I have related the following story to several fellow cat owners, all of whom reacted with disbelief. A post to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes produced no other similar stories.
Five times over the past four years, I have seen my cat rear up on her hind legs, stand fully erect for a few seconds, and then take four or five forward steps. This is apparently in pursuit of some flying insect. It is astonishing, adorable, and hilarious.
I have to think that other cats can do this, and possibly be trained to do it, but no one else I know has ever seen this.
My cat used to run at me that way with her paws outstretched as if to attack me. As she got older and heavier, she lost the ability (or desire) to do this. It was indeed hilarious.
I believe Gregory Popovich’s Comedy Pet Theatre had some cats that did this. In particular, they stood up and pushed carts. This is a hilarious, delightful show! He rescues dogs and cats from the pound, then trains them based on their natural talents. That is, some cats are jumpers, some stand on hind legs, some climb, etc. and they are taught tricks that build on these natural preferences.
I don’t have any that stand on their hind legs as adults, but my 25lb flame point Siamese mix will sit up and beg for attention. I have explained to him this is not proper cat behavior, but he persists in doing it. He doesn’t just do it to people - if something on the wall takes his attention, he’ll focus on it and sit up to beg. I told him if the hockey jersey on my office wall comes down to play with him, I’m leaving.
Marty makes me earn it. He has to be told repeatedly what a good boy he is, stroked under the chin and finally, when he’s good and ready, he’ll reach up and meet my hand. Once in a while he’ll take a few steps towards me if I hold my hand away from him, but not all the time.
My five month old kitty Geoffrey rears up on his hind legs and waddles toward me every morning for his pre-breakfast kiss. He has extraordinary balance and will stand up and reach his arms…er front legs…into the air to let me know I had best pick him up for some cuddlins. My other cats have stood up but only briefly. Geoffy is the first cat I’ve had that could literally “walk” on two legs. I don’t think he realizes he’s a cat and not a human. I don’t have the heart to break it to him.
When my late, great buddy Nermal was a wee kitten, she could walk pretty far on her hind legs. My bf at the time and I called this “The Frankenkitty”.
My Maine Coon Cosmo doesn’t usually walk but as I put his food bowl down he raises his front paws as if I’m gonna hand it to him. He overestimates himself in many ways, does ol’ Cos.
I’ve never seen a cat walking on its back legs, but…
One of the cats who used to cohabit with my mom, Spunky (may she rest in peace) was born without any bone in her back legs. So she walked around on her front legs instead, with her butt balanced up in the air. She did just fine that way, too: She was by far the dominant mammal in our house, and she prefered her food fresh-killed, rather than dry or canned. She’s also the longest-lived cat we’ve had, dying (we presume) in her sleep at age 18 (we came home from Gramma’s house last Christmas, to find her curled up in her favorite spot under the furnace). The only things she ever had a problem with, was she was a little slower going up stairs than our other cats, and she couldn’t scratch behind her ears very well (but she had slaves to do that for her).
The smaller of my two 4-month-old kittens, when she’s in a playful mood, will stand on her hind legs, splay her front paws out to the sides in that “play-pounce” position, run a few steps, and latch on either to her sister, or my leg, depending on which is closer.
I had a cat that would hide under the couch with just the tip of his nose and front feet poking out and when the dog would walk by some 10’ or so away he would come running out full speed and basically pop a wheelie with his front legs pumping up and down like mad over his head. Then when he was within a couple feet he would launch himself like a linebacker into the side of the much larger and heaveyer dog, bounce off or wrestle for a few seconds then run back under the couch. it was without a doubt the funniest thing I have ever seen a cat do on purpose, I so wish I had a camcorder for that.