Cats vs. Gravity | Science of Stupid

2m read

·Nov 11, 2024

The internet is packed full of clips of people's cats doing hilarious things, so we thought we'd put these wonders of the web to work and find out if cats are as clever as their smug little faces suggest, or are they as DED as the rest of us?

Let's jump straight in by examining cat's amazing leaping skills. Blessed with incredibly powerful back legs and a low body weight, they're capable of jumping up to six times their own height with grace and pinpoint accuracy. When it comes to our leaping prowess, pound-for-pound, we lack a cat's strength, their grace, and their accuracy. I'm sure you'll smash it next time.

So, what is it about a kitty's leap that leaves us humans for dust? Well, it's all down to evolution and increasing kinetic energy for the jump. When preparing to jump, Missy adopts a crouched position like a coiled spring. This allows her to exploit the full strength of her powerful rear legs as she leaps upwards. On landing, she pulls herself up with her back legs, gripping with her claws and bringing her to a graceful halt.

In the wild, cats use their leaping skills as an essential part of hunting, and Felis catus still likes to keep his eye in. "Stve, he spotted his prey. He waited. He pounced."

Stve, he forgot about the window, and "num bum is no fun." It's time Mr. Waffles found somewhere warmer to sit. Mr. Waffles didn't figure on the importance of friction when attempting to lift off. Although he was hoping to jump up by pushing down and backwards on the car roof, his slip meant the energy was wasted. Butter pause.

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Cats vs. Gravity | Science of Stupid

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