Who needs a yoga mat when you have four paws and flexible bones?
I've always been convinced that cats are at least 50% liquid. I can't explain it, but whenever I hold a cat or even touch it, I can feel how they melt on my arms. Besides, there's no other explanation as to why they can make themselves fit into whatever position they want to be. It doesn't matter how small or how weird the shape is; they will squeeze their bones and make room.
The other day I was actually thinking about this, and realized that these stretches are, in fact, a pet Pilates class. If you ever watched a cat contort itself and melt, you can tell they do this very slowly and are mindful about every movement. They don't rush anything: they calculate, think, and move. And that's how they can move and adjust each of their bones into these containers.
Listen, if I were a cat, I'd totally be playing with this. I'd pick and choose different couches, chairs, boxes, corners, and try to fit comfortably. What I would love to see if this is actually as effortless as how they make it look like it is. I'm sure that for younger cats it's simple and they just fit, but maybe for older or stiffer cats, it's harder. But whatever the skill, it's an impressive feature.
Now, I wonder… how about a recovery period? Because even though it doesn't seem like it requires a lot of energy from them, it does seem tiring to be squeezed into a small place. But they don't seem to care: they don't drink water after that; they don't sleep… they just get up and move on with their day. Looks like my ideal workout class.
Of course, cats have been doing these long before we decided to put the cute name of "pet pilates", so it's time to watch and learn from them. So, welcome to today's pet pilates class: no membership required. Just cats demonstrating their best stretches, poses, and some questionable interpretations of basic anatomy.
