Can Cats Do Backflips – A Cats Athleticism Explained!

When your cat starts suddenly running around your home, you know that they have a case of the zoomies. They dart so fast all over the place it almost feels like they are bouncing off of the walls. In some cases, they are using the walls to propel themselves even further and faster. If you play with your cat while they have zoomies, you may get the chance to see them do a pretty cool trick. This begs the question, can cats do backflips?

Yes, cats can do backflips. Cats are athletic enough to jump 5-7x their height, enabling them to do a complete backflip. This maneuver is generally trained, and not something a cat will naturally attempt.

Kitty backflips look very different from human backflips, but they do still happen. Most of the time, by accident, but you can train your cat to backflip too! There are many reasons why your cat might be able to backflip; let’s explore.

Facts About Cats Backflipping

Backflipping in cats isn’t a natural behavior, but there are some interesting facts associated with cats that can do it.

1. A Cat Can Jump About 5-7 Times Its Height

The ability to jump this high is exactly when accidental backflips can happen to cats, especially if you are playing with them. They may jump in the air to catch a toy and twist themselves into a backflip before landing on their feet. This natural ability also helps to train them to backflip as well.

2. When Cats Jump, They Lengthen Their Body By 11%

Increasing their length like this helps their backflip to glide smoothly through the air. It helps to increase their momentum when their torso can stretch and reach out so their legs can easily follow behind.

3. When Cats Land Their Legs Extend To Act As Natural Shock Absorbers

Cats will also arch their backs to reduce the force of impact. By extending their legs and arching their backs, they are making the perfect shape for their backflip to carry them through the air and help them to safely land on the ground.

4. Your Cat Will Learn To Jump Higher With The Right Toys

Wand toys with feathers or little bells on the end are perfect for helping your cat learn how to jump higher. Anything you can swish around at various heights will help them to test their abilities. Wand toys are also a great way to start training your cat to perform backflips and other tricks.

Having one or more cat tree at home is also a great way to help your cat learn how to jump higher. The more they get comfortable with how high up they can be, the better they will get at jumping. Plus, they will have to learn how to get up and down the tree, which will improve their dexterity.

Why Is My Cat Doing Backflips

Kitties can always find plenty of things to get excited about. It’s when their excitement unlocks of moment zoomies that we may be lucky enough to see them backflip. They are so full of energy in those moments that they often use walls or furniture to propel themselves further. Cats have been seen backflipping off of walls as they run around, especially if they have catnip in their system.

Some cats are very motivated by treats and will do backflips as a trick when you offer a reward. You can even take this a step further and train them with a routine of wand toys and treats until they learn the behavior.

Cats also use flipping or throwing themselves on the ground in front of you as a way to get your attention. They put themselves in a vulnerable position and show you their belly hoping they will get some attention from you. This is an easily learned behavior for them, too, because if you always give them attention when they flip or roll around, they will remember to do that whenever they want attention.

Do Cats Like Being Upside Down

There is no firm answer as to whether or not cats like being upside because all cats are uniquely different. It is also rather difficult to conduct a study with cats; they make for very finicky patients. It seems that when cats backflip, they are enjoying the motion of moving fast. Especially when their energy is high, they don’t seem to care too much about what direction they move in, just how fast they move.

You will know if your cat doesn’t like to backflip or be upside down. Either they will never instinctually do it, or you will try to train them, and they will show their disinterest. This being said, it’s safe to assume that cats that do backflip regularly enjoy being upside down.

Is It Bad For Cats To Be Upside Down

There is nothing harmful about cats being upside down. When they backflip, there is a possibility they could land incorrectly or in a bad spot and injure themselves. Or they could experience motion sickness and get sick. However, this is very rare, and most cats land perfectly fine.

Of course, if you have an older cat or a cat with disabilities, you do want to be more careful about them being upside down. They could be more easily disoriented and prone to injury if you are not monitoring them. Being upside could also exacerbate existing health issues in particular cats.

Things To Consider

What we as humans think of as a backflip is not exactly what cats are doing. It does resemble a human backflip, but often cats’ bodies move more diagonally rather than vertically. They also don’t tuck in their legs to create a ball with their body, so the shape of their body looks a little different when they backflip.

Don’t forget; not all cats are the same. If you are eager to train a cat to backflip, don’t be disappointed if your cat is disinterested in the activity. However, you may get lucky and create the next viral video of your cat backflipping.