from the so-you-know-it-is-time-to-move-your-hand dept.
If you have a cat, you are furmiliar with the habit your furiend has of wiggling their hind end right before cathletically pouncing, catching, and shredding whatever unfurtunate part of your body foolishly moved under the blankets. This leads to an idle curiosity - why do cats adjust their rear before pouncing?
John Hutchinson, a professor of evolutionary biomechanics at the Royal Veterinary College in London has several pawsible theories that may tell the tail:
may help press the hindlimbs into the ground to give cats added friction (traction) for pushing them forward in the pounce
It may also have a sensory role to prepare the vision, proprioception [an awareness of one's position and movement] and muscle — and whole cat — for the rapid neural commands needed for the pounce
It probably does stretch the muscles a bit and that might help with pouncing
This isn't behavior unique to house-cats. Wild felines all the way up to lions and tigers litterally do this fur real in the wild.
On the subject of purforming a proper acatdemic study to determine an answer to this biting question, Hutchinson isn't kitten around
"it must be done, somehow. I shall marshal some scientists, and some friendly cats, in due course."
Stay tuned, if the study is done purfectly we may eventually be able to scratch off another timeless question. Which would be pawsome.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @01:19AM
Really? They do it "fur" real???
(Score: 4, Funny) by mendax on Monday March 11 2019, @01:19AM (1 child)
This is most definitely a candidate for the Ig-Nobel awards this year.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 3, Touché) by NotSanguine on Monday March 11 2019, @02:46AM
I agree. This one definitely needs a "Please stop. I'm bored!" [youtube.com]
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 5, Funny) by Snotnose on Monday March 11 2019, @01:30AM (13 children)
My cat: You seem upset
Me: Yeah
My cat: Can I help?
Me: Please don't put your butthole in my face
My cat puts her butthole in my face.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 3, Touché) by krishnoid on Monday March 11 2019, @02:04AM
If you even hint at being upset in my presence, remember you're in a great position to kiss my ass.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Monday March 11 2019, @02:42AM (11 children)
Come on! You know the deal. Dogs have owners, cats have staff. Deal with it.
And yes, that look your cat is giving you means: "WTF is wrong with you? You're not making my life better! What do I pay you for, mofo?"
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 5, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday March 11 2019, @03:13AM (10 children)
And this is precisely why I prefer cats. I just can't respect dogs. You yell at a dog, they cower in shame. You yell at a cat, they give you a fuck off look and go back to whatever they were doing. If cats had opposable thumbs, they would walk around with their middle fingers up 24/7. That's an attitude I can respect.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @03:41AM (5 children)
That's cuz you are a pussy..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @03:47AM
No. It's cuz Buzzard *likes* pussy. I know I do too.
Why don't *you* like pussy?
(Score: 3, Touché) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday March 11 2019, @03:54AM (3 children)
You are what you eat.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @03:57AM (2 children)
Buzzy, you are a brave(?) man, I give you that.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday March 11 2019, @04:48AM
What, you don't like Chinese food? Das racis!
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by chromas on Monday March 11 2019, @07:04AM
Stunning and brave.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @04:14AM (1 child)
I'm not a fan of abusing and yelling at dogs - as you described, a person like that deserves no respect from any creature and deserves forever memories of billions of middle fingers
(Score: 3, Interesting) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday March 11 2019, @04:52AM
Ahh, you're probably one of those people who thinks telling your kid "no" is abuse too. It is, just not the way you think. It's abusive to those of us who have to live on the same planet as your precious little shithead. Same with a dog. If you don't teach them not to be an annoying, fur-covered asshole that gets on every-damn-body's nerves, that's exactly what they're going to be.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Funny) by krishnoid on Monday March 11 2019, @06:22AM
Yup, pretty much literally [youtube.com] the truth.
(Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Monday March 11 2019, @11:10AM
Scottish Terriers are stubborn and independent like cats - they don't give a flying handshake what you want, they're going to do their thing. I've said for years that if they had a middle finger they'd use it.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Monday March 11 2019, @01:31AM (10 children)
RandomFactor your plays on words are bloody awful. I'm ashamed for you...
(Score: 4, Funny) by RandomFactor on Monday March 11 2019, @02:02AM (8 children)
So you think they are a...catastrophe?
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 4, Funny) by NotSanguine on Monday March 11 2019, @02:43AM (5 children)
Decidedly. I didn't even get through TFS before I went catatonic!
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Monday March 11 2019, @02:50AM (4 children)
Well, I guess he wasn't lion then
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Monday March 11 2019, @03:00AM (3 children)
me OWWWW
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Monday March 11 2019, @03:49AM (2 children)
Yes, this is getting quite painful.
And the puns aren't even cathartic!
Ouch! I hurt myself with that one!
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Monday March 11 2019, @01:10PM (1 child)
Our hearts are extended to the 17 catsualties of the recent Soylent News puns.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday March 11 2019, @03:50PM
That's fur real.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday March 11 2019, @03:15AM
Piers Anthony ruined that word for me for all time by putting the back half of a cat mounted on a plaque in one of his early Xanth novels.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Monday March 11 2019, @04:54AM
Please elaborate … further.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @02:09PM
And what have you done of your miserable, empty, worthless, basement-dwelling life today ?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @01:33AM (2 children)
So there's more meat for Chinamen to stir-fry.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @02:00AM (1 child)
One of my biggest culinary regrets has been my inability to get my friends to split a cat with me (in China).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @11:58AM
But isn't that the perfect scenario for a *doggie bag*?
Damn! I just amuse the hell out of myself!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @01:54AM
I do the same when I'm about to land the plane. I just settle into the machine, my seat. Everything has to be perfect. It's a thing that you feel.
Of course, with the cat, it's pretty obvious, I would expect them to be more subtle. Eh, whatever, as long as he isn't looking at you, there's nothing to worry about.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by chewbacon on Monday March 11 2019, @02:13AM (1 child)
...same reason they lick their balls.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @02:17AM
They lick their balls because they don't have thumbs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @02:26AM (1 child)
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/dogs-poop-in-alignment-with-earths-magnetic-field-study-finds [pbs.org]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @02:36AM
50% of the time
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @03:37AM
my dog was right about cats, sick fucks.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @04:10AM
Because the earth is so hot and they are trying to cool off? It is for the same reason you shake your hand out after touching something hot, it blocks off the greenhouse effect. I never noticed a cat doing this until after climate change became a thing.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @05:48AM (1 child)
It is a process of judging if the ground is stable and trying to make sure their feet aren't going to slip. If they aren't confident they won't slip, they'll readjust.
Cats who miss jumps often didn't "wiggle" or otherwise failed to judge how much power they could put down without losing traction.
Think of cats as a rear wheel drive car with a big engine. They "peel out" and have oversteer problems. If pouncing of jumping, they need to have a good idea of how much power they can apply to the surface they are on without losing control.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Monday March 11 2019, @09:59PM
This. Also, it seems a way to let out some excitement (it's faster and more pronounced when they are excited), and finally it seems a kind of a preparation rite.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by bradley13 on Monday March 11 2019, @08:14AM (1 child)
Perhaps related: When my cat is about to pounce on a mouse (she brings home a lot of mice), she first lashes her tail around. At first glance, this seems really counterproductive. "Hey, mouse, you're about to be eaten - run!".
After thinking about it, I have two theories: First, the sight of something moving may cause the prey to freeze, while they try to figure out what they are seeing. Second, the movement may distract the prey from the dangerous end - which is perfectly still.
Fascinating critters, anyhow. Or am I just infected with that parasite?
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Monday March 11 2019, @12:04PM
Cats wag (or with your turn of phrase, lash) their tails when they are under stress/annoyed/ready to pounce or fight.
My bosses* taught me that.
*As I mentioned previously, dogs have *owners*. Cats have *staff*.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @08:54PM
Of course!
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday March 11 2019, @10:23PM
... I dunno either, though Mrs Lawn and I are owned by two cats. But my WAG has always been that it primed the back body to be ready for short somatic reflexes [opentextbc.ca]. The cat's brain is giving a command akin to, "At the next neural command start firing the short reflex chain for a pounce and/or pouncing sprint." Either that, or it's the startup flares firing before main engine ignition. I've seen our cats go into wiggle mode, hold position and not pounce because the toy wasn't correct, and then they'll rewiggle again - I've seen them do this two or three times before the conditions are just right and they go for it.
This sig for rent.