We know cats are sleek and graceful, but the way they move or even just hang out can look a little, well, odd. Here’s why they do it.
Wiggling before pouncing. Perhaps before your cat pounces, you may have seen her lift her rump first and wiggle it back and forth. She shares that behavior with the big cats: lions, tigers, and jaguars.
Why: It’s apparently a hunting behavior to ready a cat for the coordination it’s going to take to hit her target. It buys a feline time to sync her vision with her sense of herself in space, and it’s also a form of muscle stretching to ready the body for leaping. A secondary reason for pre-pounce wiggling: It builds up the anticipated pleasure of catching the prey.
Walking by moving the front and back legs on one side, then on the other. Giraffes and camels are the only other species who do this.
Why: It’s thought that walking like that may allow cats to advance more quietly. Each hind paw steps pretty much right where the forepaw stepped, minimizing both noise and footprints. That helps for both stalking prey and avoiding predators. Once a cat springs into action, however, her gait resembles that of other mammals.
Lying upside down with her legs splayed. A dog might do this as well.
Why: There’s a good chance it doesn’t mean your cat wants you to stroke her belly, or at least not stroke it for long. A lot of cats are not into that. But it does mean your pet feels secure in your presence and therefore doesn’t sense a need to protect her body.
Ricocheting around the room like a pinball — out of nowhere. Some cats can go more than 30 miles an hour.
Why: A lot of house cats have pent-up energy. They’re bored and need to release it. If your cat frequently leaps off the couch and runs around like a banshee, some more play time with her is in order.
Extending all four legs as she falls to the ground. This happens when a cat falls from a great height rather than a short one.
Why: Stretching her legs away from her body causes the large folds of skin adjacent to each leg to fan out. It creates a parachute effect for a soft landing.
