So, I'm curious, I've never really had a cat as a grown up, because of allergies and other issues, and now that I can have mine I'm absolutely loving pet ownership again. I previously had dogs and I always thought myself to be more of a dog person which is still probably true, but Thor (the perfect name he had given to him in the shelter) is much more than a cat. I'm sure most of us say that about our pets, but most days I swear he acts more like a dog than a cat, which is perfect for me and my family. This has given me some difficulties though, because I'm unsure of some cat behavior and I'm not sure if what he's doing is normal or not.
I was hoping some of you could help me figure out if he's just being a cat or if there is something I should be worrying about. I know cats LOVE boxes and we have a few thrown around for his pleasure. He doesn't spend a lot of time in them which I think means he's happy and comfortable in his new home, his most common places to be are on my bed or on my office chair. If he's lucky the clothes hampers are full of clean clothing that he can happily lay upon. These things are not what bother me though, what I'm worried about is his tendency to chew on things. He is a full grown neutered male cat, but he chews on boxes absolutely decimates them with his teeth. When he is done with them it looks like a rat has used them for nesting material. Is this normal? Should I attempt to stop the behavior? How would I go about doing that?
Another issue I'm having with him is that although he has fresh water at all times he would much rather drink water from the bottom of the tub, the sink, or if we forget to close the lid, even from the toilet. I thought that was a dog only behavior so was completely shocked to see him days after we brought him home propped on the toilet seat with his head down in the toilet. Do your cats do the same sorts of things?
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