"How on earth did you fit in there?" It's a question we've all asked of our cats when we've found them napping in the flower vase or dashing through a tiny hole in the fence. Their ability to squeeze through narrow spaces has many cat owners wondering if they're more liquid than solid!
How do cats fit in small spaces
A fascinating new study has investigated how cats manage to squeeze themselves into small spaces, reporting that cats seem to be aware of their body size, but they only use this awareness in certain situations.
Animal behaviour scientist Dr Péter Pongrácz from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest previously studied body size awareness in dogs, using experiments to show test the canines' understanding of their own dimensions.
In his 2019 dog study, Pongrácz invited dog owners to bring their pets to his lab, where he set up a panel with an adjustable rectangular hole. When the size of the opening was large, the dogs passed through with ease to rejoin their owners on the other side.
But when Pongrácz made the hole smaller, the dogs hesitated or even refused to pass through it. To Pongrácz, this indicated that they understood they might not fit.
Pongrácz wanted to find out if cats do the same, so he constructed the same study setup—except at the cats' homes instead of the lab. Like with the dogs, Pongrácz adjusted the size of the opening to see how the felines would react.
When the openings became shorter than the cats’ height at the withers (the ridge between the shoulder blades) they hesitated, and even tried to find alternative solutions to pass through the panel.
Pongrácz then shrank the width of the hole but kept the height comfortable. Most cats didn't hesitate to pass through, no matter how narrow he made the opening.
These results indicate that cats tend to use their body awareness to avoid small, short holes. However with regard to tall openings, no matter how narrow, their body awareness doesn't come into play and they're willing to give it a go no matter how narrow the hole.
So, if you have any holes around the home you'd rather your cat not escape through, just make sure they're shorter than the cats' shoulder blades.
Love cats? Check out our pets section for advice on cat care from How to take your cat to the vet without stress to how to stop them scratching furniture