Some cats sit in what I call a “loaf” position. If you have a cat, you may know what I mean; if not, here is an image (of my own cat) which illustrates the concept.
Some people I talk to, their cat never sits in a loaf. Mine does it all the time. I’ll be playing with George, then go do something else for a second, and then turn around and seemingly out of nowhere, he will be sitting in a “loaf”. Paws, and tail, completely tucked in, so that his body is an almost perfect rectangle.
While he often sits in a loaf in his favorite spots - on top of a certain recliner, on the corner of the bed, under one of the dining room chairs, etc - there are times when there seems to be no rhyme or reason at all to the area in which he decides to sit in a loaf. Sometimes I’ll be doing something in the living room or hallway, and turn around, and right there will be a “loaf” of cat, facing a completely random direction and staring off into space.
Why do cats do this? Is there something particularly comfortable about that position? Does it help them conserve body heat or something? Does it help them regenerate their venom more quickly?
While we’re at it - sometimes I’ll walk into a room and he’ll have his back fully arched (and often, his tail puffed up) and then, with his back still arched, he will take two little sideways “hops” in some direction and then run off. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the times when he does this; it’ll just be totally out of the blue.
I got nothing, but I wanted to say that in Dutch, if a cat in the loaf position shows a little more of both his curved front paws, we call it the “breihouding” which translates as the " knitting position".
I’ve got three cats and they al have different preferred positions to lie and sleep in. I guess it is just a matter of personal preference, much like why one person will usually sit with her legs crossed at the kneeand another with her legs crossed at the ankle.
Since I was a kid I have called this the “ridiculous position.” The cat has the look on his face of “I’ll do this no matter what you think.” I even saw one in the ridiculous position in a street in a mobile-home park (not my own).
I was pondering this myself just yesterday, when my cat came to sit on my computer desk and assumed the meatloaf position (that’s what I call it, because I always imagine her sitting in an imaginary meatloaf tin).
Nothing unusual in itself, but she did it with her face up against the wall, to the extent that she kept flicking her ears because they were actually touching the wall!
My own personal untestable hypothesis is that cats do this because of kittens. Ever seen a litter of kittens playing around the momcat? If her tail and paws are out, the kittens WILL play with those appendages. So momcat draws in her legs and tail.
The other explanation, of course, is just Cats Is Weird.
The meatloaf position can also be an indication of a sick cat if it’s a departure from normal behavior. Had a cat that suddenly meatloafed all over the place and it did turn out to be kidney failure. Pancreatitis can also also cause cats to lay that way to minimize pain.
My cat’s favorite place to loaf is sitting with his nose about an inch from the wall. Just sitting there facing the wall. It’s quite anti-social. On the other hand, the other behavior you mention, the “crab-walk” typically means he’s ready to rough-house and be chased around a bit.
Several years ago there was an artist/cartoonist that was known for (by “known for” I mean it’s what I knew him/her for) his cat books. Or maybe cat book. Nice and vague, huh? But when he passed years ago I read about him in the Times so I figure he must have had some notoriety. Do any cat people out there have any idea what I’m talking about?
Oh, yeah, the topic. He just came to mind because I believe one of his books (or maybe just one illustration in one of his books) was dedicated to helping the reader distinguish between a cat and a meatloaf.
My son was laughing just last night about our cat Lloyd “sitting like a chicken”. However, I do prefer the term “loaf”…Lloyd has so much more in common with loaves. For instance, his IQ. And his squishiness. And how he stays right where you leave him.
