![]() "It's almost like convergent evolution, because snakes hunt small rodents. "Cats are basically on their way to evolving into furry snakes," Burstyn said. What makes them want to squeeze themselves head-first into vases and under doors? So we know how cats are able to enter their liquid state, but the question is why they're driven to do this in the first place. Cats' bone structure and flexible spines are part of what enable them to navigate tight spots. A really skinny cat should be able to squeeze through a hole that's kind of just the size of their head, or a little larger." The Psychology of Liquid CatsĪ stock photo shows a cat crawling through a hole in a cardboard box. "They have a really loose shoulder girdle"-bones connecting the limbs to the bones along the axis of the body-"so they just squeeze right through. "A human contortionist or escape artist dislocates their shoulders to squeeze through a tight space cats don't need to dislocate anything," said Burstyn. One final biological factor in all this is the clavicle or collarbone, which in cats are not particularly well developed, meaning they're not constricted as much by the broadness of their shoulders as humans are, and are instead limited merely to the size of their skulls. "When we look at a cat we think we're seeing a cat, but we're actually seeing its skin and the real cat is inside there somewhere!" "Cats basically have like twice as much skin as they actually need for their body," Burstyn said, holding up Claudia, his feline YouTube co-star. Internet Praises Cat Making Perfect Square in Blinds To Peep Through Window.Cat Letting Owner Use Her As Mouse Pad Delights Internet-'Gamer Buddy'.Cat With 'Mustache' Charms Internet: 'Freddy Purr-Cury'.That's because another key factor is that cats have a lot of excessive skin-more than most animals, according to the vet-which, when combined with their fur, gives them a floppy, fluid-like appearance. After all, snakes are flexible but don't seem to have the same liquid credentials as cats do. One way to see this in action is how cats re-orient themselves when falling, Burstyn says.īut that's not all. This contraction and expansion design is what makes cats' spines so flexible, combined with exceptionally strong muscles surrounding them. When they're crouching it's loaded, and it's designed to just explosively expand." "So their spine is basically like a spring. "Cats are ambush predators," the vet said via video call. Going into biology first, Burstyn says the key to cats' flexibility is in their spines. There are two main factors to consider: biology and psychology. Cats have a penchant for squeezing into tight spaces. A stock photo shows a cat snoozing inside a small plastic container.
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