The lack of a tail would certainly alter the center of balance, and thinking about it, Property does use her tail like a balance pole when she stands on her hind legs.

Check out what the long-tail does with the tail. The same effect could be achieved by tucking the tail between the legs, or for balance adjustments, like Property.

although at least one of the long-tails does this too.

I’ve seen a video of a cat going down a hall on her/his front legs, but I have never seen one in person that could even balance on their front paws. Generally, standing on the rear legs is like fluffing and arching, a defensive posture to appear bigger, but it is normally seen in kittens and rarely occurs after they mature.

Maybe it is part of their Manx heritage, Hipparchia 😉

so far i’ve only seen them do this when i suggest they get out of the chair i want to sit in. they sloooowly lower their front feet from the chair to the floor, and then sloooowly remove their back end from the chair, and then just… hang there. doing kitty handstands.

apparently they’re waiting to see if i’m going to change my mind about sitting in *their* chair and are planning to just rewind the videotape. otoh, they’ve all got heads like rocks, so it could just be a gravity thing.

Any ‘medal’ shop should carry it, Steve.

I would think it is a lot easier for naturally thin cats to do it, and it would depend on the center of balance, as to whether they can do it comfortably.

Cats vary considerably in their ability to two-foot it. Lily can; Esther can’t. On her hind legs, Lily gives the impression of facing me at eye level! Unfortunately, she’s losing the inclination as she ages (and grows larger…).

Property can do it on rare occasions, but the ‘boys’ have never mastered the ability to balance on their hind legs.

As I sit here I can look out the window at a stack of 4-inch plastic gas pipe they are about to install across the street as part of the same project that took out the telephones. It is definitely visible above ground, being greenish yellow. but shovels are color-blind.

Some of those are really funny, and do remind me of past and present ferals, Jill. The crew in the house are a bit too mellow and/or lazy for that much action.