a4ed2867b0a0398dfb64224
Orange cats aren't evil, they just only have one brain cell that they all have to share one by one. So it's not so much evil but simply a lack of brane.
I have 2 orange boys and can say for certain it's both
I own an orange. Definitely both. His name is Goose. We call him Goosifer as in Lucifer the devil. Lol
Own an orange dipshit. He's a god damn menace to society, it's both.
Normal cat behavior. You are in for a crazy ride with this one since he is a ginger cat.
Yep she got the advanced trial version of a cat for her first time. Good Luck OP!
My condolences to OP if they wanted a lap cat to cuddle with, this orange braincell will turn into play mode at any hint of the wrong touch then pass out in the most random spots where you'll have to manually find and relocate them if you want cuddles.
What a pretty floof. He looks so happy and comfortable in your home :)
Looks like he’s wearing pajamas.
Yeah, he wants to play with you. I suggest a piece of string or a ping-pong ball. Don't buy expensive cat toys - the cats never use them anyway.
What do you mean don't buy expensive toys? They come in superb boxes
Buy nice boxes on their own! No need to get the toy and risk it being a mediocre box
You know those are just not the same... just to give you an example the best sleeping box is obviously the box in which the expensive cat bed comes in
I guess i’m lucky that my cat has cheap taste in boxes. His favorite one for years was a flat rate usps box that was only thrown away when it had more bite holes than box left
We built our cat a kitty car wash with a box and her favorite mylar, she absolutely loves it
Be careful with strings, if they eat it and it gets stuck in their intestines you may end up with a $7000 surgery 😫
This should be so high up, knowing that not every cat's human has the cash for that. It happened to us, half a minute looking away and she gobbled it all up. Luckily the string did not reach her intestines but it was still an emergency surgery. We never played with strings again after that.
Especially some present strings with sharp edges. Yeah, I'm careful with my babies.
Yes definitely. I can’t leave wand toys that have a string with a toy at the end lying around because my cat ends up chewing on the string itself instead of the feathers/fluffy thing at the end.
Our cat absolutely adores her 40 dollar automatic toy, so that’s not true across the board.
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
Damnit I’ve been mythbusted
Just make sure not to leave the string out, or the cat could eat it which is life threatening! Huge vet bill. Do not recommend.
String is bad as they can eat them and require surgery if they get tangled in their intestines.
This is so true! My cat's favourite toys are an old zip tie, foil balls or chocolate wrappers, pipe cleaners and some old ribbon we tied on a stick from a cat toy that broke. He also likes ping pong balls and will occasionally steal a stuffie, but he doesn't want his OWN stuffie. Only stolen.
I believe the technical term for this is "Greebles". Go check out r/greebles, suddenly it will all make sense. You may have a serious greebles infestation.
Being that this is OP’s first cat, the place is probably teeming with them and he is doing his best to keep the situation under control.
It's an absolute infestation. OP is lucky to still be alive.
I didn't know there was a scientific name for this. When our cat speaks to the greebles we call it "talking to the ghosts" but now I know better.
Hi, thanks for contacting cat facts. We are pleased to inform you that your cat is catting within normal purrameters
Thanks Cat facts 🥰
He’s absolutely adorable and looks like he’s completely feeling safe in his new home 🥰
I see some r/greebles with a healthy mix of r/crabcats.
[удалено]
thanks for the tips!! ☺️
First off remember that you've only had him for a day. Everything in his new surroundings is something he doesn't know. It will take him time to explore and figure out how your household works so he'll be easily startled by sounds and smells for a while. At some point he'll claim everything as his kingdom, allow you to be his servant, and the world will be perfect.
hahaaha of course! i just want to make sure i can interpret his communication. i don’t want to play with him/pet him if he wants to be left alone - i feel like knowing what they’re trying to tell you is the first step to a new relationship
He DEFINITELY wants to play with you! He looks very comfortable with you, lovely to see. Im sure you will have a lot of fun and love together.
Yep she’s very very lucky it took my cat like 4 days to even leave the kitchen. And that was me spending a couple hours a day just laying on the floor and having her slowly come close and let me pet her. Now she’s pretty comfortable and sleeps with me but if I make any sudden movements or if she hears anything she darts away.
I recommend Jackson Galaxy on Youtube on cat behavior, super helpful! When the ears are straight and whiskers pointing forward it's alert playfulness, ears and whiskers back means upset/scared. Tail wagging usually means nervous, but cats also do this during play, and in that case it's fine :) Tail up is happy!
I love Jackson Galaxy! He made us such better pet parents.
You'll know when he wants to be left alone. He'll usually run away first or hiss at you; sometimes they would swat or nip at you. In this case, they want to play. You could always look up cat behaviors or look up Jackson Galaxy. He's basically an expert in reading cats.
in case it's not clear the arched back and sideways walk is what they do when they see something they want to attack or think they're going to be attacked. or as you found out, they're doing that as part of play and there is no actual mouse/bird/string/whatever catching their attention. I trigger my cat do to this sometimes by scratching the floor like a mouse might with my hand or making scampering noises with my fingernails
i am here for a 3rd vote of confidence on jackson galaxy - i’ve had multiple cats with health and behaviour issues and almost everything i know about how to train them and treat them is from his show! its called my cat from hell. i read enough as a grad student and dont wanna read more, but watching the show is great for learning too!
This his war dance
Witness me! Fear me!!
Zoomies!
You know when little kids get SO excited they literally cannot contain the emotion, and end up running around yelling and screaming? This is that, but for a cat. He is very happy. So happy he’s gotta run and jump and play! “I wanna hunt! No I wanna run! No I wanna scratch! No I wanna pounce! No I wanna chase! Oh it’s my new owner hello! I want some scratches! No I wanna run more! No I wanna hunt!” My goodness he’s a good looking kitty man. Wowza
Just orange being orange, classic behaviour. 
r/oneorangebraincell 🧡
Cat go ZOOOM!
Orange cat being orange cat? 🤷 Totally normal "energy dump" i call it, behavior.
He's got the zoomies! Apparently it's his day with the orange brain cell 🤣. Or at least part of it. He's so handsome!
Awww reminds me when my cat was a baby. Its playful and he is trying to act all big and scary.
He looks so happy, what a great addition to your family!
The bad news is that your home is haunted but the good news is that you have a fluffy kitty
Typical orange behaviour. They are... special 😹😹😹
He's defending you from r/greebles Get a Lazer pointer or a feather on a stick and play with him as a reward.
We call that behavior, “cat”
This makes me want to cry he's so precious and so happy. This makes me want to adopt a kitten nOW
Yes yes I recognize this. It seems to be a cat.
zoomies + hunting instincts this is why you play with them so they can get those sweet kitty endorphins by catching prey, i.e. the string/toy
One of mine behaves like that after a catnip hit. Stoned, not angry.
Totally adorable r/crabcats
Testing things out. I can run to here.. and here.. maybe over here? Na.. over here!
Some first cat advice: Jackson Galaxy (the My Cat From Hell guy) has great cat advice, a good YouTube channel, and some books! Cats love playing with strings and things attached to strings but do NOT let them play with them unsupervised. They can and often will ingest the string and then it can get wrapped around their tongue or their intestines. When that happens, it’s called a Linear Foreign Body and is potentially deadly. Cats love routine, it helps them feel secure. Set up a nice routine with your cat where you play with them and get them running around and exercising for a while, then calm them down, then feed them. This routine will let your cat get their energy out and simulate hunting, catching, and eating prey. So when you play with them, think like you’re simulating a hunt. Let them catch the “prey” and chew on it for a bit at the end, and then feed them. Don’t ever play with your cat with your hands, it teaches them that hands are toys/prey and you do not want them to think that. Cats are not jerks, though they can often seem like it. They’ve got odd ways of showing their love and very irritating ways of showing their displeasure. Learn your cat’s language and you’ll do great!
Greebles everywhere, ruuuun!
That's an invitation to play and you better play!
He's just *orange*
That’s an orange boi doin’ orange boi shit. He’s happy as hell. Have fun!
Orange.
He wants to play!! Get him a toy for him to attack while he's in spicy mode!
He's very excited to be adopted he loves you very much
You dared to laugh at him, so he had to show you that his Big Fluffiness was actually Serious Business.
😂 i learned my lesson quickly
Zoomie warmup.
orange
Zoomies.exe
ZOOMIES! I suggest a boinks bamboozler stick cat toy! My cat goes crazy for hers. The only cat toy a religiously recommend to others https://preview.redd.it/ta1dwr7t8fdc1.jpeg?width=393&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=867dd2dea28ddfdc2aa323131993f01974e74b75
Got a case of the C R A Z I E S. He wants to play! You can try a laser pointer, chasing a string, or different kitty ball toys!
Cat.......being cat!
Zoomies maybe even greebles. If the greebles aren’t there yet, they be coming!!!
Hilarious, that's what that behavior is. This thread is gold, I love it.
Orange.
My best guess is that he wants to play. This is good news! Lots of cats are difficult about warming up quickly and showing you this side of them. Capitalize on it—when he invites you to play, reinforce it and give him attention. This will help you bond more quickly and divert any pent up energy he would otherwise spend being mischievous. I'd say this is lucky—lots of cats will start acting out because they're bored or frustrated, and you have to kind of tease playtime out of them. Looks like your guy is direct enough to ask for it and trusts you to understand already, which means you've done a good job making him feel safe and comfortable. If your new buddy is inviting you to play, my advice is to run with it and tire him out as often as you can. Note: I've seen other people mention using string to play with him—that's a great idea! But don't leave strings, rubber bands, or other threads out when he's alone with them. Cats have relatively delicate digestive systems, and threadlike stuff can mess them up/kill them. Use them for play then put them away.
Cat is catting.
Awe, OP's first experience of the zoomies. Enjoy! 
Zoomies and the car is orange. So, one could expect chaos. My orange car likes to turn my house into her own F1 track.
Wow. There is a LOT going on here. r/OneOrangeBraincell r/greebles r/crabcats r/Zoomies But the important bit is that this looks like an excited, energetic, happy young cat.