Flying cats
Have you looked at your cat and pondered what, exactly, was going through his head? Which new plan for the conquest of the world was taking shape behind those enigmatic green eyes? Have you also thought about how cats have become man’s mysterious life companions, bound to us yet always characterized by a noble air of detachment, from everything and everyone?
Or, have you ever found yourselves wondering how your cat, essentially a couch potato, maybe even a little chubby, manages to perform stunts worthy of the most experienced acrobat?
If you have identified at least one of these traits, this book is for you: #catPills, curiosities and anecdotes to better acquaint you with your cat and his bizarre ways of interacting with the world.
Turn on the stereo, push play on R. Kelly’s “I believe I can fly”, sit on the edge of your chair, tiptoes to the floor, and you’re ready, ready to take off. Like your cats, yes even yours. Because cats can fly!
Freeze-frame a fragment of your cat’s leap, vaulting from the house terrace... there it is! For a brief moment, doesn’t he look like he’s flying?
TAKE-OFF: A cat can jump from standstill up to 6.5 feet. That’s the power and muscle elasticity which proportioned to us would be like watching a man jump straight up to the second floor.
BALANCE: When cats are in flight, mid jump from the ground to a certain height, they rotate their tail, doing what in physics is called “angular momentum,” allowing them to turn around and land on their feet. The tail is a tool for balance, and not only during jumps, but at every stage of their life.
GLIDE: You’ve probably noticed a suspicious belly in your cat, even though overall, he is quite thin and fit. This is not the result of late nights with “kittens, milk and rock’n'roll" but the so-called “primordial pouch.” This anatomical part of the cat, is a distinctive feature that enables them to glide during their leaps.
LANDING: It's common knowledge, even among children, that cats can fall from great heights and still land on their feet, without getting injured. That's right, but there are some… lets call them choreographs, essential for their landing without consequences. In fact, cats can fall from the 2nd to the 7th floor of a building without getting hurt, however, if the height is greater than what they can handle, land unscathed won’t be possible, and yet, a lower height may not allow them the time needed to turn around, consequently they gould get hurt.
