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Cats are (almost) liquid

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341 points lnyan | 4 comments | 17 Oct 24 11:43 UTC | HN request time: 0.627s | source
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move-on-by ◴[17 Oct 24 15:47 UTC] No.41870772[source]▶
> While dogs slowed down and hesitated before they attempted to use an uncomfortably small opening, in the case of cats, we did not detect this change in their behavior before their attempt to go through even the narrowest openings. However, remarkably, cats showed hesitation both before they attempted to penetrate the shortest openings, and while they moved through it.

I just skimmed, but I didn’t see any mention whiskers. It’s seems to me that cats can make highly precise measurements of width just by sticking their heads in a space, but height judgments requires additional consideration.

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ChrisMarshallNY ◴[17 Oct 24 16:29 UTC] No.41871149[source]▶
If you have ever put a cone on a cat (which lasts about five minutes), you see they get crazy. They hug the walls.

Their whiskers are a major factor in their perception.

I think they can also dislocate their spine.

My cat likes to sit in what we call his "Buddha" position, with his back bent about 90 degrees, and his paws in front. This seems to be a common position. He'll sit like that for an hour.

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1. Optimal_Persona ◴[17 Oct 24 16:51 UTC] No.41871348[source]▶
I think the cones must also screw up their aural spatial sensation (changing their perception of sound from fairly omni-directional, to seeming like all the sounds are coming from in front of the cone).
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2. hnbad ◴[18 Oct 24 09:31 UTC] No.41877699[source]▶
Have you ever tried putting a leash harness on a cat? We did that a few times and every time the cat would just constantly walk backwards until we took it off. It was like being stuck in reverse gear.

Cats also tend to be extremely picky about the feel of the litter in their litter boxes because their paws are extremely sensitive (like walking on your finger tips). Not to mention their sensitivity for smell (flehmen response and affection for well-worn clothes or backpacks).

I think cats just generally tend towards some form of hypersensitivity and the distress of anything you put on them can come from any number of places. No wonder so many seem to suffer from some kinds of neuroses.

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3. astura ◴[18 Oct 24 11:26 UTC] No.41878361[source]▶
>Have you ever tried putting a leash harness on a cat? We did that a few times and every time the cat would just constantly walk backwards until we took it off. It was like being stuck in reverse gear.

They are just trying to back out of it. This is also their reaction when you first put a collar on them too, until they get used to it.

4. euroderf ◴[19 Oct 24 13:08 UTC] No.41887553[source]▶
I am surprised that without any special training or accustomation (is that a word?), our Siamese cats are just fine with being on a harness.