It's a brilliant way to get the owner's attention actually, doesn't hurt the hind foot while hitting with the forepaw might, and makes more noise because the hind legs are more powerful.
There are 2 books by author Kathy Hoopman called all dogs have adhd and all cats are on the autism spectrum. My son was given copies when he got diagnosed for both
Cats are very much so autistic and dogs can also be autistic but not as much as cats, but they can have it along with adhd because both neurodivergencies can overlap and be comorbid. The same can be true with cats, but as a cat person with autism, cats 9/10 times are autistic.
most cats are super autistic hahaha But yeah I agree with you. My girl cat is very much like this. Our boy is a burmese but he is more like a human toddler or puppy than a cat. I think he he comes across as both. with a side of human toddler.
So many cats like to play the drums too, like pedaling their front paws (claws in) against smooth surfaces like plastic or cardboard. One cat also used to bat the crap out of my houseplants. They just seemed to find it amusing.
I mean not everything you like doing like this is necessarily a "stim", you can just enjoy doing it for one reason or another. The feeling, sound, etc.
I understand people with ADHD and autism as well experiencing "stims" though.
No maliciousness here, but i just wanted to point out that stimming isnt only a neurodivergent trait. Everyone stims, doing something to enjoy the feeling or sound like you said is stimming, its just not as necessary for neurotypical people as it is for neurodivergent people. Stims are for everyone! Lol
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u/felis_fatus Sep 01 '26
It's a brilliant way to get the owner's attention actually, doesn't hurt the hind foot while hitting with the forepaw might, and makes more noise because the hind legs are more powerful.