One thing that enters into the equation of the "total cat" is not just health, looks, and intelligence, but maybe "speed and co-ordination."

Man, since 3200 BC, the time of the Egyptians, were marveling over the cat as a God, and were mystified with her supreme power-to-weight ratio. The domestic cat can, for very short bursts, exceed 25 mph. The Cheetah, a distant Felidae relative, nonetheless, can exceed 70 mph in a straight line.

Some simple math is in order here.

A five pound Bella, traveling at a conservative speed of 15 mph down my 35 foot hallway chasing a rubber ball, is the equivalent of a 175 pound human going 58.33 mph.

Heady stuff, because Bella is the queen of fast feline movement.

In the "Corvette" CATegory of cats, one thing Bella can do is move. As cats are unique in moving BOTH front and back feet in harmony, as opposed to "Right foot down, front, Left foot down, back" as in a dog or horse, they are unique and unequaled in the "quadrupled" world.

Anyway it's academic, as none of the feet seem to touch the floor at any one given time.

The braking process on my shiny, slippery wood flooring is just as interesting. Bella employs "ACBS" (Automatic Claw Braking System) a unique system, cat computer controlled, where just the right amount of claws on each corner are extended to keep the decelerating cat in a straight line. Unfortunately, it isn't always enough to keep the cat from bouncing harmlessly off a fixed surface.

From which the cat bounds away from, saying, "Hey! I MEANT to do that!!"

Copyright © Bill Mason
March 20, 2002