Everyone seems to know that cats are incredibly flexible. They can shapeshift like water and fit into the tiniest of places. This shocking ability of theirs comes from their pliable spine that allows them to stretch, curl up, and bend any way that they like. That’s why you can find them even in the tightest or smallest of spaces.
Apart from that, their shoulder blades aren’t attached to their body by bone. They are attached by muscles, which help cats lengthen themselves any way they like and be incredibly flexible. This loose movement also helps them pounce quickly on prey or jump from one spot to another with ease.
To learn more interesting things about cats, Bored Panda reached out to Claudette Nita, a certified cat trainer at Happy Kitty Cat Training. She’s also a registered veterinary technician who worked at animal hospitals in Toronto for seven years and for the past decade in the neurology department of the Veterinary Emergency Clinic. She received certifications from the Animal Behavior College.
Claudette explained that “cats have a unique structure that stems from elastic cushioning discs found in between each vertebrae along their spine. This creates more elasticity, allowing the cat to rotate up to 180 degrees. Cats' shoulder blades also play an important role in their weird shapes and positions.”
With all the crazy airplane-wing-like shapes cats are making in this list, you might be wondering how these felines have the ability to do something like that. Apparently, cats have mobile outer ears. Compared to humans, who have six muscles in their outer ears, cats have a whopping 32.
They can rotate their ears a full 180 degrees, which obviously helps them make these funny shapes like you see in the photos. These amazing felines also use this ability to express themselves with minute movements, as well as to hear faint, far-away sounds with incredible clarity.
Pet owners and cat lovers might have observed how these animals always find the most absurd places to sleep. Even if they have the comfiest bed available, they might end up napping in a stuffy drawer. This behavior actually originates from an evolutionary standpoint where cats learned how to avoid being preyed upon.
So, in order to avoid predators, they squeeze into small spaces or find the most unconventional hiding and napping spots. This keeps them out of reach and out of sight. It’s clear that cats are extremely clever because they know just how to stay out of harm’s way.
With all the amazing things about cats, including their flexibility, ears, and sleeping habits, one super common behavior stands out: their purring ability. Any person who has been around a cat knows that they often let out a series of purrs, and each one might differ from the last.
These felines purr for a variety of reasons, like joy, sadness, hunger, and even curiosity. One of the most interesting things is that they purr between a frequency of 25-150 hertz, which is a range that promotes tissue regeneration. So, even while they seem to be expressing so many feelings, cats may also be healing their muscles and bones.
Cats are incredible creatures, and there’s still so much to keep learning about them. Apart from their silly antics, they have so much more to their personality. It’s possible that no matter how much we keep learning about them, there’ll always be more to figure out.
Claudette also mentioned that cats have such unique personalities by being affectionate, with their incredible purr and putting on that charm. I love how they are so playful and can easily get distracted by just about anything that moves. It looks so simple, carefree, and fun. Maybe there's some projection going on, where we wish that we could live the life of a cat.”
That’s exactly why we’d love to hear your favorite thing about cats! Share your funniest or most adorable stories about them in the comments below.
