On April 2nd, 2004 [Flippy] posed the following question to "Flippy's Mailing List" and also to the "rec.pets.cats.anecdotes" newsgroup:

"Okay, I have a question for you. Why do cat's writhe? Sometimes when Chloe gets outside she immediately heads for concrete, she lays on her back and starts to writhe around. Any ideas?"

In response, [Flippy] received the following replies:

• "I always thought it was because they were scratching themselves. They could also be laying down scent markers of some sort." - Rachel Craddock

• "Ming has torn off three collars and wrecked bells on her collars all the time from doing that. Ming and Lilah both head straight for concrete as soon as they get outside but Fatty never has. I just put it down to another type of 'marking' and gathering the neighbourhood gossip!" - Jo Gray

• "Purrhaps she's enjoying a bit of a backscratch (if the concrete's rough). Jenny and Annie both writhe around in the driveway on their backs, sort of flopping back and forth. The amazing thing is that, although the driveway is always dusty and has blowing leaves on it, they'll come back inside the house a few minutes later and already be all clean and good smelling again." - Diana Essert

• "I had a cat that used to do this when he went outside. I always assumed that the concrete was scratchy to an itchy back (because ours was not smooth in our driveway) or that it was just warm and he wanted to soak up all the heat." - Krystal Bennett

• "Cuz' she knows it puzzles you. Actually I think they are picking up the scent of outside and sunshine, they usually will sniff the spot first before they plop down and enjoy." - Marcia Newell

• "Lambert used to do that when he was allowed outside. I always assumed that it just feels good, like having ones back scratched." - D. Rene Creasy

• "I think marking might be part of that behaviour, they seem to put their cheeks to the ground when they do it too. Other than that I suppose it might just feel good, like stretching and and getting a bit of scratching back from the ground. Exchange of smell? My grey Thea, among other cats I know, always include this behaviour in her greeting ritual - in her case all it takes place indoors. An expression of "I feel good"? In short - I don't really have a clue!" - Lena Westberg

• "Our neighbors' cats do the same thing (Mookie doesn't because he's only allowed in the grassy back fenced-in yard, and he has *ME* to assist him - that's my job, that's what I do). My guess is that the concrete is sufficiently rough to give them a good back scratch - kind of like hoomins who wriggle up against a wall to scratch areas their arms can't reach (especially if there's not another hoomin around with long enough fingernails to help!). Well, it works for me!" - Mary Pelis

• "Leon and Rosie do this too on our paved patio - particularly if it is sunny. I always presumed they did it to scratch an itch. Makes for great photo opportunities though!" - Laurie Lopes

• "Matilda does this on pavement and on the patio stones in our yard and my previous Wumpy did this as all. Seems to be a method of loosening dead hair and a good way to get an all over body scratch." - Judy Greening

• "She's probably scratching her back, like dogs do. My vet also mentioned it could be so she could impart her scent to that area. My cats do that inside the house, as well as flopping back and forth, on their backs. I think it may be a way of stretching, too." - Jennifer Hoffman

• "Isn't it comical?? I have a couple of theories...
  1. To get rid of the human smells and soak up the "freedom" smells.
  2. As an expression of pure joy. Seems like they always act silly after a good squirm.
  3. They have scent glands at the base of their tail. Could they be marking their territory?
  4. Both 1 and 2, is my choice. I have wanted to do the same thing on a warm spring day, but the neighbors would develop a lower opinion of the Neighborhood Crazy Cat Lady."
  - Meribeth Chemcat

• "I have had MANY kitties in my life and it never fails... EVERY one of them has done this odd little thing! I think it has something to do with the warmth that the concrete emits... and also the "scratching" quality the concrete has. You have to admit,it is a funny thing to watch them do. My first Siamese (Sesame) used to push past me just to have the opportunity to do this. He was an inside cat and took every chance he could to get the chance to roll around! It's like all of a sudden this urge comes upon them and it is absolutely necessary to take care of it. Hope this helped some!" - Genia Schag

• "Daytona will do that after I vacuum the carpet. In fact, she seems to have one or two favorite spots where she likes to writhe. I can't speak for Chloe, but I think Daytona is wanting admiration when she writhes. She won't always want to be petted, but it's as if she's saying, "Look at me, how can anybody resist me?" I also have to wonder if there's something territorial behind it too. Maybe they're rubbing their scent off onto the ground..." - Karen Hooper

• "Probably the same reason I sometimes scratch my back on a door frame or something: it feels good." - David Stevenson

• "Itchy back. Horses, bears, and dogs do the same thing." - Kathleen Mogan

• "I always thought cats writhed to scratch or massage their backs." - Bill Franks

• "Because it rubs the skin of the back; much like you rubbing an itchy back on a door frame! It is also an instinctive behaviour of pleasure after being indoors. I often run my fingernails down my cats' backs and watch the skin ripple. OOOHHH, it feels so good!" - Catherine Jo Sadler

• "Ecstasy." - Lydia Woods

• "Two reasons:
  (1) When a cat is in heat (estrus) she will writhe around on the ground, floor, etc.
  (2) She likes to scratch her back in this way because it feels good." - Betty Craiglow

• "I have an outside kitty, well she just adopted me and stays here, and she's outside all the time and she does the same thing. I think they like the way it feels and it also removes hair they can't reach. Miss Kitty does it on a regular basis. Flipping and writhing and rolling, looks cute." - Darlene Reed

• "To amuse you, of course." - Theresa Kreisleriana

• "I think Chloe is probably doing what you call a writhe just because it feels good. Kind of like a good back scratch. I've seen cats do it too, especially in a nice warm sunny place. Maybe they are leaving their scent there too. My spot! In any case, I don't think its anything to worry about." - Cindy Bryan

• "My cats like to do that too. I think it just feels good, sort of like a bear rubbing it's back on a tree. But, that's my personal opinion." - Julie Balon

• "My Sammy does exactly the same thing! Personally, I think Sammy rolls on concrete when it is either very cool or very warm and it just FEELS GOOD to him! Now when Niko (dog) has been away from home for a while, or has been at the Groomers, he runs into the living room, up on the couch and rolls around and around for 10 minutes! Also, I knew a cocker spaniel named Cleo who would ADORE writhing around in HORSE POOPY! He'd high-tail it to the horse trail at the park, locate some giant pile of steaming, smelly manure and just roll and roll and roll! Doglets can be uncouth." - Kara Di Stefano

• "Frank and especially Nikki do this too. They really enjoy it a lot. I don't have any explanation, except that it just feels good. The dirtier the place, the nicer it is to writhe around on it." - Marina Kurten

• "I saw a stray cat do that once. Maybe it's the texture... maybe they just like how it feels or something like that." - Sara Jnes

• "I just happened to read this the other day: 'If your cat has the opportunity, he'll roll in the dirt. Not only does this endeavor limit the oxygen available to fleas, but it also removes excess oils and unwanted odors. Working the dust in from side to side, the cat eliminates the world's intrusions and comes back to his sense of self.' Savannah always rolls on the concrete when I let her outside, but Bailey always heads for a bald spot in yard and rolls in the dirt. I always just thought Savannah was trying to "mark" her patio and that Bailey was just a nasty man, till I read the above." - Terri McAffry

• "She is scratching her back!" - Lacy Loar

• "If the concrete is somewhat dirty then they could be using the surface to roll around in. If the concrete is not it could be because they are using the hard rough surface to scratch their backs." - Cat Protector

• "I think marking might be part of that behaviour, they seem to put their cheeks to the ground when they do it too. Other than that I suppose it might just feel good, like stretching and and getting a bit of scratching back from the ground. Exchange of smell? My grey Thea, among other cats I know, always include this behaviour in her greeting ritual - in her case it all takes place indoors. An expression of "I feel good"? In short - I don't really have a clue!" - Lena Westberg

• "The cat I had growing up did that too, on concrete. Maybe the scratchiness feels good to rub on. Then again she also did it when she saw us, as a greeting. We'd of course rush over to scritch her all over. I suppose the real answer is, as with everything Cat, because they can and want to." - Caroline Swindell

• "Waffles & Francis love to writhe about on concrete too. Why? Because they can. Waffles & Francis writhe around in the dirt also. Marble's not bothered. My thinking is it may be a sort of "dust bath" effect in the same way that birds will have a dust bath." - Helen Simmons

• "It could be their way of inviting a good back rub or saying that the slave hasn't been scritching the right spot." - Steve Touchstone

• "All our cats do it, and it seems to be linked with feelings of pleasure. It's also something female cats do when they're in heat. Presumably Chloe's been spayed, but cats in that state sometimes act is if they haven't been, so perhaps in that case it's instinctive." - Bobcat

• "What you describe is that delicious response to pleasure, the joy of being alive. I think 'writhe' has the wrong connotation which is a motion response to pain. There must be a better word for this than 'writhe.' I think it could be the phrase "squirm and stretch", "twist about" (sounds good but ignores the stretching), "thrash" (sounds too menacing), "flail" (sounds too much like combat), "wriggle" (sounds silly), or "twist and turn" (sounds close, but not quite right)." - Gerald Gelatt

• "My cat used to do that also. I think it's a good back scratcher and maybe the warmth of the concrete is what they like. My dog does the same thing on the grass." - Karen Burrell

• "I think cats have several reasons for writhing, one is that they like to smell as natural as they can, it's from their "wild" side, they need to smell like nature so predators don't notice them as readily as they might otherwise. Another reason, maybe they just like a good back scratch, or they like the feel of the heat from the sun. I've seen birds take a "dirt bath" too, it may help them to guard against parasites." - Ginny Jane Morong

• "She's spreading her scent around so all the little boy cats in the area will know where to find her! Or maybe she detects the aroma of a nice boy kitty she likes, and just wants to get some of his scent on her." - Carol Lee Myers

• "Because they can? When Cleopatra does that, it looks like she's trying to get as much warmth from the concrete as she can into as much of her body as she can. But, like Chloe, she only does it on concrete. Tabitha, on the other hand, prefers concrete but will also do it in the grass or on carpet." - Daniel Mahoney

• "They're scratching their backs? Dunno, dogs do it too." - Vicky Chapman

• "I believe that Chloe is massaging her skin. I bet she has a look of pleasure on her pretty face when she does it." - Melissa

• "I think they go into extra-sensory overload and they just have to rub their bodies all over the ground." - Kim Cable

• "Mine do it also and they also love dust bathing on the gravel road that goes past our house. I'd say its just a pleasure thing like we like to rub our back on door frames sometimes if they feel a bit itchy." - Sandy Platt

• "For fun, to play, or to feel good? My cats writhe too. One of them, the big fat DiDi, has 3 favorite places to writhe: ground, bed and my Mom's empty big plant pot (No.1 favorite). Sometimes DiDi just lays on his back inside the pot and watching the sky and falls asleep." - Vickie Chang

• "Hee hee. I don't know *why*, but Mike does this too, especially outside enjoying the sunshine. We call it the Happy Cat Roll Around. I personally think they do it just because they can." - Krista McCrea

• "Concrete is a perfect back scratcher! They cannot reach their backs well with their claws. Smokie would head for the sidewalk scratch a bit and then hit the dirt for his daily fur treatment!" - Buffi

• "Okay, so you are wondering why cats writhe and squirm? Well now, just take a moment to be a cat - you have just woken up from a blissful slumber. You're dying to go to the bathroom, and you see it's a beautiful day outside. Then all of a sudden your back becomes really itchy. Well all your scratching has dislodged hair follicles and dead skin, and we all know what it's like to be sunburned - the peeling skin, the constant itch, plus us cats love to have a big stretch when we wake up. Meowwwww..." - Alan Gore

• "Hannah does this as well. I think it's to give herself a back scratch. Maybe we should all give it a go ourselves to see how it feels." - Craig Stevens

• "My cats do it because I get all gooshy and talk about how cute they are. If one is doing it, the other will hear me, come into view, and start writhing too." - Joy Gaylord

• "Because they can. I mean its almost embarrassing to watch they enjoy it so much." - John Biltz

• "I really don't know, but they seem to get so much pleasure from it, makes me wish I could do that too. That as well as the full body stretches they can manage." - Jo Firey

• "When Spicey does it she looks happy and playful." - Susan Kirt

• "Rubbing itchy spots on the back?" - Seanette Blaylock

• "I am not an expert on cats... far from it, though I've had 22 of the darlings in my life, but it seems to me that my cats writhe in pleasure or delight." - Mamahen

• "Cats writhe around to scratch an itchy spot on their backs. When they are inside they don't have to do it because they have us slaves to do the scratching for them and when they writhe in the dirt they are doing a form of grooming that helps rid their coats of fleas and other pests. I know if I were a flea I wouldn't appreciate choking on a dust storm. It would be Hasta La Vista cat for me!" - Cheryl Daniels

• "Sierra does the very same thing! On every one of her rare carefully supervised adventures outside, she makes a beeline for the concrete, rolls on her back and writhes all around! It's usually daylight and warm when we go out, so I always thought maybe it was because the concrete was nice and warm and it felt good to roll around in the sun!" - Stephanie Pendleton

• "I think they are having a back scratch, it's the only bit of themselves they cannot reach. It's either that or they have been on the catnip too much!" - Martin Crook

• "I wonder if it is a trait that has become engrained through evolution. I have seen film of lions in Africa doing the exact same thing and I wouldn't be surprised if it helps control fleas or other insects in their fur." - Napoleon

• "She itches?" - Evelyn Vogt Gamble

• "I'm sure cats roll around like that because they're happy." - Jean Hobbs

• "Cats writhe because it gives their body a work out twisting in different positions as so many are inactive during the day. So it's like humans changing positions in bed, they go with the moment and do what comes naturally." - Anonymous

• "I have always assumed that Susie writhes when she goes out, because she is inviting me to rub her tummy - once this is done she throws her head back, stretching her neck, and a nice stroke there seems to be much appreciated. I have tried asking her about it, but she just puts on her superior look and walks away with her tail in the air. Those stupid humans!" - Alison

• "I always thought it was a way to rub in their scent and also do a whole body scent rub - like a pot roast rubbed with herbs!" - Martha Cowley

• "I think they do it just to stretch. Mine like to do it on concrete because it is cooler than the other parts of the ground. They ain't dumb." - Bill Chandler

• "My answer would be ... because they're floozies and want to get a role in a porno movie. Well that's why I think Kasey does it. Bart does it too but I think he does it so you will give him scritches and they he can get you in a belly trap with his paws. - Nadia Mattiazzo

• "They are doing "pretty kitties" to make us notice them!" - Lynn Wyvryn

• "Have never asked myself this! Just grew up around cats, and knew they did! I suspect it's a grooming thing like birds have a dust bath, etc. Also, for pure pleasure, the warmth, the back-scratch." - Clare Weiner

• "They wriggle in the dirt, too! Then come in looking like a walking dust bin! Their little backs might "itch," or be very dry. Other than that, we, too, are curious!" - Renee Darvin & Sandra

• "They do it to make themselves look skinnier than what they really are." - Terese Driscoll

• "Writhing is an invitation from the cat for the hapless owner to rub his tummy...Then the evil thing will grab the hapless owner's hand and wrist and attack it by biting and scrabbling the back legs. The only thing I find strange is why I fall for it every time!" - Kim

Well, that was fun! Thanks everyone for your input.

Copyright © G. Phillips [aka Flippy], et al.
April 2004