Cat lovers on Reddit have opened up about their pets‘ amusing ‘toxic traits’, sparking laughs among pet owners. The discussion began when a Redditor posted in the r/cats subreddit, asking: “What is your cat’s toxic trait? This is Nova and her toxic trait is that she loves to drop her toys in her water bowl and then bring them to me on the bed absolutely soaked-leaving wet spots all over my bedding.”
The accompanying picture showed Nova perched innocently on a chair, inciting the thread to gather over 8,400 upvotes and spawn more than a thousand comments. Contributions to the discussion were filled with lighthearted confessions: one user admitting: “My cat’s toxic trait? Stealing my seat the second I get up,” leading another to chime in with: “My cat almost dives to get my warm spot in bed.”
Another tale involved some cunning behaviour: “He’s watched me get his toys out from under the stove when he puts them there, so now he thinks it just magically has toys under there for him all the time. Now he goes to the kitchen several times a day and yells for me to come get out the nonexistent toys for him. My other cat barks.”
This comment reassured another Redditor who replied with relief: “OMG! My cat barks too! I shudder to tell people because they will likely perceive this to be delusional. I’m so glad that someone else can confirm with their cat.”
Great Pet Care, a website renowned for its extensive pet information and resources, showcased an article in August last year about a viral sensation featuring a two-year-old cat barking at the new family kitten. The site tapped the expertise of Samantha Bell, a cat behaviour specialist from Best Friends Animal Society, who contributed her insights.
She asserted: “A cat’s anatomy allows them to make a barking noise that sounds like a dog, it’s just not common for them to vocalise in this way. I have heard of this happening before with cats who are raised with dogs.”
Other negative behaviours associated with pet cats on Reddit ranged from cats sneezing on their owners to choosing inconvenient times to use their litter. Detailing his experience, one user commented: “Getting his little face really close to my face and ef-ing sneezing on me.”
With 535 upvotes, it seems other pet owners share this sticky situation.
Expanding on the list of grievances, another added sardonically: “My pair prefer to poop in their litter at the most inconvenient times, they prefer to go potty when I am in the room close to the litter box room and thus I keep gasping for air.”
Another owner quipped about their cats craving cuddles after committing what was described as setting off ‘bio weapons,’ summarising the ordeal with: “After depleting the oxygen level in my blood, they also have the audacity to come close to me to have a cuddle session just after detonating what I can only define as bio weapons.”
Someone else who has gone through a similar ordeal shared: “Mine will wait until bedtime, lights are off and falling asleep, then drop the stink bomb. So need to get up and flush the poop before oxygen becomes a problem. Have learned the hard way to do it before the stink gets too far. Because they won’t cover it!”