Anyone who shares their home with a cat knows what high jumpers they are. There are few high places in the house that a cat can’t reach.
Height seems to give a cat a sense of security. Sitting on a shelf, a fence, a garden wall protects them from any perceived enemies such as a dog. Wild cats enjoy high places too. They can remain hidden from their prey and easily observe their surroundings, just as our pets do.
But how are cats able to make these incredible leaps, up to 7 times the length of their tails? The answer is in their powerful thigh muscles. To gain the momentum to jump high, cats coil their flexible bodies and use their back legs to propel them.
Our domestic cats and their wild cousins have not changed much in all the years of their existence and have much in common.
