Cats are (almost) liquid

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reactions & anecdotes

  • Many share stories of cats behaving like “amorphous blobs” or “pudding in a sock,” pouring off furniture, twisting 180°–plus, and sleeping in bizarre poses (e.g., “Buddha” sit, head fully upside-down).
  • People contrast different cats’ “weight” and gait: some are feather‑light, others feel like four lead columns when they stand on you.
  • Several describe extreme flexibility mishaps: wedging in stair balusters, getting stuck behind sofas, or bouncing unharmed from heavy doors.
  • Similar “liquid” behavior is reported in some dogs and even in a contortionist human, leading to talk of hypermobility and connective‑tissue differences.

Anatomy, flexibility, and sensing

  • Comments highlight:
    • Very flexible spines and free‑floating collarbones allowing cats to squeeze through narrow gaps.
    • Hips and shoulders described as strong but not unusually mobile; the spine and selective joint dislocation do most of the work.
  • Whiskers (vibrissae) are emphasized as major tools for assessing openings and nearby objects, especially in poor light.
    • Some think cats mostly judge width with their head/whiskers but hesitate more with very short or low apertures where height is harder to gauge.
    • Cone collars, harnesses, and similar gear often cause distress, interpreted as interference with whiskers and possibly sound perception.

Behavioral context: predator and prey

  • Several link box/slot fascination and hiding behavior to cats being both predators and prey.
    • Boxes and high spots are framed as safe observation points.
    • Ill or pained cats hiding in confined spaces is noted as a warning sign.
  • Comparisons to chickens show similar “predator yet prey” dynamics influencing behavior.

Science, tone, and “clickbait”

  • Some celebrate the paper as fun, Ig Nobel–style science and connect it to earlier humorous work on “rheology of cats.”
  • Others criticize the playful title (“cats are (almost) liquid”) as clickbait and misleading for serious literature, arguing for more literal titles.
  • A counter‑view argues that scientific articles are inherently contextual, not sacred, and playful framing is acceptable in appropriate venues.

Related media and jokes

  • Multiple references to cat memes, subreddits, older hoaxes (e.g., “bonsai kittens”), comics, and videos.
  • Quantum‑style “two‑slit cat experiment” jokes and wordplay appear, underscoring the thread’s mostly humorous tone.