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Extend their front legs and tuck their rear legs so that they can rotate their rear half further while their front half rotates in the opposite direction less. Depending on the cat's flexibility and initial angular momentum, if any, the cat may need to perform steps two and three repeatedly to complete a full 180° rotation. [6] [7] [8]
During these episodes, affected cats can be extremely difficult to distract from their behaviour, and often appear to be absent-minded or in a trance-like state. [4] [5] Overall, the prognosis for the syndrome is good, so long as the syndrome does not result in excessive self-aggression and self-mutilation that may lead to infection. [1]
During a fall from a high place, a cat can reflexively twist its body and right itself using its acute sense of balance and its flexibility. [8] [9] This is known as the cat's "righting reflex". The minimum height required for this to occur in most cats (safely) would be around 90 cm (3.0 ft).
Cats are able to tolerate quite high temperatures: Humans generally start to feel uncomfortable when their skin temperature passes about 38 °C (100 °F), but cats show no discomfort until their skin reaches around 52 °C (126 °F), [28]: 46 and can tolerate temperatures of up to 56 °C (133 °F) if they have access to water.
The falling cat problem has elicited interest from scientists including George Gabriel Stokes, James Clerk Maxwell, and Étienne-Jules Marey.In a letter to his wife, Katherine Mary Clerk Maxwell, Maxwell wrote, "There is a tradition in Trinity that when I was here I discovered a method of throwing a cat so as not to light on its feet, and that I used to throw cats out of windows.
Science sheds some light on why cats — despite their reputation — can be so cuddly. This behavior traces back to their wild ancestors, who formed close-knit groups for protection and warmth.
The presence of cats in addition to their purring as well as petting them can deliver both psychological and physical benefits. [50] Therapy cats are being used as companions to help the recovery and well-being of people who have had strokes, [51] high blood pressure, [52] [53] anxiety, [52] [53] and/or depression to name a few. [53] [54]
Cats seem to have a sense of when their humans are feeling unwell and if their favorite person is laid up on the couch or has taken to their bed with a cold or the flu, they'll often camp out ...