# Can Your Cat Sit Upright? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 6, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128 "2009-01-06T20:38:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/1 "2009-01-06T20:38:15Z")
I found this video on YouTube It’s not very interesting but it has a cat that sits upright. Admittedly it’s balancing itself against the counter but I’ve never seen a cat do that before [Kangaroo Kitty](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TIGqZ_ESWU&feature=channel_page) Have you ever seen a cat do this before. I’ve seen dogs sit upright but never cats And no that isn’t me 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/2 "2009-01-06T20:44:17Z")
Yep - one of mine does that a lot (we call it “gophering”) and the older one used, to but she’s too fat now. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/3 "2009-01-06T20:44:56Z")
Mine does. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/4 "2009-01-06T20:55:09Z")
I’m going to go ahead and say noooo. My cats are only really proficient at three things, cacking hairballs, eating and craping. I seriously doubt even one of them gave even a passing thought to sitting up. Sometimes when they’re really spunky, they’ll sit on there ass’s and keep there front legs locked. Does that count? It seems like an accomplishment to me, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Winsling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Winsling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winsling)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/5 "2009-01-06T20:59:34Z")
Prozac does that on a regular basis. Except he’ll also wave his forepaws at you and look mournful. Guests pretty much melt when they’re first subjected to it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/6 "2009-01-06T21:02:22Z")
Our cats do that all the time. Especially when they are prodding you at the computer chair to get up and feed them. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/7 "2009-01-06T21:16:11Z")
What’s hilarious to see is when our kitty sits up like that, then just flops back onto her back with all her paws splayed. She’s a hoot. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/8 "2009-01-06T21:20:32Z")
One of my cats can sit on his little butt like that without support, and the rest of his body gets very straight, and he looks like a meerkat. The other will find himself a corner, and ‘sit’ with his back against it and his legs sprawled out in front of him. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/9 "2009-01-06T21:32:47Z")
Do you cats sit upright without any help, like you can see the cat in the video had help from a counter? ---
**Author:** ![Momofgirls](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/momofgirls/32/21798_2.png) [@Momofgirls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Momofgirls)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/10 "2009-01-06T21:35:31Z")
My cat doesn’t do that, but one of my dogs sits on her butt with her back legs sticking out in front of her. It looks really weird. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/11 "2009-01-06T21:37:52Z")
All of them except for **Evil Fat Scarlett**. only Marty will actually sit like that for long, and only if he thinks there might be food involved. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/12 "2009-01-06T21:40:14Z")
In that video, it said the cat had just been declawed. I’ll bet that has something to do with it…the cat’s front paws are probably still sore. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/13 "2009-01-06T21:44:21Z")
I had an orange tiger named Ralph who could do it. He also could lie with his head and front paws in one direction and twisted at the waist so his back feet went in the other direction. Obviously Ralph was the reincanation of a contortionist. ---
**Author:** ![Aangelica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Aangelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aangelica)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/14 "2009-01-06T21:48:59Z")
In our house, it’s referred to as “prairie dogging”. The one most likely to do it is our Big Special Boy, but the other two will do it on occasion. Mostly he does it if there’s some chance that food will be passed in his general direction, but I’ve seen him hanging around in front of the screen door like that for hours on end. Sometimes leaning his front paws against the screen, and sometimes just standing there without support. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/15 "2009-01-06T21:55:03Z")
Two of my cats (oddly, both the Russian Blue girls) do that fairly often. We call it “Squirrel \”. My former Russian (Meep, RIP) used to do it too. The others don’t, though. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/16 "2009-01-06T22:06:35Z")
Yeah, all three of our most recent cats have done that, with no support other than their own muscles. I don’t specifically recall any of the previous ones doing it, but then again these last three cats span the last 15 years, and the cats we had when I was a kid weren’t indoors all the time. So it’s possible they did all manner of adorable things we never saw. **Boscibo** , declawing has nothing to do with it. The oldest cat I remember doing that was declawed well before we got her, and the two we have now aren’t declawed. Our cats seem to mostly do it when there’s something of interest up above them–the parakeet, a cheeseburger, some item I’m using that we would disagree on its suitability as a kitty toy, that sort of thing. Although sometimes the kitten does it when I can’t really figure out what he’s eyeballing. He just goes all meerkat-y and stares into space like he’s watching something I can’t see. It’s both precious and disconcerting. ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/17 "2009-01-06T22:41:06Z")
My cat is a little old to maintain the pose now, but in his younger years (up to about age 10) he’d do it on command. (“Prairie Dog!” - same as you, **Aangelica**!) ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/18 "2009-01-06T23:49:08Z")
Sit up like a kangaroo? Not only can my Peanut do that, without needing back support; he also while he’s up there does this… this weird… [Well, see for yourself.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpFlMqq6654) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/19 "2009-01-06T23:52:01Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I had an orange tiger named Ralph who could do it. He also could lie with his head and front paws in one direction and twisted at the waist so his back feet went in the other direction. > > Obviously Ralph was the reincanation of a contortionist. [Did he look like this?](http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1109846547000735275qSmGNn) ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128/20 "2009-01-07T00:09:19Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Sit up like a kangaroo? Not only can my Peanut do that, without needing back support; he also while he’s up there does this… this weird… [Well, see for yourself.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpFlMqq6654) > > 😃 I believe he’s chasing dust motes in the air. Whatever he’s doing, it’s adorable. I’ve had cats that would sit up, and my three will still, but they’re old, fat and lazy. -Lil [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-cat-sit-upright/480128.md?page=2)