Species Confusion

I think our kittens are getting confused with Loco around - they aren't sure if they are cats or dogs. First it was Maya - she bonded with Loco from the age of 3 weeks old, and she now mimics a few of his behaviors.

Maya prefers to sleep on the floor at our feet, or in front of the door. Her favorite place to be is on the floor near Loco, and she will even sleep under the bed like he does. She often sleeps on her back, and she just rolls around in order to see what is going on.

Maya actually likes water. She will sleep in the sinks even if they are wet, and she lies on the terrace tiles as they are being washed down. Now, Loco doesn't happen to like getting wet, but I've had other dogs that enjoyed playing in the water and Maya seems to have the same trait.

Maya is clumsy for a cat - she cannot walk along the edge of the tub without slipping; often all or part of her lands in the water. When she runs, she often slides on the floors and crashes into chairs. Part of it is that she's fat, the other is that she just doesn't have the agility of Minina.

Loco the dog likes to eat the dry cat food. He won't touch his own similar dry dog food without canned food being mixed in with it, but put down a fresh bowl of dried cat food and Loco is there chowing down. The cats do not appreciate his saliva on their food, and will do their best not to eat after Loco has been in their dish.

Smokey, at almost 4 months, is quite independent. Often I have no idea where she is, she's gone off somewhere on her own to sleep. But she too likes to sleep on the floor near Loco, sometimes on her back and in a similar position as Loco. She also likes to clean his feet (yuck!).

We have some small furry mice for the cats, and they are Smokey's favorite toys. She flings them around and chases them and has a great time. Lately she has been playing fetch - she brings me her mouse and I throw it and she retrieves it. I have never had a cat play like this before. Smokey brings her mouse wherever I am - including into the bed. She leaves it there with me, like a gift.

I'm wondering if this playing fetch is a good idea with a cat. With the recent rains we've had, there have been several large palmetto bugs (read - "BIG cockroaches") found lying on their backs on the ground floor. The insects came in from the rain only to be pounced on by the cats. It may only be a matter of time before Smokey gifts me with one of her bugs. THAT would freak me right out.