{"id":652073,"date":"2024-09-16T10:00:32","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T14:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/?p=652073"},"modified":"2024-09-13T11:55:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T15:55:17","slug":"do-cats-have-a-sense-of-humor-olgas-comedic-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/felines-weekly\/do-cats-have-a-sense-of-humor-olgas-comedic-ways\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Cats Have a Sense of Humor: Olga\u2019s Comedic Ways"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, I\u2019m Christopher!\u00a0Read my introduction<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about me and my silly Russian Blue cat, Olga.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have a boring life before adopting Olga, but she has entertained me for almost eight years. When studying cat behavior, we often connect their actions to instincts. Their aversion to water is attributed to their desert origins, and their fondness for playing with toys is related to their predatory instincts, but is their sense of humor instinctual?<\/p>\n

Comedic Cats<\/h2>\n

I think most felines have a sense of humor, and it\u2019s hard to argue that they don\u2019t appreciate physical comedy. Olga doesn\u2019t laugh or smile, but she gets a kick out of knocking my glasses off the shelf above my bed, especially if they land on my face. She attacks inanimate objects when she\u2019s hungry and wants attention, but sometimes, she does it for entertainment.<\/p>\n

The other day, she was sitting in my lap, half asleep, while I was working on the computer. She lazily stretched her left paw out and pushed a pen off my desk. Irritating me isn\u2019t instinctual, but Olga is amused by it and enjoys laughing (internally) at my expense. She wouldn\u2019t be the same cat without her sense of humor, and I probably wouldn\u2019t enjoy living with her.<\/p>\n

\"Christopher,
Christopher, I only hit you because I’m amused by violence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Slamming Doors<\/h2>\n

Erratic behavior isn\u2019t unusual in cats, but until I adopted Olga, I didn\u2019t think opening and slamming doors was a source of feline entertainment<\/a>. She loves squeezing her body into the narrow gap between the door and wall, standing on her hind legs, and pushing the door closed with her front legs. She can grab the door handle and pull the door open, but she struggles sometimes.<\/p>\n

She screams if she cannot open the door and increases the volume if I ignore her. When I open the door, she howls at me and runs away. Most cats don\u2019t like trapping themselves in a room. After the first experience, they\u2019re unlikely to repeat it, but Olga is a goofball<\/a>. She\u2019ll wait a few minutes before running into another room and slamming the door.<\/p>\n

If I play a joke on her and lock the door, she\u2019ll scratch the carpet by the door and whine. After I ignore her, she\u2019ll start ramming the door. She\u2019s a little cat but sounds like a bull or a battering ram. Although her cries sound urgent, and she looks upset when the door opens, she doesn\u2019t relent and finds another door to attack. Her behavior isn\u2019t instinctual, and she wouldn\u2019t repeatedly slam the door if it didn\u2019t amuse her.<\/p>\n

\"This
This is my favorite chair to tear up!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sources of Amusement<\/h2>\n

As young kittens, cats are entertained by their siblings and parents<\/a> and eventually by their owners. If they live in a shelter, they lose their sense of humor unless they\u2019re adopted. Feral cats probably aren\u2019t as concerned about entertainment since they\u2019re often in pain from injuries and disease, but at least those living in colonies can bask in their communal despair.<\/p>\n

Cats like Olga are lucky they can experience joy and humor. We are the primary source of comedy for our cats, and without us, they would revert to being humorless predators.<\/p>\n

This article is a part of Christopher and Olga's series.<\/div>
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