How fast are cats? | CatInfo.net

If we’re talking about the domestic house cat, it’s faster than you, but not that fast in the scheme of things. Of course, the question “How fast are cats” is more complex than it first appears.

In terms of running speed, your cat isn’t especially impressive relative to certain other animals, including other members of the cat species. But there are ways in which your cat is very fast indeed.

For example, during its first year of life, your cat will achieve the equivalent physical maturity of a fifteen-year-old human! And by its third birthday, it will be twenty-five years in human terms.

From age three, every seven years for your cat is the equivalent of one human year. And aging isn’t the only way our furry friends are faster than us.

How fast is your cat at running?

If you’ve ever tried to catch a cat, you’ll know these tiny creatures are fast! But, as implied above, their apparent speed is deceptive.

Domestic cats can run up to 48 kilometers per hour (30 mph). That may be faster than you or I, but it’s not that fast in the scheme of things. Usain Bolt broke the world record for the 100 meters by running 37 kilometers per hour. And he sustained this speed for longer than a cat can maintain its top speed.

This doesn’t mean Bolt is more likely to catch your cat than you are. As every experienced cat owner knows, there’s more to speed than running.

It’s all about the reaction, baby!

Unless you’re still in your teens and your cat is ancient, your furry friend reacts ten to fifteen times faster than you.

If it weren’t for our large brains, opposable thumbs, and expertise in the dark art of feline bribery, you and I would never get our cats into their cat boxes.

When a cat spots its human approach with a look of grim determination on its face, it knows something is up, realizes what’s happening, and moves with lightning speed. This is why tardy humans often find themselves grabbing at the empty space where their cat used to be.

But reaction time isn’t the only area cats outclass even the fastest among us. Our feline friends have another trick at their disposal.

A cat playing and demonstrating its fast reaction time

What goes up…

Humans evolved from tree-dwelling primates who left the tender embrace of the foliage around six to seven million years ago. You’d think our arboreal pedigree would make us excellent performers when climbing trees.

And yet, a quick survey of the CatInfo.net team reveals that approximately none of us are particularly adept at swinging through the branches like Tarzan and Jane.

Contrast this with our favorite felines. They can shoot up a tree faster than you can say the word “vet.” It’s almost as if the laws of gravity don’t apply to cats. And there’s a good reason for that.

Agility

Sensors

Cats have an array of sensory receptors that help orientate them in space. Their ears, eyes, whiskers, paws, nose, and vestibular system all contribute to a cat’s preternatural ability to orientate itself correctly.

Cat looking through heart shaped hole in blue fence

Spine

Cats have over fifty vertebrae in their spines, compared to the paltry 33 found in humans. A cat’s spine is very flexible and can rotate 90 degrees, which makes them vastly more agile than us.

Cat jumping from a gift box with paw extended and claw out

Absorbers

The paws of a cat contain powerful shock absorbers allowing them to reduce the impact when they land on an unyielding surface. This gives cats greater freedom when it comes to moving quickly.

The claws have it

Our fabulous feline friends have one more trick up their metaphorical sleeves when outrunning, outclimbing, and outsmarting us. They have claws.

These make it easier to scale rough surfaces with ease. Our cats can shoot up a tree at speed while we merely look up in admiration. Moreover, those claws provide additional traction on some surfaces that enable them to get up to speed quickly.

Cats are incredible

Your cat is equipped with a wonderful array of sensors, shock absorbers, and a musculoskeletal framework that allow it to outperform even the best human athletes.

At times, cats seem to have a preternatural ability to anticipate and thwart our nefarious intentions.

There are many ways in which cats are better than us. But we have a couple of skills up our collective sleeves too. In particular, we generate a lot of heat and can operate a can opener.

For now, this makes us a valuable companion to our feline masters. But if cats ever discover the secret of controlled combustion and develop opposable thumbs, all bets are off!