Positions My Cat Sits In: Blue’s Favorite Lounging Postures

Hi, I’m Amanda! Read my introduction to learn more about me and Blue, my fluffy fire point Himalayan-Persian cat.

A few articles ago, I wrote about how my baby Blue has a few mobility issues, and as much as I’d like to blame her age, some of the ways she sits might actually be the culprit. She’s got this curious knack for propping herself up in odd positions, each making me question how she can possibly be comfortable. If anything, she’s discovered a way to defy the normal boundaries of feline flexibility, but I can’t help but wonder how these back-curling lounge sessions may be affecting her back.

Blue is a massive fan of a good bed – human, cat, dog. Bowl, bolster, mat. You name it, she prefers it over the unforgiving hardness of our laminate floor. We have no carpet, so she’ll take the extra support and cushion wherever she can get it. Her most common make-shift yoga pose includes darting one leg sharply over her Nest bed. Her leg is not level with her hips, which is the main reason this position feels so awkward. Maybe she’s double-jointed or is somehow immune to toe tingles like humans when we sit for too long. Steady purrs are an integral part of this pose, so it must be a good time for her.

We’ve laid out a carpet at our front door to catch shoe debris – grass, sand, dirt, snow – basically seasonal foot fun. Blue stretches out here, full body, nose to tail, and then follows it up by propping up one shoulder on our closet as if she’s waiting to use her favorite pickup line on the next passerby.

Blue also has an advanced version of the position above. It’s an aggressive hunch, a fold in her mid back where both her front paws hang over her belly. Not sure what this accomplishes or stretches, but it doesn’t look the most pleasant from the outside looking in. I have secondhand back pain from this, but if she’s content, so am I.

The final funny spot is more cute than anything else. If there are enough pillows to support her, she’ll settle into a cradled baby pose. Tummy facing the ceiling, back paws jetted out each side and her front paws settled gently on her little pouch.

Although they are borderline concerning and may take a toll on my gal’s posture over time, I admittedly find Blue’s quirky sitting poses pretty endearing. A few little colorful crumbs of her personality. I can’t argue with facts – if they were truly uncomfortable for her, she wouldn’t continue to sit in these ways. If I am being truly honest, there may actually be a few benefits to each pose. It is possible that each provides her with new and necessary access to a part of her body she wouldn’t be able to clean otherwise. A for effort and A+ for creativity.

As long as she’s as happy and healthy as she can be at 10, we are more than happy to have her express herself in whatever ways she sees fit. She lives by her own rules in her own world.