And they say cats can't be trained!

January 11, 2004 1:24 PM

My Cat Annie is a website with several quick adorable videos (in Flash format) of the owner's cat doing ridiculous cat tricks.
posted by jonson (27 comments total)

Oh, it's the "how to dance properly" guy. Cute.
posted by machaus at 1:31 PM on January 11, 2004

omg.....please stop! hehehe... stealth wins!
posted by poopy at 1:37 PM on January 11, 2004

Two for stealth. Thanks, jonson.
posted by squirrel at 2:02 PM on January 11, 2004

check out bi-lingual...my cats make noises like that too when they see birds. whats that all about?
posted by mcsweetie at 2:03 PM on January 11, 2004

wow mcsweetie, my cat (may she rest in peace) did the same thing also and i've always wondered why. weird. bird-talk. maybe it's something to entice the birds?
posted by poopy at 2:09 PM on January 11, 2004

Thief is good too. My cat loves money. I just wish I could train her to go get money from others and bring it home to me.
posted by birdherder at 2:12 PM on January 11, 2004

A FOAF programmed their cell phone ring tone to be a MP3 of the noise their cat makes when watching birds at the window.
posted by machaus at 2:29 PM on January 11, 2004

what the hell is a FOAF?
posted by item at 3:18 PM on January 11, 2004

(foaf = friend of a friend)

And there is a ton of other interesting/strange/bizarre/whimsical stuff on this guy's site.
posted by davidmsc at 3:21 PM on January 11, 2004

My cats also make the bird noises. Strangely enough, they even made them once when they saw some deer outside, so I guess the sounds would be more properly called "hunting noises" or some such. It's amazing to me that housecats can always recognize a prey animal, even when said animal outweighs them by a factor of twenty.
posted by vorfeed at 3:26 PM on January 11, 2004

Very cute.
posted by HTuttle at 3:26 PM on January 11, 2004

Re. stealth, I had a cat once that when naughty use to run and hide by sticking its head under the bed and leaving the rest of its body in full view. I think the theory was, 'I can't see you so you can't see me.'
posted by carter at 3:46 PM on January 11, 2004

Very cute. One of our new cats (Elvis) has learned to fetch, and I thought it was a first - now I see we'll have to keep working on more tricks before we qualify for the stupid cat tricks Hall of Fame. If I get a chance to load a .mpg to my web storage space, I'll post a link.
posted by yhbc at 4:04 PM on January 11, 2004

My vet says the weird bird noise means they're frustrated. (Always happens when they're inside looking out at prey they can't get to.)
posted by ferociouskitty at 4:30 PM on January 11, 2004

This guy's apartment seems to have a HUGE number of mice, check out the under-the-fridge video!
posted by aeschenkarnos at 5:12 PM on January 11, 2004

Apparently, the weird bird noise is the cat practicing (or anticipating) the coup-de-grace neck bite that cats use to kill prey. See here.
Great link jonson, much fun.
posted by TimeFactor at 6:13 PM on January 11, 2004

Hmm... every time my cat makes that wierd bird noise i'm always reminded of the bit in "The Pincess Bride" where Montoya is calling to Fezzik to come help him break down the door...

He's getting away from me, Fezzik! Please!! Fezzik!

Of course, everyone now and again she will bust through the fly screen with a meow of triumph before realising that crows are probably a little large for her.

Incidently, cats do not play 'fetch'. They play 'throw this' and when they stop bringing you something to throw, you know the game is over. As you the human you are the loser.
posted by adamt at 6:32 PM on January 11, 2004

I can think of one reason a cat would make a special noise while hunting. Perhaps they mean to test their prey's hearing by making a noise, then seeing if they react. It makes a good check of the prey's alertness and sensitivity as the cat closes in. Making a noise that won't necessarily broadcast "a cat is here" obviously makes sense. Perhaps they are wired to imitate something in particular (bird sounds?) and we just don't sense the resemblance the way a bird would.
posted by scarabic at 6:57 PM on January 11, 2004

This person needs some touch lamps for their cat. My parents' alarm cat comes into their room in the morning and turns the lights on.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:29 PM on January 11, 2004

This guy's apartment seems to have a HUGE number of mice, check out the under-the-fridge video!

Erm, I'm guessing those are catnip-filled toy mice, not actual deceased little rodentia. (My cat will bat her toys under the fridge, and then be frustrated when she can't reach them again.)
posted by lisa g at 8:46 PM on January 11, 2004

can think of one reason a cat would make a special noise while hunting.

But they don't seem to make it when they're actually hunting something they can catch. When they're after bugs or toys, they're silent until they pounce. I've only seen them make this particular sound when staring out the window at something.
posted by vorfeed at 10:33 PM on January 11, 2004

ferociouskittys vet is right, they don't make that noise when they are ouside and have a chance at catching the birds (nor when the window is open.) My cats do it to the telly when nature shows are on...
posted by dabitch at 11:12 PM on January 11, 2004

LOL dabitch my cat does the same thing. If she hears them, she'll sit in front of the tv. If they're particularly interesting, she'll run to the side the birds "flew to" on the screen, immediately recognize her mistake, and return to center and watch.

She'll even sit there a few minutes after the program is over, just hoping for one last swipe. Funny how an ordinary housecat can see a flock of flamingoes and go crazy for them.
posted by absquatulate at 5:13 AM on January 12, 2004

does you cat enjoy golf and sheep rearing competitions too? I'm beginning to think mine are a bit strange. ;)
posted by dabitch at 5:38 AM on January 12, 2004

My male cat and I play "throw this" all the time. He brings it to me, I throw it, he brings it back, and if I don't throw it, I get one very indignant "ME-OW!". I think that's cat for "Throw it, dammit!"
posted by greengrl at 5:53 AM on January 12, 2004

The cat in "my cat annie" looks (by its markings) to be an Egyptian Mau. I know, because I also have an Egyptian Mau. Annie has the right markings on her face, tummy and flanks.

Maus are known for their interactivity and intelligence. Many Mau's I've met play fetch. The one I have does 4 to 5 foot jumps from a sitting start, when properly stimulated.

They're also very outgoing and formidable. Our Mau's best friend at home is our 90 pound Akita, and it's obvious even to our Akita, that the Mau rules the house.

At a cat show, I met one Mau owner who claimed her cat would fetch her day-to-day objects, or hockey them to her across a table, like cigarettes and lighters, on command.

My Mau is currently snuggled up against me, asleep.
posted by kalessin at 6:50 AM on January 12, 2004

P.S. Annie looks like she could also be a bengal or an ocicat by her markings, but her behaviors seem to say "Mau" to me.
posted by kalessin at 7:30 AM on January 12, 2004