My bird has a love/hate relationship with mirrors. She loves to dance with her reflection and play peekaboo with your reflection, but if the mirror's not vertical she freaks. She won't go near a mirror leaning against the wall or lying on the floor, and if you move a mirror while she can see the mirrored side she goes berserk trying to fly away from it. I had to cover her in her cage after learning all this the hard way while installing a mirrored bar at my last place.

Gann

I bought a laser pointer for my cat thinking "this'll be great. she'll love it and try to catch it and get some exercise". Well.... she not only doesn't like it she is deathly afraid of it. The first time I shined it on the ground she batted at it and ran. Ever since then if she even hears the keychain that's attached to it she runs up stairs and hides under the bed.

highfloydelity

@johnnyabnormal:

man one morning, i was lying in bed... and i heard this noise, "BONG!"... whoops... forgot to open the window for the cat. he was not pleased, and thereafter was very cautious about such portals.

nutbastard

@Chromeo:

Hah! Yes, it was one of these:

[www.districtfinancial.net]

I'd hate to know if anyone used that for anything other than massaging a back... eeew!

cloudnine

@johnnyabnormal: video of your cat opening a door please :)

graphx

@nutbastard: His worst habit is jumping on door knobs and leaning back to open the door. He also tried to rename my hard drive:

"ghfrgrfghfghgtfgtfrgtfrgtfrgtgtrghfrghfrghghfrhthrthyuyujujuyhuyhuhuuyyuu"

johnnyabnormal

@johnnyabnormal:

fuck man my old cat used to whine and complain in the wee hours for food. if service was not prompt, he would stop meowing and would find anything on top of anything else, and would knock shit onto the floor until he was fed. and he would look right at you as if to say, "you see this shit? huh? you like this shit here? you do? hmm. shoulda fed me then, asshole. 'whoops'."

nutbastard

nothing better than a laser and 3 or more cats. on tile. yeah.

nutbastard

@ihatethekids:

wow. that's terrible. poor thing : (
i think im going to go pray now...

nutbastard

My all-white, 13 lb. Jack Russell Terrier hates the vacuum cleaner. It was okay when she merely avoided it and sort of chased it. But then I tried to go all Dog Whisperer on her and tried to get her more acclimated to it. I did it wrong, and now things are worse. She's terrorized by the thing and shudders. I have to keep her in another room while I'm vacuuming to not traumatize her. Help me Cesar Milan, you're my only hope!

EricLA2NYC

I live in guilt.

My dog loves to chase the laser pointer light. So I brought it to the neighbor's months ago to try with their dog and ever since he just goes out and stares at the fence.. waiting.... jerking around.. staring for HOURS

It's not funny any more. :(

Denver_80203

My ceiling fan at home runs 24/7. But on the rare occasion that I do turn it off to clean it, my cat stares at it the entire time that it's off, as though it has died and she is mourning it.

Samutz

@MINI Driver:

ive seen that same thing happen!

one cat i have is afraid of her own shadow, the other is highly intelligent and LOVES to watch things get flushed down the toilet.

nutbastard

@johnnyabnormal: my sister has a cat and she does the same thing (with the sink) its kinda funny. she will also get in between the inside plastic shower lining and the outside cloth linking and walk on the ledge while you take a shower.

graphx

My two cats were TERRIFIED of our Roomba at first. They would stare at it accusingly as it went about its business and were ready to run as soon as it started moving in their direction. Now when they hear the little BEEPS of it starting up the run out to watch it, not in fear though, because it seems to genuinely entertain them. The one cat even likes to play chicken with it. She'll run out in front of it and lay in its path and stare at it defiantly as if daring it to get too close and run her over. Then as it edges closer she gets more nervous and when it touches the finest of her fur she runs down the hallway like a maniac only to come back moments later to repeat the process while the other, smarter cat, just watches. If she knew what it meant we're sure she'd be shaking her head in disgust at other cat.

crabbyman6

@Dj75728:

I lobbed a piece of dog food at her last night.. and she ran upstairs :/ i never thought about the guy with gun breakin in thing.. heh..

anon

My dog loves any kind of laser pointer or flashlight. It's funny because he is so OCD about it that if you even pick up a large pen like a Sharpie or something he cocks his head to the side and looks at the floor for the spot.

maven2k

My cat Riley also hates toothbrushes. This is him attacking one sticking out of my wife's backpack before we took a road trip:

[www.johnnyrandom.com]

At a apartment I had a few years ago, he used to turn on the sink in the bathroom for a drink:

[www.johnnyrandom.com]

He still does it in my kitchen now:

johnnyabnormal

My cat hates the vacuum, I also found out that he hates my Black&Decker power screwdriver.

se7a7n7

I guess it's a bad location for the cat box then.

Y2KGTP

My cat sometimes comes in the bathroom after I take a shower to lick up the fresh water in the shower stall, but when I use the hairdryer, she is sure to run in fear.

Pander

if anything i think my pet benefits from electronics... he loves to sit right in front of the tv and watch what is going on... the washing machine is his second favorite thing to watch... and when theres something on tv, he will actually go up and try to paw at it.. and play...so i think technology is a plus for animals....

rebelj12a

My very beloved, now deceased, dog was terrified of anything domed shape for the first 8 years or so of his life. The Weber grill, particularly. He'd mostly just walk carefully around it, giving about 6-10 feet of space, but if forced to go near he'd downright cower. He was afraid of upside-down bowls and the lid for our wok, too. We kept him from knocking over the kitchen trash can by sticking the wok lid on there. He wouldn't go near it.

kerry

After reading all of these posts I am starting to wonder if I'm demented since I've never been concerned of such things when it came to animals.

It's a cat! It eats, it shits, you pet it, one day you have to bury it and get another.

dmenafro

Man I love cats. Stupid, cuddly, entertaining cats.

Evan394

My cat, at the elderly age of 22 years old, fears nothing but me leaving her - which is very sad, since of course I have to leave for work.

The vacuum? An annoyance. Laundry machine? Bah. Me leaving? She yells at me and follows me to the door ...

Obrysii

@Nintenboy01: Thats why I kept him out of them! Glad to say he lived to a very ripe old age and Oreos had nothing to do with his demise.

Curves

One of our cats loves/hates (can't tell which) any cd/dvd tray. It's gotten to the point where if we just pick up a DVD from our shelf, he's sitting in front of the DVD player just waiting for it to make its move.

conigs

My parents have a cat named Hobbes (yes he's orange). When I was younger he would jump into dryer if you weren't looking. Well one time he snuck in there. I turned the dryer on and heard a thumping like shoes in a dryer. So I turned back around and opend the door and out jumps Hobbes, a little shaken up but ok. After that he was no longer interested in the dryer.
The cat is still around (think he's 16) and he'll still jump in a pile of warm clothes though.

shoeless

one of my dogs.. yes just one of the two are traumatized when i use the vacuum. he will instantly run out of the room when i even bring it out of the closet (not even turn it on). when i am using it he will continue to look at it from the doorway, but whenever it comes near him he runs off again. my other dog will just walk around it while i am vacuuming giving it very confused stares.

@Dj75728: same here, and any other kind of object that shoots something.

graphx

My cat, Riley likes to jump up on shelves. He waits till you see him, looks at something breakable, looks back at you, then knocks it off the shelf so it breaks on the floor. The only way I got him to stop was to put speakers on the shelves connected to a AirPort Express. If I heard him jump up there, I'd open iTunes and blast him with super loud sounds like shotgun blasts, explosions, dogs barking, etc. Worked like a charm. I think some of the other commenters know Riley from this recording of me trying to get him to leave a room so I could record something:

[www.johnnyrandom.com]

He jumped on the mic, spilled a glass of wine on a guitar and keyboard, then escaped. It wasn't a total loss though, since his discontent made for some good sounds to "scratch":

[www.johnnyrandom.com]

johnnyabnormal

My cat is deathly scarred of the new TV. We use to have a little 27" tube up until a few months ago. We upgraded to a new 61" DLP and he can not handle it. Occasionally he will get brave and sidle the tv but as soon as he sees the life size monsters he runs for the hills. I feel bad because he would always sit with us and relax but now it is hopeless. I try and bring him in and pet him and calm him but as soon as I stop he runs. Poor kitty, but 61"& 7 channels of HD David Caruso CSI Miami one liners are more important.

myeyesdeceive

@MINI Driver: I bet that's not all she's afraid of...

Jrsy

We got a new puppy in January and up until March didn't have a working coffee maker. One day we decided to get one because we'd like coffee to wake up to in the morning. So the first day it starts percolating "Baarrroooooooooooo" the puppy charges out of the bedroom howling at an intruder that isn't there. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what he was agitated at - not even thinking of the coffee maker. Second morning, same results and it clicked. So that night we made a pot of coffee and held him up to see it brewing on the counter and patted his head and reassured him that all was well.

He hasn't howled at it since. And this is a 10 lb now full grown "puppy" (Tibetan Spaniel) who is probably one of the most awesome watch/guard dogs I've ever seen.

DashTheHand

@Curves: You do know that chocolate can be highly toxic to dogs and cats right?

Nintenboy01

origamimavin, the behaviour your dog exhibits is actually a form of OCD.

senad

On the other side of the coin, anybody have anything weird that their pet *likes*? My cat goes insane for pepperoni.

Cobolman2

My cat used to sit and scowl at my old PC. I believe it was the whir of the multiple fans that taunted him so. At times he even struck the case and hissed at the machine.

Now since a MacPro has replaced my PC and with it the loud fans in favor of a nearly silent one he has no qualms. Either that or the recognition that he's now got a friend in OSX Leopard. Nyuck Nyuck Nyuck.

RemmingtonShowdown

Most cats are terrified of Vacs, but I have one that is not afraid of anything! I fired up a shop vac and the cat didn't run, so I set up a recorder to see what happened. He just watched me vacuum around him and eventually let me vacuum his stomach, just swatting playfully at the wand. Check it out on YouTube: "Vacuuming the cat" (one of a few, apparently...). He also likes to be squirted with a garden hose - another vid winds up with him laying in puddle drinking from the dripping sprayer. (Maybe he's OVER-socialized?)

TechBob13

The problem here is that the dryer door is not open along with the words 'cat fud' scrawled on the floor and walls and arrows pointing to the open dryer...

Jrsy

My wife is afraid of the oven if that counts?

MINI Driver

@anon: You know exactly what I meant don't you?

@ihatethekids: Thanks a lot man, I started to laugh at first and then I was like "oh........that's unfortunate." That was a downer man.

Dj75728

My cat loves clean laundry, and will immediately hit the pile when I set it down on my bed. He also is deathly afraid of vacuum cleaners, and will hiss at it when its off and run for cover when its on. My cat also used to like to stand on top of the fish tank I used to house my girlfriend's hamster, at least until the box below it gave way and cat + tank + sleepy hamster came tumbling down. And to think I named him Tiger...

knyghtryda

My cat heads to the top of the fridge whenever i turn the vaccuum on.. he used to sit close by pondering an attck until i showed him the sucking power his foe had.. i doubt he's traumatized, but i'm sure he's smarter than he was before he met the vac.

killarclown

Sooper Snooper hates things that click. Cameras, folding pocket knives, laptop latches, all of that. He will not fight or bark, he'll simply look at you like, "Now you know I don't like that." kind of Marvin the Paranoid Android way and go under his bed.

Go Sooper!

thegadgeteer

Airsoft guns and my dog. I used to go outside to shoot at stuff and she would become traumitized and run away(no I never shot her). At least I know if someone with a gun was trying to break into our house my dog would save her own life and run.

Dj75728

@ihatethekids: Well, there goes my joke about leaving the door open sometime for the cat to attack it from the inside...

Mondoz

my dog chases points of light. whether it's a laser pointer dot, or a flashlight beam, or the reflection of the sun off his dog tags. sometimes after making him chase the laser pointer around for a little while, and putting the laser away all together, he'll come into the room later on where i was using the laser, and stare at the floor for a solid hour. sometimes flinching, thinking he sees it for a second, but then he sits back down and continues to stare at the floor.

origamimavin

I had a ferret that insisted that there was an Evil Force inside the VCR.

Agent007

Child proof cabinet locks. Made my dog crazy as he loved Oreos (I worked for Nabisco) and I had to get a lock to keep him out of them. To give him credit, he worked on it for HOURS. (Double stuffs were his favorites.)

Curves

My aunt had a similar problem...

she was emptying the dryer, and answered the phone.

The cat jumped into this vortex of warmth!
and I assume fell asleep in it's seemingly safe & warm cotten fused den.

Well, she came back and decided the clothes needed more time.

and unlike the Pink Panther or Garfield, the cat didn't come out as a giant fuzz ball.

it came out dead.

--

she doesn't even have a cat anymore, and still checks the dryer every time she fills & empties it.

--sorry for the downer story, but it relates.

ihatethekids

My skittish border collie is terrified of nerf guns and anything else that shoots or gets thrown at her for that matter.. in fact the cocking noise of a nerf gun will send her dashing towards the closest thing she can or can not fit under.. we try to keep the nerf wars to a minimum :/

anon

The printer- When it warms up, he'll jump up and watch it, but once paper starts coming out, it freaks him out. If you open up the cover and let him watch the print heads, he hisses, bats at it and then runs off.

ARP

@cloudnine:

"Back" massager huh? Sure...no wonder the cat is scared!

Chromeo

Where's the video?

lame...

genius74

My cat used to sit in front of the Mac, watching the fish tank screen saver, and looking around the side of the screen when ever a fish swam off the screen.

I felt kinda guilty for 10 seconds, then got over it and just laughed a lot!

MINI Driver

I have one of those obnoxiously large back massagers from Sharper Image... for some reason, the cat is HORRIFIED of it... like, beyond words. He paws at it and "attacks" it when it's not even plugged in... I can't even fully describe what he does when it's plugged in and working. First off, the cat is the happiest thing on the planet... he purrs all the time, plays 24/7... but when that thing is plugged in and working on my back, he will hiss, scratch, run, jump in the air... it's abnormal.

cloudnine

Yep...I feel guilty turning on the vacuum cleaner, as it terrifies my cat so much that he'll disappear into a distant corner, under a bed, or the like.

Cobolman2

DVDs with dogs barking really drive our neighbors dog nuts!

SigmundTheSeaMonster

My dog korean dog Tico (a yorkie that was bought while stationed there) is afraid of moutain dew products. Bottles, cans, tshirts, anything in mountain dew green he spazes about. Its really kinda funny, if i'm drinking a mountain dew he won't come near me unless i hide the bottle and such.

Wakeley

Snooker balls hitting each other and the theme to Countdown (crappy UK quizshow for old people) scare my grandmother's Jack Russel senseless. It runs and cowers in the kitchen and has to be coaxed out.

It only takes one instance of the balls or a second or two of the theme - even recordings work. I have the theme on my phone so I have a secret weapon when it won't stop barking.

sparx104

I had a water hose that had a whole in it. My dog was near the hose and I noticed when I stepped on the hose that a little blast of air/noise would come out and my dog would jump back five feet every time I did it. So being the loving doggie mommie that I am, I tortured my dog like that for about 15 minutes until it was no longer funny.

The real joke was on me because I now have to buy a new water hose almost every time I leave it unrolled and unattended for any length of time.

robinandtami

If that photo is accurate, just get a baby fence type thing, the ones that keep them from falling down the stairs, and put it in that doorway. Should at least make Anya feel safer.

mhlaxp

@ihatethekids: Wow that's horrible.

I had a dog, a pit bull that came from the shelter that was completely afraid of gun ammunition. You could hold a cartridge in front of her and she'd freak out and run. I can understand her being afraid of guns and knives, but I don't know what the deal with ammo was. Maybe she smelled it? I do know this dog had a rough life before we got her, we tried to make the rest of it as nice as we could.

Enochrewt

Try yelling at the washer when it's on, see what happens.

Lupison

Like most cats, my two don't care for the vacuum but they are both fascinated by the laser printer. They usually get a little startled when they hear it come on, but then they want to jump on it and investigate. It got bad when one of them learned that he could stand on the reprint button and make it come on.

I got woken up so many times in the middle of the night from the printer turning on to "reprint" that I eventually had to keep it turned off.

robo

@Samutz:
My cat had the opposite problem, she hated ceiling fans. Although she would ignore the fan if it was off, she would avoid rooms with a running ceiling fan if she could. If she really had to pass through a room with a running fan (e.g. to get to the litter box) would quickly walk against the wall around the perimeter of the room, while frequently scowling at the fan.

Boden

Our dog is also deathly afraid of the vacuum cleaner. The funny thing is, she thinks the lawnmower is the coolest toy ever...she gets so excited every time we mow the lawn. My parents used to have a dog that was terrified of cardboard boxes and plastic bags. Watching a 130 pound dog cower at the sight of an empty grocery bag was almost amusing.

averyml

My cat used to use the bathroom as her personal "get back at Chris" room. Whenever she was mad at me, she'd go in the bathroom and unravel the toilet paper, knock books into the toilet, tear magazines apart and line her litter box with them, etc. Took a long time to break her of that habit.

When I was a kid, and I got a Nintendo, I had a cat who, every time I played Super Mario Bros., would sit in front of the screen and try repeatedly to catch Mario. Now that was funny.

HeartBurnKid

My parent's cats are absolutely mortified of their doorbell. Someone rings the doorbell and the cats disappear.

@Cobolman2: We used to have a cat that liked flour... as in all purpose baking flour. If we left it sitting on the floor for even a few minutes there would be holes chewed in the package. At one point my mom just figured it was the cat logic at work (if I have to steal it, it must be good) and that if we gave it to him he wouldn't eat it, so we tested the theory and gave him a bowl with a couple spoonfuls of flour in it... he ate it.

something_unique_and_descriptive

My cat loves coffee grounds. Brewed or fresh, it does not matter. Put a pinch of them on the floor and he will gobble them all up.

And Bratwurst. He will snatch a brat right out of your hand. He'll start in the hallway to get a good head of steam, and run past and snatch the brat.

Stupid Zipper and his stupid run-by snatchings......

I WAS EATING THAT YOU DAMN CAT!

ottermann

My goldfish is terrified of the word "suppressed."

If I could only get my hands on the bastard who taught him to read...

middy

We had a cat, now gone on to that cat nip field in the sky, who hated the broom. If anyone was sweeping, he was ready to fight! I figure someone had taken a swipe at him with a broom when he was a kitten because while he was not a terribly brave soul he was ready to rumble if the broom was out. He didn't hold a grudge against any other piece of household equipment that I am aware of.

When I was a kid my brother had a little red squirrel. I would let the squirrel out of its cage and crumple a piece of paper in my hands, and the squirrel would go berserk - and attack my sister's ankles! That was great fun!

lduvall

Had a friend with a dog and a cat. Whenever the phone would ring, the dog would jump up and chase the cat. It was hilarious.

If the cat wasn't around, the dog would spastically look for the cat until the ringing stopped.

If the dog wasn't around, the cat would still run and hide when the phone rang, figuring a beating was imminent.

Murph1908

My dog will relentlessly attack the lawn mower to the point where she has to be locked up to get any yard work done.

Thallid

my girlfriend's dachshund is terrified of the vacuum. whenever she rolls it our of the closet he darts to hide under her bed.

also, if he hears the bath tub water come on he goes under her bed. if we turn it on and try to pet him or pick him up he tries to make himself more heavy. its hilarious.

theconqueror

My Lab was terrified of my motorized Zoids toys and R/C cars. If they get within 10 feet of him he slowly gets up and slinks away to a corner.

Nintenboy01

@ihatethekids: My cat died in the dryer as well. She loved to sleep in the dryer, and we all knew this, but my sister, who was visiting, did not, so she inadvertently killed her. I miss Kitty...(yes that was her name).

We also had a big dog named Chester, who, for some inexplicable reason, was terrified of the vacuum cleaner, so much so that my mother put it near the couch so he wouldn't lay on it.

Karinabob

@Murph1908: LOL, you have no idea how much I laughed at reading that. In my cubicle no less. My sister has a dog and a cat who i take care of quite often... and in the middle of fierce fighting, the cat will start licking himself as the dog watches and then all of a sudden start fighting again.

Lucifer_Cat

Wow, this has been one of the most entertaining comment threads at Giz in a while. My contribution: I used to dog-sit my uncle's border collie, and even when the vacuum wasn't plugged in, she would bark at its head and then circle it in agitation before biting its suction head viciously.

I had to cram her in another room every time I cleaned house. She would bark from the other side of the door and then scour the place after I had put the vacuum away, to make sure it wasn't still around.

I should also mention that this same dog would bark and jump up on you incessantly whenever she saw you hug or kiss someone in front of her. This made it fairly awkward when bringing any, ah, friends home. As you can imagine.

J.T.

Having been an Everquest and World of Warcraft player, I was constantly amused by the THX surround sounds that would make our Collie react. If a howling wolf appeared on screen, he'd come charging into the room baking and snarling. racing from speaker to speaker looking for the wolf. If I was attacked by a Murloc, forget it....he would keepbarking until the sound went away.

DCGaymer

I just read somewhere that people with the Roomba vac and pets that don't like it (though I think it was just dogs). Were supposed to yell at the vac and tell it that was bad and you didn't like what it was doing. The article mentioned doing this in front of the pet.

Um, so I guess you need to whack the washing machine a couple of times when the cat is watching so it knows that everyone is annoyed by it... or something...

CaptCaveman

My cat hates my Dual Shok 3 controller. Even if it's just lying there. She'll bat at the analog sticks. It's actually quite funny.

Oh and if she somehow gets on my desk she likes the mouse cursor on the screen... she follows it with great attention. She's never batted it before - probably knows too well that if she knocked over my screen I'd have her made into gloves :P

jlindenbaum

I know of one cat that liked to *ride* on the vacuum cleaner.

I guess because the machine was warm and vibrated/purred.

And the cat was deaf.

Z.

Zoot

My dog, upon waking up from a deep sleep, runs towards the closest dining chair to attack it or at the very least make sure it isn't up to any funny business. I think the habit started with the very first time he woke up still sort of out of it and I had a coat hanging on the chair. He possibly mistook it for some stranger sitting there and hasn't quit the habit in 10 years. Some sounds, especially a baby crying on the tv, make him go nuts and looking for whatever it is.

sgrmba

i have seen a lot of you say your cat or dog follow laser pointers and then sit stare at the floor, the reason for this is because they become hypnotized, the down side is that it can cause seizures and even kill the animal. So plz dont do this it is very cruel and unfair to the dog or cat.

JBreakwell

My cats are terrified of the vacuum, as well. I was trying to get them used to it so I was leaving it parked out in the living room or the dining room. They've become less afraid of it until I get it then they just run.

About the laser pointers? Everyone does this with their animals. I've NEVER heard of seizures or murderous laser pointers and my brother is a Vet. SO...I'm going to keep zapping my cats with it. They love it. It's a great way for them to get exercise and I happen to have a very fat cat.

baristabrawl

That photo reminds me of a Far Side cartoon.
The one with the Cat looking at an open Washing Machine with a "Cat Fud" sign pasted by the side, and the Dog behind it in hiding, going "Oh, please... oh, please... oh, please..."

judacris

I can't believe this wasn't posted...

[video.google.com]

Airport_Whiskey

Please post a video, cats scared of inanimate objects are awesome.

Spithead051

Our cat is afraid of Mr Hoover, he flattens out on the ground like the rug when it turns on.

KirkDouglas

@Airport_Whiskey: first off that is something that any actual cat lover would never even think of doing to their pet.

Second, all cats im guessing especially mine are scared of the Vacuum cleaner. anytime some one is near the laundry closet hes out the door and in better greener pastures catching bunnies because vacuums just aren't a cats thing. nothing fun about a huge dusty old black machine that yells at you.

Go Team Venture

My SON (two yrs) is terrified by the vacuum cleaner. To the point that if I bring it in the room he literally runs screaming. Actualy, he has become a little more used to it now, but he must be held by the parent that is not vacuuming for the whole time it is running, idealy on the other side of the house.

dan

Just the other day I was outside using my sheet sander on some metal and the cat walked right up to it to check out what I was doing. I had to move him away or he would have gotten paint dust all over himself.

Messer

Kill the cat. Problem solved.

shooter

@Go Team Venture: Have you ever tried to wash a cat? Of course I'd use the pet spa if I could, it beats not getting a cat quiet clean and getting clawed to death. Hey as long as the cat isn't hurt, and as long as it works why not?

bbfreak

@shooter: LOL

Ariel_Wollinger

"I flew R/C toys at my cat and now she is afraid of other moving inanimate [sic] objects. Why is this? I just can't figure it out."

I...I can't go on.

leMel

Mark,

Your cat may be hearing frequencies of sounds that the washing machine produces that (most) humans cannot hear. Such is the case with many pets and vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, electric drills--anything with rapid rotating parts.

I don't suggest you get rid of the washer, especially considering its efficiency. Perhaps you should look into sound isolation/insulation experiments between your cat and the washer to determine if that is the real cause.

wesrubix

We went to a friend's house and he tormented his girlfriend with a toy called an Airzooka. It's basically a megaphone with a heavy duty plastic bag and a bungie cord inside. You grab the bungie cord that's attached to the plastic, pull it back, and let it go. It makes a loud POP! and puffs out a harmless ball of air about 20 feet. We thought it would be fun for our cats so my husband brought one home. We so much as take a step to pick it up and all three cats scatter like roaches. One of the cats liked watching Meerkat Manor when we used to watch as well.

Starbelly

Hmm. let's see. My dog fears the vacuum, frisbees, any ball larger than a tennis ball, balloons filled with helium, my computer chair, the windchime outside, golf clubs, I'm sure he'd be scared of the xbox 360 if it were lower to the ground, and pretty much anything that moves on it's own power i.e. RC cars. But he is most afraid of the can of compressed air I use to clean my keyboard. Basically he is Courage the Cowardly Dog. His sister on the other hand, fears absolutely nothing.

rickitytick

One thing I forgot to mention about my cat: she's decided that underneath my monitor stand, right behind my keyboard and mouse, is the perfect place to stretch out and sleep. And she gets rather perturbed by me actually trying to use my computer when she's trying to sleep, and loves to attack my poor typing/mouse-moving hands.

HeartBurnKid

Moochie is FASCINATED with the low-end HP inkjet printer, the kind where the paper lies flat in the tray. He'll stick his little kitty head inside the printer as much as possible when it's running.

syndprod

My cats are terrified of two things... the vacuum cleaner and the theremin.

Something about high frequencies doesn't agree with cats. Years ago I had one who couldn't stand to hear people whistle. If you intentionally whistled around her she would climb up and slap you in the mouth.

Jordan Lund

I had a cat once who loved to climb up into the cabinets in the kitchen and then into the fluorescent lights in the dorp ceiling. You would see these ghostly paw prints on the plastic and it was hilarious. Of course he grew a littel older and a little heavier. One day there's this loud crash. I come into the kitchen and the plastic has fallen down. Sebastian is hanging by his front claws on the aluminum frame, swinging back and forth, terrified. I got clawed something fierce when I helped get him down.

Now I have two cocker spaniels. One of them loves the laser pointer. I'll project it from the upstairs landing into the living room and she'll race down the stairs and slide across the tile at the bottom. She'll chase it until she's panting and all tired out.

Miguel Valdespino

My buddy's cat is OBSESSED with the pointers for the Wii's menu. She also attacks only one of the (4) optical mice in his living room, picks up DS carts, keys, toys, usb sticks, etc and just walks off with them. She also likes keeping herself cozy on the pile of remotes and bats at whatever tech item is in your hands (my DS is her favorite thing to rub her teeth/head on (but only when I'm using it)).

Human Bomb

my dog loves to attack people looking for him under the bed. we've learned to leave him alone when he goes rooting under the bed.

Kupaka

@TechBob13: "Only" 547 videos titled similar to "Vacuuming the cat".

JimboGizmo

I have a cat that is the most loving cat ever when it comes to me and my girlfriend. When it comes to guests? He's an evil son-of-a-gun. He certainly warns you away, growling, hissing, etc, but he also can attack without warning. If he's sitting on the counter, and you walk by? He will smack at you and draw blood. He's been known to attack guests in the dark when they wake up in the middle on the night to use the bathroom.

The point of all of this? He's a complete coward when it comes to storms. He has a 6th sense. Hours before the storm arrives he cowers under the back of our toilets. He'll slink down one inch from the ground and stalk his way to the nearest bathroom to hide and cower. This hulk of a cat cowers away. If you try to pick him up he is all stiff and scared with that wide-eyed look of death, like he's being stalked by the devil himself. If you put him up to your face he licks your nose with all the force he can muster, begging for you to put him down. When the storm does arrives, hours later, you'll find him in either bathroom, or under the blankets, cowering from mother nature.

He must be able to sense the change in pressure from the front moving into the area. I don't even have to get the weather report. I know hours (and once a full day) before the storm arrives with my own little furry weather machine.

djfreon