Role Of Dopamine In The Cat Wiggle
According to Marilyn Krieger, a cat coach, there is a shootin the level of dopamine while cats wiggle their butts. Sometimes, dopamine isreleased in cats while they play or hunt. Moreover, this dopamine might alsoinfluence the wiggling and pouncing. It is a neurotransmitter which affects theworking of the brain very efficiently. So, it might be possible that the buttwiggle is a way to release the energy before the attack.
The Shake Before The Pounce
This is the funniest part about this whole concept simply because its so gosh darn cute to watch. But did you know that pouncing actually helps your cat dash towards its prey?
When your cat is about ready to attack its prey, aka cheap mouse toy, it will hunker down first and get a solid balance with its paws. And then it will go in for the kill by using both front and back paws to dart at the toy mouse.
The wiggling motion is just to help your cat get some balance before it goes in to make its move.
The Butt Wiggle: Why Do Cats Do This Before They Pounce
Weve all seen our cats do it: They crouch down very low, zero in on their prey, whatever it is, then wiggle their butts right before launching themselves into the air and pouncing. Its so cute, and so hilarious, that nobody can really get enough of it. What is that, though? Why do cats do the butt wiggle right before they pounce?
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Why Do Cats Wiggle Their Butts Before They Pounce
10 March 2019
As many pet owners will attest, when their cat prepares to pounce, it does a little butt wiggle first.
This butt-wiggling pounce lasts just a few moments as the feline crouches down low and wiggles its rear end before launching itself at its target which is sometimes your feet under the blankets.
There hasn’t been any formal research yet on this quirky behavior, but one scientist who studies animal locomotion said he had a few ideas about why kitty does a twerk-like shimmy before its ambush.
“The short answer is science does not know the butt-wiggling has not been studied, to my knowledge, in an experimental context,” said John Hutchinson, a professor of evolutionary biomechanics at the Royal Veterinary College in London.
According to Hutchinson, butt-wiggling may help press the hindlimbs into the ground to give cats added friction for pushing them forward in the pounce. “It may also have a sensory role to prepare the vision, proprioception and muscle and whole cat for the rapid neural commands needed for the pounce,” Hutchinson noted.
Butt wiggling may also give the cat an aerobic warm-up, of sorts.
“It probably does stretch the muscles a bit and that might help with pouncing,” Hutchinson told Live Science. “And we can’t exclude that it’s just fun for cats they do it because they are excited by the thrill of the hunt prey.”
Does My Cat Enjoy Pouncing
The causes behind cats pounce behavior vary, but they all boil down to their enjoyment of playing and hunting activity. Wild cats attack and catch prey in a variety of ways, one of which is by pouncing.
The act of wiggling is also a component of how cats interact with one another, particularly kittens. Even though domesticated cats rarely need to hunt because they are given food, they retain the impulse to pounce when the opportunity presents itself.
When cats pounce, they are attempting to begin play or hunt! Kittens pounce more than older cats since they are more lively in general. Pounces might be expected when cats are bored. It is because they are attempting to find additional stimulation.
As a result of hunting and playing, dopamine is released into the cats system, which may explain why your cat wiggles before pouncing: it is doing so to release dopamine. Your cat enjoys pouncing because of the dopamine shot to the brain and how its muscles are relaxed.
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The Butt Wiggle Has To Do With Hunting Behavior
Theres an actual reason for this that has to do with how cats hunt. Yes, theyre stealthy hunters, but one would think that wiggling their butts like that would belie their position and scare away their prey. However, you have definitely seen how they launch themselves they must be properly grounded and balanced in order to launch successfully.
Enter the butt wiggle. This helps your kitty get her back feet in the exact position she needs for that launch. Its rather like the way an athlete will position his or her feet right before jumping, taking off in a sprint, diving, etc.
Watch below :
Prior To Pouncing Cats Shake And Wiggle Their Butt To Attain Balance And Leverage
That gif entertains me much more than it ought to 😀
Stared at it for 5 minutes waiting for it to jump. I knew it wouldn’t but I couldn’t stop
My kitten was doing this this morning, I had never seen her do it. Then she leaped into the air and met my other kitten mid air, and then they wrestled to the ground. It was pretty cute!
the anticipation is killing me
Biomechanically and behaviorally, this explanation does not fully pan out. It would follow that cats would need to balance and leverage before any jump, not just a hunting pounce. Yet cats usually confine the wiggle to just before a hunt or play pounce, rather than jumping from one surface to another.
I don’t have any better sources, what /u/ckmadison cited is about as it gets on this subject! I suspect that cats are ‘tuning’ their neuromuscular systems in this wiggle prep for instance, you can jump farther if you pre-stretch your muscles by squatting a little, giving them room to shorten and achieve more power than a pure standing jump. The wiggle back and forth may also be a by-product of motor neurons firing reactivelynowI’mjustmakingthingsup. I am inspired to look into this further, though I can’t think of a way to do this without sticking electrodes into a cat’s bum muscles.
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How Do You Get Your Cat To Stop Pouncing On You
Sometimes you cat pouncing can get a little tiresome, especially in the middle of the night. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to discourage your cat from pouncing.
The first option is usually the simplest. Try giving your cats more toys and things to interact with so they dont get bored. Things like toy mice, hanging feathers, and even cat trees can all help your feline friends occupy themselves without having to bother you.
If that doesnt work, it may be because you have rewarded pouncing behavior with attention in the past. Cats will remember that you chased and played with them and try to get you to do it again.
Try ignoring their pouncing and see if you get better results. You can also say no or make a sound to discourage them. Be careful that youre not giving them too much attention while you say no. For some cats, any attention is encouragement, even disciplinary attention.
If that still doesnt work, you can try using a spray bottle when they pounce. Alternatively, you can try putting your cat in time-out by locking them in a room for a short time after pouncing. If you do put them in time out, you should make sure they still have access to water and a litterbox, as well as food if they are free fed.
Why Do Cats Do The ‘death Wiggle’ Before They Pounce October 05 2021 3 Comments
If you’re a cat parent, chances are you’ve witnessed the “Death Wiggle” firsthand. It’s the little shimmy-shimmy of their rumps that our feline friends make just before they pounce for the killing blow on their unsuspecting prey…which is often your foot sitting innocently underneath the bed sheets.
This seemingly innocent, adorable rump wriggle has long been a mystery to cat parents . While there has not been any formal research studies conducted on the Death Wiggle, a professor of evolutionary biomechanics has a few ideas about why cats do this funny little wiggle.
John Hutchinson, a professor at the Royal Veterinary College in London who studies animal locomotion, theorizes that the action of this twerk-like booty shake could help press the cat’s hind legs down and give cats added traction for pushing them forward into the perfect pounce. It could also be a form of quick aerobic warm up or stretching to get their muscles ready to pounce, possibly to give them a better leap.
According to Hutchinson, “It may also have a sensory role to prepare the vision, proprioception and muscle and whole cat for the rapid neural commands needed for the pounce.” It’s sort of like the cat’s senses telling their brain. “GET READY! We’ve got a lizard to catch!”
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Testing The Strength Of The Floor
Cats do not always hunt or move on ideal surfaces. Whether they are in the wild or the comfort of your home, the surface of the floor will be different at different locations. When your cat wiggles its butt before the cat pounce, it could be testing the floor under its paws.
For instance, if your cat is on loose stones or some loose litter material, the butt wiggling movement will allow it to secure its paws more firmly on the ground.
Big Cats Do The Butt Wiggle Too
In the wild, the big cousins of our furry feline friendslions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, etc.actually dig their feet into the ground a bit for leverage before launching after their prey. The wiggle of a big cat is likely much slower than that of your little cat, but its still there, and its done for the same reason.
In our house, all four cats do the butt wiggle before launching themselves after their own prey, which is usually a toy attached to a string, which is attached to a stick. They do it to varying degrees Chase will actually stop and start his wiggling, as will Kali. Gizmos is very brief, and Arias seems to last forever.
We love watching all of them do it.
If youd like to see more of the butt wiggle, . Buzzfeed has a great compilation of feline butt wiggle .gifs.
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Feline Hungry Crafty Kitty Cons Shoppers Into Buying Cat Food In Grocery Store
This cat in turkey is the epitome of the saying, Patience is a virtue. An Instagram video shows a cat sitting in front of a supermarket shelf thats filled with cat food. A kind hearted shopper stops to buy some food for the hungry feline.
Ozan Goksu, was shopping at a Rossmann store in Istanbul on Sept. 26 when he encountered the hungry feline. He believes that everyone should help stray animals within their means.
The video shows Goksu coming across the animal in the supermarket as it waits in front of the cat food products. Goksu picks up a packet of Whiskas brand cat food and beckons the feline to follow him.
The cat follows him through the checkout and outside the store, where Goksu empties the contents on the ground.
After sharing the video, I received a lot of nice comments and messages. People who have also seen this cat reached out to me, Goksu said.
It turns out that this stray male cat is constantly wandering around the Rossmann store, doing the same trick to different customers every time he gets hungry.
Twitter user Bayirturbu wrote: Is that Rossmann in Kadikoy? I fell into the same cat trap there!
Ozlem wrote: This cat is a regular here. He always waits in front of the food stand and makes people buy food. I fell into his trap, too.
Goksu asked people to be more conscious about stray animals.
I am an animal activist, and for two years I have been making videos with animals and sharing them on my social-media accounts to raise awareness, he said.
Stretching And Warming Up
Pouncing into action takes a lot of strength and agility. Cats make it look easy, but theres a good amount of muscle that goes into that fluid movement. Most of that comes from their back legs, and their cute butt wiggle could be their way of stretching and preparing for their big leap.
Watching a cat wiggle its butt before it pounces is a lot like watching a baseball player wave their bat while waiting for a pitch. Or think about how track athletes jump up and down or touch their toes before getting to the start line. Even golfers test their swing and bend their knees before they step up to the tee. Cats are athletes just like any other, and their cute wiggling behavior could be their way of warming up for action.
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What Helps A Cat Leap And Pounce
Most cats can leap and pounce without any assistance, assuming they are in good health and have a reason to want to.
If your cat is starting to have trouble leaping and pouncing, you should first check to make sure they are at an appropriate weight. You may also want to talk about your cats diet with their vet to make sure theyre getting plenty of calories and good nutrition.
You may also want to consider checking them for arthritis and other joint problems if there arent any other obvious reasons for them to struggle. If your cat is showing signs of arthritis, you should talk to your vet about possible treatments and options to improve their quality of life.
Once you have good treatments for their joint health, along with a high-quality diet and good weight, your cat should be able to leap and pounce more normally.
However, if none of those problems are to blame, you may want to consider whether their eyesight might be to blame. Cats can have bad eyes just like humans can and are much less likely to pounce and play if they cant see clearly.
Unfortunately, unlike the other problems weve covered, there arent many good options for treating a cats eyesight. However, the good news is that cats can learn to function with poor eyesight, or even total blindness, as long as you help create a safe environment for them.
If youre trying to encourage a cat to pounce for the first time, try tempting them with a treat or toy that they need to jump to reach.
Why Do Cats Wiggle Their Butts Before They Pounce Heres The Reason
If youre sharing your home with a cat, you surely are being entertained by your feline friend as cats are fun to watch! If you wonder why your cat wiggles his butt before he pounces on something, weve got the answer you need. This pre-pounce butt wiggle is as cute as it can be and its a behavior that pet cats and larger wild cats exhibit including lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars.
While nobody knows for sure why cats wiggle their butts before attacking something, cat experts think its done to physically prepare for a successful pounce.
While its adorable when your feline friend wiggles his hind end when playing, pouncing is an innate hunting instinct in domestic cats. Even though your pet cat isnt hunting for food to survive like his bigger wild counterparts, hes still hunting in his mind even when hes about to pounce on a cat toy because its pure animal instinct!
Experts also believe that the wiggling behavior is a way for a cat to test the stability of the ground its on before making the pounce. For example, if a cat were to pounce on loose ground, it probably wouldnt be able to strike its target, which may be anything from an insect to a mouse.
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Why Do Cats Wag Their Tails Heres What Your Feline Is Trying To Tell You
And here we have another kitty conundrum for you humans. Now I admit that we felines dont have the kind of facial expressions that let you humans know what were thinking but, our tails are a completely different story. Thats because every swish, shake or wag will tell you how we feel, how you can meet our needs and what to expect next.
We use our tails to communicate but we sometimes send mixed messages with our tail movements. We felines evolved as a solitary species and when our wild cousins communicate its mostly about territory or mating. And, in the wild, its not always a good idea for felines to let other animals know how we think or feel as they may take that as a sign of weakness.
Our body language is interesting to watch but not always easy to understand. This is why the tail is always a good indicator. Looking at our tails, considering our overall body position and the activity and surrounding environment will help you decode our mood.
Here are 12 ways we wag our tails and what were trying to tell you when we wag them.
Ways To Address Cat Stalking And Pouncing
Knowing that cats have natural predatory behaviors such as stalking and pouncing, directing these behaviors in healthy ways would prove beneficial.
Cats have short but frequent predatory patterns. By mimicking these patterns when it comes to playtime with your cat, they will indeed have a lot of fun.
If your cat feels a lack of attention and thus resorts to stalking and pouncing, increasing playtime will help them redirect this energy while bonding with you at the same time. It’s best to select toys that mimic their natural prey, such as a mouse toy or a feather wand.
For cats with more aggressive pouncing behaviors, think of alternatives that would provide them with more physical and mental stimulation. For example, when your cat is in the process of stalking and is about to pounce on you or any other object, you can distract them by using interactive toys, like laser pointers.
Modern pet parents can try game apps for cats to entertain their kitties. If you have to spend too much time away from your cat, you can use an interactive pet camera with a laser toy to keep your cat active while you are at work or traveling.
It is often amusing for cat lovers to witness cats stalking and pouncing, butt wiggle and all. However, if your cats pouncing activities are causing injuries, it might be a good idea to consult with an animal behaviorist to determine ways to redirect this behavior.
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