Sometimes I sit around and watch my cats, trying to figure out what's going on in their little brains.  I imagine there's some sort of method to their madness, that they don't just wander around aimlessly and perform actions based on instinct alone.  Something like, "Hmm, I wonder where the humans went.  Maybe I'll look out this window for a bit and meow at the birds.  Then I'll go see if more food appeared in my food dish." 

But one thing that consistently surprises and amazes me is the method cats use to eat random objects off the ground.  To summarize what I believe is going on in the mind of a typical cat sniffing around for things to eat, I've prepared a basic flowchart: 
  1. Walk around, observing the ground.
  2. If an object appears, sniff it.
  3. Does it smell bad?
    1. No - Eat it.
    2. Yes - Play with it.
  4. If it doesn't continue to move after playing with it, repeat step 3.
  5. Do I feel sick?
    1. No - Repeat step 1.
    2. Yes - Sit on carpet or couch and wait for object to come back up.
I've heard and read in many places that cats have gentle stomachs.  I think they're just stupid.  On a related note, here's a Get Fuzzy comic that touches on the same subject. 
[Image: getfuzzy20050316.gif]
#nature