How do they do it? Cats, even very young kittens, have an amazing sense of balance. When falling, the fluid in the inner ear shifts and the cat rotates its head until it equalizes and the fluid is level. The body automatically shifts to follow the head, and the cat lands on its feet. It also helps that the cat is extremely agile and his fluid muscles respond instantly. A cat has 30 vertebrae - 5 more than humans, which accounts in part for this amazing agility.
Mark THIS
Just as barrio youths mark their territory with cans of spray paint, cats tend to mark their territory with scent glands. Much like dogs sniffing telephone poles and then lifting their legs, a cat will sidle up to a desirable object, give it a sniff or two, then back up, lift his quivering tail high, and let loose with a spray of urine. He'll usually sniff the area again to satisfy himself that his presence has been registered. In the unaltered male cat, the urine has a distinctly strong, unpleasant (to humans) odor, (but apparently very attractive to female cats.) Altering a male cat, if done before adolescence, will usually discourage this kind of marking behavior. By the way, cats will also sometimes mark their very own human too. The proper response on your part, of course, is to be flattered rather than insulted.
Cats also have glands around their lips and chin, which secrete a scent known only to cats, when rubbed on a person. Chances are, that's what your kitty is doing when he wraps himself around your leg: marking you as his property. He'll do the same thing to his blanket, a favorite piece of furniture, or his food dish.
Scientists have learned that cats rarely spray with urine on areas they have previously maarked with facial pheromes. This discovery has led to a "friendly pherome," originally developed by Feliway, which, sprayed on urine-marked areas, will discourage further marking.
The Tale of the Tail
Unlike domestic cats, the big cats walk with their tails held low behind them, or between their legs. This is possibly a concealing tactic, so their enemies won't spot them coming.
You can see the same tail carriage when a domestic cat is stalking a mouse. The cat will crouch with its tail held very low, then lash the tail back and forth (possible to supply momentum), just before springing.
A bit of trivia: About 10% of a cat's bones are in its tail. A cat's tail is a wondrous feat of engineering and the cat depends on it for balance. You can tell a lot about a cat's mood by watching her tail. A happy cat will walk with tail held high. An angry cat will signal her mood by lashing and twisting her tail. A kitty will greet you or another cat by raising his tail high. A very happy cat will demonstrate her joy with a quiver at the tip of her raised tail. However if you see a male cat backed up against a vertical surface with tail a-quiver, he's spraying, or marking his territory. That the cat values this amazing appendage is evident by the way she carefully wraps it around her body while sitting.
You don't ever want to step on a cat's tail. (That integer of time between contact by your foot and the ear-shattering screech is called a "nanosecond.")
The CLAWS Clause
Cats' claws are their first line of defense and should never, NEVER be removed by de-clawing. A happy cat will "knead" with his claws. Blankets or your skin can be the target of this kneading. This is a throwback from kittenhood, when they kneaded their mother's nipples to make the milk flow.
Cats "sharpen" their claws regularly, by clawing vertical or horizontal surfaces. Actually, the cat is not sharpening the claws, but dislodging a thin sheath that grows over them, much like a snake sheds its skin. You will occasionally find these little sheaths near the area when a cat has been scratching.
Strangely enough an individual cat may have a distinct preference of either vertical or horizontal. Cats can readily be trained to use scratching posts rather than furniture. Sometimes a little catnip rubbed on the surface of the post is all it takes. Incidentally, jute seems to be favored over carpeting as a scratching surface.
Trimming a cat's claws will help prevent pain and bleeding when a cat scratches you during play. Check my " how to" page for step-by-step instructions.
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