Being sick on the carpet tops most common pet antic

Cat and dog owners’ other top pet peeves include the animals stealing food, howling in the night and walking across the kitchen counter.

A quarter of the 1,000 pet owners polled admitted they find their furry friends frustrating, at least some of the time. But 82 per cent put the antics down to their cheeky character, while seven in 10 find their misbehaviour ‘endearing.’

It also emerged 59 per cent enjoy telling friends when their pets have been up to no good, including when they walk across their laptop while working and begging for food from the table. Other quirky habits included the human-like habits of refusing to go out in the rain and making strange noises in their sleep.

Helen Skelton, TV presenter and spokesperson for insurance provider Petplan, which commissioned the research:

“Like humans, pets have strong personalities, and for many they are a key companion and member of the family, especially if they’ve been by our side for a while, like my dogs Barney and Spiderman. Lots of our pet friends have quirky traits, mine are quite different; one is forever disappearing into the garden with a shoe and our lab is no stranger to helping himself to the fruit bowl either, including bringing in a special ‘present’, or pinching sausages from the barbeque.

“Living on a farm surrounded by animals means that funny antics are a common occurrence – my dogs have been keeping me on my toes since day one, but like any other family member, that’s just their personality.”

‘Lil Man’. The British black shorthair is on Twitter @ATVNetworkCat

UK pets’ 25 most common antics

1.            Being sick on the carpet

2.            Waiting by the door to be let out – then deciding against it when you open the door

3.            Leaving fur/hair everywhere

4.            Waking you up in the middle of the night

5.            Begging for food when you cook

6.            Making strange sounds in their sleep

7.            Refusing to go out in the rain

8.            Walking across your laptop when you’re trying to work

9.            Knocking something off a shelf

10.          Bringing a live animal back into the house

11.          Stealing food

12.          Howling or meowing in the middle of the night

13.          Constantly trying to get into a cupboard or another area they have no need to go into

14.          Ignoring the toys you bought and chewing on everything they’re not allowed to instead

15.          Stealing food from the countertop when your back is turned

16.          Jumping on you when covered in mud

17.          Walking muddy footprints across the kitchen counter

18.          Chewing a shoe or slipper

19.          Lying on your head when you’re sleeping

20.          Rolling around in fox poo

21.          Licking the butter off your toast when your back is turned

22.          Deciding they want a walk late at night

23.          Pulling the duvet off you in the morning when they want feeding

24.          Using the human toilet

25.          Doing a poo in a shoe or a slipper