You’ve seen us move around the house, haven’t you? Sometimes we use the floor to wander around, but in other instances, we may very well leap from chair to table to sofa to bookcase and so on, with never touching the ground. What great fun that is! Give it a try yourself, and you’ll probably spend a lot less time up on top of things instead of down below in the future.
We do it for fun and maybe even to show off our talent a bit at times, I must admit. But there are other reasons too for these advanced, acrobatic jumping and landing maneuvers.
To begin with, we simply enjoy being in high places. It’s sort of like birds perching up in those trees, but we are not perching, okay! We stand, sit, or lie down up there, but don’t be comparing us to those nervous flying creatures if you would please. Cats don’t perch! Never ever.
When we get ourselves comfortable somewhere above ground level, there is thus a pleasurable feeling that comes from this. But a second reason for our getting a little height into our position is that it gives us a sense of security.
Down below there might be dogs, snakes, dinosaurs, or other undesirable creatures walking around. Worse yet, they could sneak up on us when we’re napping all those many hours every day. By the way, I saw the ugly, mean dinosaurs do this one time in someplace my caretakers were watching on that television box. And those animals are big, I tell ya!
You see, we’ve learned through experience that these nastier, attacking, biting creatures generally spend all or most of their time on the floor. Yes, on the floor! Therefore, we can greatly increase our safety by not hanging out so much where they most likely will be. Good idea, right?
Finally, our being in a higher location can be very advantageous, especially when outdoors. In this case, we have the opportunity to use some advanced-level hunting techniques, which we are quite well known for and are a source of great pride for my species.
Personally, I’ve tried to grab some of those birds while sitting up in the same tree with them but have quickly learned that this kind of pursuit is completely out of the question. Those seemingly weak and not-so-smart little animals with feathers are actually very perceptive. They have great eyesight and can activate their wings on a moment’s notice to swiftly carry them off to another branch, roof, or wherever. And they can do this before I even the get chance to spring out my claws! Yeah, that’s pretty frustrating, as you can surely imagine.
On the other hand, if some mouse, grasshopper, or other small thing without big teeth happen to be strolling around down below my position when I’m on a table, in a bookshelf, or wherever, then look out! If I’m into stealth mode at the time so they won’t hear or see me, this definitely gives me the opportunity to launch very effective surprise attacks. By quickly leaping down on top of or close to my unsuspecting prey, I often am able to grab him before he has a chance to react or run away.
Yeah, those birds aren’t the only speedy ones around my neighborhood! Hey, are you impressed? Come on, how about a little recognition with a gold medal or trophy for this super skill we’ve refined over the years?
What about you? For enjoyment, security, and hunting, you can now see that we get high all the time, and we have very good reasons for doing it. What a thrill it can be!
I’ve heard though that some of you humans have this phobia thing where you’re afraid of heights. Wow, I’m really sorry about that. I feel bad for you because you’re definitely missing out on some good opportunities and great views.
On the other hand, if you happen to be free from this up-there phobia but perhaps are not into furniture jumping, you might at least try out climbing up a tree in your yard or neighborhood, spend a while sitting up there, and see what you think of the whole experience. What have you got to lose? Trust me on this one, will ya? Do it a couple of times, and then let me know how it went for you. I’ll be waiting for your report on the adventure.