Hook

Sima carries her toy Mole in her teeth, drops him at your feet, and waits for you to throw. Then she teaches the kittens to do the same. If you’ve spent your whole life with regular cats — this will throw you off. Orientals are a different category entirely.

Short answer

Oriental cats are called “dog-like” because they fetch toys, meet you at the door, follow you around the house, and bond the way dogs do — not the way we usually picture cats. These behaviors aren’t trained. They just are who these cats are.

Five dog habits you’ll see for yourself

Most people think they know what a cat is. Eats, sleeps, tolerates you, disappears for a few hours. Then they get an Oriental.

Fetch. Sima has a soft toy Mole. “It’s our tradition,” Elvira says. Every evening, Sasha tosses Mole from the second floor down to the first — and Sima takes off, picks him up in her teeth, drags him back, drops him at his feet so he can throw again. Until she’s tired. Then she comes to lie down. Without Mole — because she’s done. Nobody taught her this. It just started — and became a ritual.

Door greeting. When you leave — the cat cries. When you come back — she cries differently. Full voice, full expression, full emotional report on how she spent the time without you. Regular cats notice your absence. Orientals have an opinion about it.

Following. This habit surprises people even after they’ve been warned. A shadow all day, every room. Elvira puts it simply: “You go to the bathroom — he goes with you. You cook — he cooks with you. You clean — he cleans with you. You work — he works with you.” No off-limits zones. Nothing done alone.

Sima added a morning ritual to this: when I lie down on the mat to do my exercises, she lies down next to me. If I start without her — she’s offended. Halva just comes over and sits nearby: watches or lies on my legs. Each with her own role, but both right there.

Bringing things. Mostly socks. Sometimes toys. The same instinct that makes a Labrador carry a slipper to the door — Orientals do something similar. You’ll find things left at your feet. They just wanted to bring you something.

Walks on a leash. Not every Oriental. But some really love it. One Floriente graduate waits for his daily walk the way a dog does. Knows the schedule. Stands by the door. Harness goes on — he’s ready. “He waits for these walks like a dog.” The breed doesn’t guarantee it. But it happens — and when it does, that’s exactly what it looks like.

Why they do it

Short version: Orientals are built for attachment.

Most house cats keep some independence. They like you fine, but they have a parallel life of their own. Orientals don’t work that way. They orient on you — a specific person — as the center of their environment. When you’re home, that’s where everything interesting happens. When you’re not home, there’s nothing to orient on.

That’s why their behavior comes off as dog-like. A dog bonds to its owner and follows him around the house. The Oriental does the same. Fetch, greeting, following — they all come from the same root: a very strong, specific attachment to the person he lives with.

They’re also smart and they read their environment well. They notice patterns. Elvira goes to the kitchen — that means something. Sasha picks up Mole in the evening — that means something. The cat learns these signals and builds expectations around them. “A real dog in a cat’s body.” Not an exaggeration. Just an accurate description.

Sima as the teacher

Sima is an adult resident at Floriente. She’s three years old, and she still carries her Mole around every day. She’s basically the one showing the kittens how things work here.

The kittens watch. That’s what young animals do. They see Sima pick up Mole, drop him, wait, carry him again. They see the ritual. They see the reaction it gets. Elvira: “Little by little, Sima shows them how to bring toys, how to do it.”

No lesson plan. No reward schedule. Just a kitten watching an adult cat do something interesting — and remembering it.

The most amazing part happens after the kittens leave. New homes, new routines, no Sima. And then, weeks later, sometimes months later, buyers start writing in. Their cat has started bringing things. Carrying toys to their feet. Leaving something and waiting. The behavior shows up — delayed, but in full.

That’s how Floriente knows it’s real and consistent — not a quirk of one specific cat.

Buyers confirm it

We don’t promise that any specific kitten will do any specific thing. But the pattern across buyers is steady enough to name.

Families report the same things. The cat meets them at the door. The cat follows them. The cat picks up a sock and carries it. “Then buyers start writing in over time that their cats are doing the same things.” Not one or two families. The vast majority.

What surprises people isn’t that it happens. They were warned before the kitten came home. What surprises them is how strongly it resembles a dog. The emotional greeting after work. The presence in every room. The deliberately placed object at your feet.

People who had dogs and then discovered Orientals often say they’ve found the best of both worlds.

Those who grew up with regular cats describe it as a shock — a good one, but a shock. The familiar idea of what a cat is just doesn’t fit here. “It’s outside what most people picture.” That’s accurate.

The leash question

We get asked about leash walks often. Honest answer: depends on the cat.

Some Orientals take to a harness right away. They explore, engage, wait for the walk like an event. The kitten mentioned earlier — stands by the door. Has a schedule. Ready.

Others have zero interest. They sit down, look at you, and that’s the end of the experiment.

It’s not a failure and it’s not an exception to the breed. Individual variation exists in every species. You can try. Many Orientals will surprise you. But if your cat decides the outdoors isn’t for him, that says nothing about the rest of his character. The following, the fetch, the door greetings — none of that goes anywhere.

One important note if you do start: you can’t “undo” it. An Oriental who’s been outside once will wait for it, ask for it, and sulk when you don’t take him. So the decision has to be made before the first walk: either you’re ready to make walks part of the daily routine, or you don’t start at all. The worst-case scenario is taking him out “just to see” and then stopping. That’s an offense to an Oriental, not an experiment: he’ll keep wondering what’s out there that he no longer gets to see.

Also important:

Priority — the cat’s safety and health.
The owner is fully responsible for living conditions.
Any activity (including walks) is acceptable only when it doesn’t put the animal at risk.

If you want to try — start young. Harness indoors first. Let the cat wear it inside before going out. And watch his reaction. It’ll tell you everything.

FAQ

Do Oriental cats really fetch toys, like dogs?

Yes — some do it naturally, with no training at all. Sima has a soft toy Mole that she carries every evening — it’s her regular ritual. Nobody taught her. You throw — she brings it back, drops it at your feet, waits. Exactly what it looks like.

Why does my Oriental follow me everywhere?

Because you’re the center of his environment. Orientals bond to a specific person and follow her around the house the same way a dog does. It’s not anxiety — it’s how they’re wired. They want to be where you are. Doesn’t matter what you’re doing.

Will a Floriente kitten show these behaviors?

Most likely yes — though some show up later, not right away. Sima is a model for the kittens at the cattery, and buyers regularly write in that their cats start bringing things, following them around, and placing objects at their feet weeks or months after moving in. It’s a pattern, not a guarantee.

Can you teach an Oriental to walk on a leash?

You can try — and for many Orientals, it works well. Some genuinely love the walks and build a daily routine around them, others aren’t interested. Introduce the harness early, indoors, and let the cat set the pace. If he’s ready — you’ll see it right away.

Two important rules to keep in mind:

The cat’s safety and health come first. Any walk is acceptable only when it doesn’t put the animal at risk.
Responsibility for living conditions is on the owner. The decision to walk has to be considered and made in advance: if you’re not ready to make walks a regular part of the cat’s life, don’t start. One “trial” walk and then stopping is stress and an offense to an Oriental.

Don’t these behaviors mean the cat is unhappy or bored?

No. Fetch, following, and greetings are signs of engagement and attachment, not stress. An unhappy Oriental looks different: withdrawn, quiet, off his food. Dog-like behavior is the opposite. It means the cat is present, connected, and interested in the people around him.

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If this sounds like the cat you’ve been looking for — read our other articles on Orientals or meet our kittens up close. The evening ritual with Mole happens every day.

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