Having multiple cats, it’s interesting to watch them learn little behavioral things from each other. From a previous pair of ours, one of them always scatter TF away when someone arrived at the front door, and the other, when he first joined our household, would make a b-line straight for the door and whatever excitement awaited. After a little time, the new cat learned- most likely through the dire warnings of his feline sis, that the opening of the front door held nothing but terrors untold.
Years later, we have another set of cats running our house, three now- one (Tabby) joining six months before the other two (The Nutter Brothers, Cashew & Walnut). And since, we’ve noticed a change in how Tabby behaves- she’s taken to lounging in positions and places previously unknown and untried to her before her brothers arriving. And they are good loungers, so she’s no doubt taken tips from them- despite the fact she may tell you they know nothing. (No you're anthropomorphically speaking about your cat)
The new hot spot has become a point of contention- for me. They’ve all taken to curling up on my shoulder bag that I take to work with me daily. It’s your standard messenger-y type thing, made of material that attracts and exacts the greatest magnetism and staying-power of feline fur. So of course that has become their favorite sitting apparatus- causing me much grief in the process of getting out the door: having to squeeze in a massive lint rolling session into an already crammed morning schedule.
I can’t say for sure which cat started it, and which of the others learned the behavior. It may have been the bag itself (no, now you're personifying your bag) . Really the only question now is how long it will take for the human involved to learn some behavior himself, and place the bag somewhere the cats can’t easily plop themselves down on. Until they find a way to get to it, which they will- they’re always learning.