How many flying cats do you have?

[jmowreader]

The flying cat is a strange beast indeed. It has no wings. No little flaps of skin under its arms. In fact, the flying cat seemingly boasts no means of levitation whatsoever. Yet it can fly through the air with seemingly the greatest of ease.

I've had four flying cats, and two are still alive. My first flying cat was a 15-pound long-tail Manx tom named Pinky who liked sleeping on the top edge of the back door. He got there by jumping straight up from the floor. He liked to be held too; his record for horizontal flight was eleven feet. Unfortunately for me, he forgot the One Rule of Flight: if you're going to fly through the air, try to land on the side where the arms to catch you are. (Imagine a fifteen-pound cat dangling from your shoulder by his claws.) This cat's been dead for five years--we had five cats die from burst brain aneuryisms, and this was one of them. If your cat dies from this it is very easy to tell: the cat's perfectly fine right up until the time the vessel goes, and then it just dies in maybe 30 seconds right in front of you. LOTS of blood when that happens.

Flying cat number two was a calico Persian we called Chewbacca because of her appearance. This flying cat only took to the skies when she was in heat, but her specialty was to hop over a couple other cats then take flight. This cat died of old age.

The other two flying cats are still alive. Snotflinger, my Maine Coon, can fly to the doortop like Pinky could and she can fly horizontally eight feet, and my longhair Siamese (we've had this cat eight months and she still has no name) can rise to five feet elevation but distance is a problem--only a couple of feet. She's young, so I think that will correct itself in time.

Flight isn't something you can teach a cat. They either can or they can't. Chewbacca could fly; her son Titty Boy couldn't. Pinky could fly, but neither his mom nor any of his children could. Snotflinger's brother can't fly; neither of the Siamese's parents nor any of her siblings can. A flying cat is a unique and special creature and must be nurtured. Here's the strange thing: I currently have seven cats, five of whom cannot fly. All seven of them can jump up on the table, and one sleeps on a walnut shelf I made that hangs six feet off the floor. But the non-flying cats refuse to take the final step and jump up into my arms.

The most important indicator of the potential to fly is bread-eating. All four of my flying cats are, or were, very fond of bread. Snotflinger is so bad about it I have to put my lunch sandwiches in the microwave while I get the bag out because Snotflinger will eat the bread while another cat eats the lunch meat. None of the non-flying cats will touch it.

So beware, DUers: if your cat suddenly develops a taste for bread, be sure to look on top of the door before you close it.

[BlueJazz]

1. I had a cat that flew once.

He shit in my earphones and I..ah I mean, HE flew quite a Distance.


(Cat Lovers: I'm Kidding..I'm Kidding...I wouldn't hurt the Kitty)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. We used refer to them as Air Cats and Floor Cats.

I have had a number of Floor Cats and a few Air Cats. One of my Air Cats was a tabby named Leonard, who had the startling ability to fly to the top of an open door and walk back and forth on it. He would also fly into any open kitchen cupboard door when we weren't looking, and nap on the dinner plates until we discovered him when getting ready for supper. My current Air Cat, Milo, will fly right at me so I have to catch him and carry him. The new cat, Jeoffry, has definite potential as an Air Cat, too, as I have found him lurking on top of the refrigerator on several occasions. There's no way he could make it to the top of the fridge except by aviating.

I'm not sure that bread-eating is always indicative of aerofelinity. Charles, the only cat I've ever had who was a committed panophile (to the point of shredding open the plastic wrappers and eating the crusts off of any unattended bread loaf) was a Floor Cat, venturing skyward only as far as a kitchen counter that had bread on it.

I'd add that the most direct correlation with a cat's aviation skills that I've noticed seems to be his tendency to jabber constantly. All of my Air Cats have been nonstop talkers.

[havocmom]

3. Depends on how cold the dog's nose is any give day

Some days, that creates a lotta lift ;)

Have had cats that could manage 7 -8 feet straight vertical. Several who could manage many feet in a horizontal flight. And one who seemed to be able to take several steps off the couch and into thin air.

That last tricks puzzles me still. She WAS pretty small, so maybe gravity just didn't bother with her. :shrug:

All of them talked. One managed to work doornobs, light switches and know a ringing phone demanded a response. He would stand over it and say Hellllow Hellllow?

[bluethruandthru]

4. Here's one....

Actually, this cat, Shazzy, can't fly at all! He can barely jump. Poor guy has no clue how to jump. My smallest cat can easily go four feet straight up. With a running start...much higher.