As much as we might want to, we can never really know what our pets are thinking. They might try to tell us things with their own signals, like meowing or barking when they're hungry or pawing at us when they want something, but they're simply unable to communicate their thoughts and feelings properly.
This sometimes leads to pets developing small quirks in their personalities that we don't fully understand. Maybe your dog always likes to visit a certain tree whenever you go for a walk, or you might have a cat that refuses to sleep anywhere but one very specific part of your house.
But one man on Instagram claims his two cats take the prize for the most bizarre habit - as they won't eat their food until he's performed a very strange ritual with them.
In a video on the Instagram account of two cats named Koka and Kakashi, their owner explained that he has "oddly trained" his cats not to touch their food until he has picked them up and given them a gentle shake. He said he didn't mean to train them this way, but he picked them up one day before feeding them, and now they expect it all the time.
After putting two bowls of wet food on the floor for his cats, the man observed that they stood staring at the bowls but did not make any attempt to eat.
He said: "It might look like they're very educated, but I just got into the habit of doing this before I give them dinner."
The man then picked up the two cats, one in each hand, and gently shook them. The cats did not look distressed and made no attempt to move out of his grasp. When he put them back down on the floor, however, they both immediately went to their food bowls to eat - suggesting they won't eat without the strange action taking place first.
In another video, the man pretended he was a cat sitter with a set of instructions on how to feed the cats, as one commenter on the original clip had pointed out that explaining the ritual to an outsider would be impossible.
The man pulled out a piece of paper with three instructions on it: "1) Put pyjamas on, 2) [give] half a can [of food] to each child, 3) shake them."
The pyjamas referred to the cat-sized jumpers that both animals were wearing in the original video and the cat-sitter one. In this second video, the cats also refused to eat until he had picked them up and given them a shake.
There was even a third video in which the man proved that the cats don't have to be picked up at the same time. He did each cat one at a time, and even once the first cat had begun eating, the second cat still sat waiting for their turn without touching their food.
Commenters on the post were baffled by the bizarre ritual. Many joked that the motion was like "starting the engine" for the cats, while others said he had managed to train his cats in a way most people never can.
One person said: "You need to start the engine, of course."
Another added: "So they're oddly trained."
A third joked: "Ah yes, the food ritual has commenced. Time to feast."
As a general rule, it is safe to gently wiggle or shake a cat or kitten as long as you do not use excessive force.
Some cats may enjoy the sensation, but others will want to get away from you and may scratch or bite you to let you know they want you to stop. Always listen to your cat's needs, and if they show signs that they are uncomfortable, stop what you're doing immediately.
