Cat Behavior 101,  Cats,  Feline Fine Art,  Feline Funnies

Anatomy of a Pounce

If you love cats, sharing makes us purrrr :-)

anatomy-cat-pounce

Odin enjoyed hunting and playing yesterday. Falling leaves mixed with seeds and twigs provided a satisfying crunch and crinkle. But not as satisfying as the squeaking baby mouse he eventually brought indoors.

In a New York minute he went from lying relaxed on his side to his ears pricked to full alert by sounds of movement in the bushes

.cat-stalking-prey

 

All cats including big cats like tigers, leopards and cheetahs can leap and pounce in an elegant heartbeat, thanks to flexible muscles designed for jumping and sprinting. And speaking of pouncing, THIS IS HOW HIGH A CAT CAN JUMP.

A slinky feline spine with 30 vertebrae allows a 180-degree twist, even in midair. But first, they wiggle their butt while digging their heels in the ground (as seen above). Indoor cats who are unable to dig into dirt will just wiggle their butt while using their tail as a rudder for balance. Then, their backs round into the pounce position and their front paws do the work. Their wrist muscles can rotate to catch different sized prey and their forelegs can open wide to grip the prey’s body. In this case, the sounds in the bushes were made by Domino play stalking…sitting quiet as a (fill in the blank).

Odin pounced on him in a blur and it was back to the jungle.

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cat-pouncing-play
cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes

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