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We have learned a whole lot about our cat, Gracie, since we adopted her last December. She's about a year old now. I just can't believe how clumsy she is. She attempts to jump to the window sill or from the litter box to the counter, and slips fairly frequently. She can't jump very high to begin with, so maybe that has something to do with it? It just seems so odd to me--comical in a way but kinda sad too. I thought cats were agile creatures that don't miss their mark.
Funny part is we named her Grace because she definitely plays gracefully, and her mannerisms are so refined and delicate. When it comes to feline acrobatics, however, forget about it! I see a cat that lives above us perched on the deck railing and I think to myself, my god my cat would plummet to her death!
Yes, mine is terribly clumsy, but I chalked it up to that fact that he was declawed as a very young kitten. I think it interfere's with his balance. He's overweight as well which doesn't help I'm sure. But we are trying to remedy that.
Yes, mine is terribly clumsy, but I chalked it up to that fact that he was declawed as a very young kitten. I think it interfere's with his balance. He's overweight as well which doesn't help I'm sure. But we are trying to remedy that.
That makes sense. Our cat has her claws and she's still a clumsy fur ball
That makes sense. Our cat has her claws and she's still a clumsy fur ball
Do you know her background?
I ask because we have one who suffered a fractured pelvis (no, he wasn't ours at the time, it's how he ended up in rescue) from - we think - being hit by a car. Regardless, it seems that due to the age he was at the time, his confinement, which was necessary for the fracture to heal, lead to a lack of development of certain motor skills.
It isn't that they didn't develop at all, it's just that they never developed to the degree that they should so he'll do things that appear clumsy. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to mind and has never stopped trying to do the running leap for the cat tree regardless of how many times he sails right past it into the wall instead.
Or a back injury? I have one cat who suffered some trauma to her back before being dumped at a rescue group. She jumps on the bed, but that is as high as she goes.
The shelter didn't have much information on her. Apparently she was found "at large" (odd term to use for an innocent kitty!) and was brought in by a good samaritan. She was approx 6 months old when we adopted her and only about 5 lbs at the time. She is now over 11 lbs (in part because she's been quarantined in the bathroom due to ringworm for nearly 7 weeks). Maybe her weight has something to do with it? I don't know, but she definitely seems to struggle with this. I noticed she hesitates before jumping too, as if she's unsure of herself. She's somewhat skittish as well, and sometimes it seems like mid-jump she gets scared and doesn't follow through to land properly. Poor baby!
Or a back injury? I have one cat who suffered some trauma to her back before being dumped at a rescue group. She jumps on the bed, but that is as high as she goes.
She's been thoroughly examined by our vet. Do you think they would notice something like that?
I know what you mean about the bed--that's pretty much her highest jump as well. We've never had to worry about the kitchen counters because she can't jump that high.
She's been thoroughly examined by our vet. Do you think they would notice something like that?
Not unless there was scar tissue or some lasting telltale sign. Otherwise, any fully healed trauma or break would be virtually undetectable.
We only know about our cat as he was found dragging himself along in an apartment complex carpark. So when he got to rescue they x-rayed him to see what was what.
If she's experienced something negative (i.e. she gauged the jump for a 5 lbs cat, and not the 11 lbs cat that she is) or she consciously "knows" she lacks the strength to get her new fuller figure to previous heights, she might just cease to try. I think this would hugely depend on the personality of the cat.
Our cat of the fractured pelvis is not one to give up under any circumstances. It took about a year/18 months for him to make up for lost time, but I hauled him off the fireplace mantle this a.m. That said, he'll still miss his mark every now and then.... that's when we get *crash* *boom* *sounds of things falling from great heights* + the very miffed "Yeowwwwww" as if somehow the top of the 6 ft high bookcase contrived to do him in.
My cat is very clumsy. She falls all the time when she tries to jump up on places, usually she pulls something down with her as well. She has also fallen down the toilet once, when she didn't realize that the lid was down and wanted to jump on it to reach the sink placed next to it.
She has also fallen down from one floor to another when we went away on a short vacation together. And she was playing with a huge couch pillow and made it fall over her body while her head was peeking out.
Our cat of the fractured pelvis is not one to give up under any circumstances. It took about a year/18 months for him to make up for lost time, but I hauled him off the fireplace mantle this a.m. That said, he'll still miss his mark every now and then.... that's when we get *crash* *boom* *sounds of things falling from great heights* + the very miffed "Yeowwwwww" as if somehow the top of the 6 ft high bookcase contrived to do him in.
Awwwww! At least he tries
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