Overall I think my favorite things I've learned in this class are how to make gifs and performance art. For the final project I wanted to make a silly gif series that combined the two. This gif series portrays the funny antics of cats with a little research on the side into their silly behaviors. I am certainly a cat lover at heart. When looking at performance art it is also reminds me quite a bit of fursuiting. When someone puts on a fursuit they are not only donning that camouflage, but stepping into the reality of that character. That's why I thought it would be useful to put on the camouflage of a cat to portray their antics.
1. Knocking things over- Cats always seem to enjoy knocking different items off tables and causing chaos in general, but where do these destructive tendencies stem from? This behavior is thought to stem from a cat's hunting instincts, but also simply come from the cat's natural curiosity. (Grieves, 2016)
2. Gift Giving- Cats always seem to bringing home fresh kills or non deceased critters much to our dismay. In the wild cats bring dead animals to their young to teach them how to hunt. (Palermo, 2013) In a household setting a cat may bring you prey as you are considered the closest to being their family. (Palermo, 2013)
3. Bag Investigators- Cats love bags, boxes, tunnels, and the like there's no doubt about that. Cats love bags because they have an acute sense of smell and usually can smell the food that was in the bag before. (Reynolds, 2019) Bags are usually also coated with cornstarch or other salty compounds that attract the cat. (Reynolds, 2019) Cats also seem to enjoy the crinkling sound bags make. (Reynolds, 2019)
4. Constant preeners- Cats are meticulous preeners, often licking the same foot for half an hour. Cats groom themselves so often to cleanse injuries, to hide their scent, and simply just because they enjoy it. (Shojai, 2018)
5. Constant sleepers- Cats sleep A LOT. In fact cat's sleep eighty percent of their lives away. Daily cats sleep about 16-20 hours. (Cespedes, 2011) Cats sleep this much during the ddy due to being more active during dawn and evening. (Cespedes, 2011)
I hope you guys enjoyed my gif series and learned something new!
PetMD. Why Do Cats Knock Things Over? 14 June 2017, www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/why-do-cats-knock-things-over.
Palermo, Elizabeth. “Why Do Cats Bring Home Dead Animals?” LiveScience, Purch, 29 Mar. 2013, www.livescience.com/34471-cats-dead-animals.html.
Reynolds, Lindsey. “Why Do Cats Love Paper and Plastic so Much?” MNN, Mother Nature Network, 12 Sept. 2019, www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/why-do-cats-love-paper-and-plastic-so-much.
Shojai, Amy. “There's a Reason Most Cats Don't Stink.” The Spruce Pets, The Spruce Pets, 16 June 2018, www.thesprucepets.com/why-cats-groom-themselves-so-often-4126526.
PetMD. “Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?” PetMD, 7 July 2016, www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/evr_ct_why_do_cats_sleep_so_much. Ok