Wtf is up with my cat?

[makare]

I was going to put this in random crap but I thought eh I'll just make a thread.

My cat Tort has a bunch of toys. He is a seriously spoiled cat. He plays with his toys and seems to love them. But he has this pink, sparkly toy that he is constantly putting in his water bowl. I take it out and he puts it back in. A couple weeks ago my friend was over. When she got home she discovered that Tort had put that pink, sparkly ball in her purse. I finally got it back last night. I came home with it and gave it to him. Within an hour he had put it back in his water bowl. WTF!?

Any thoughts? Any of you had a cat that does that? Does he hate the toy or specifically love it or what!? Stupid confusing cat.

 

[Dave]

http://www.catchannel.com/experts/arnold_plotnick/article_cat_question_13.aspx

Transporting non-food items, such as toys, to the food or water bowl is a common behavior seen in indoor cats. The reason why they do this isn’t clear, although several explanations have been suggested. Cats often put their toys away in a “safe” place after playing with them, and cats look upon their food area as a secure part of their territory. This behavior is similar to cats in the wild who often take their prey back to their nest area to hide it from potential predators. Your cat simply might be storing his toy in a secure area to be played with later. (When my cat, Mittens, is finished playing with her fuzzy mice, she likes to store them behind a large flowerpot in the corner of my living room.)

Another possible explanation is that this is a manifestation of gathering/collecting behavior. For example, cats will transport the toy to the water bowl in the same way that a queen will return wandering kittens back to the nest, or move kittens from one place to another by the nape of the neck.

 

[HCGLNS]

Your cat recognizes the water bowl as a constant secure location for the toy and is safeguarding it. Try giving the cat a bucket, box or basket that they can put the toy in instead.

 

[Shegokigo]

Oh most definitely, one of my cats is really possessive of one of his toys and I ALWAYS find it in the water bowl.

 

[makare]

Hmm well at least he isn't a complete nutjob. He has a toy box for all his other toys. I guess he loves that toy specially. Hmm, maybe I'll have to find a more secure place for him. Honestly if the ball wasn't clothe I wouldn't care but I'm grossed out by it being in the water.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

Diomedes constantly puts his toy mouse in his food dish.

 

[SeraRelm]

The little stuffed fish toy... They both play with it sometimes, but the one ALWAYS carries it around meowing when one of us (or both I assume) is gone.