Who needs a yoga mat when you've got a cardboard box, and you're a cat?
Have you ever seen how a cat can shape-shift and squeeze into the tiniest space? Honestly, it's an amazing thing to see. I really cannot understand how they can flex their bones and their whole body just to squeeze through a tiny hole in the wall or fit into the smallest box in the house. How can they find that comfortable? Also, did you know there's no scientific name for that ability? Who would have thought! I don't know of any other animal on Earth with such a gift, and I find it crazy that no one has decided to name it. Well, not the scientists, at least. Because the internet world decided to call that "Liquid cats", and it fits perfectly.
Although no scientist has given this cat feature a nerdier name, one did study it to understand how cats think when they try to fit into small spaces. A 2024 study called "Cats are (almost) liquid" examined exactly this: how they squeeze into narrow spaces and adjust their bodies to fit, no matter how small or uncomfortable it might be.
This ability really amazes me, and I'm intrigued to understand why they do it. Maybe there's no reason, and they like to flex their bodies… maybe they find it relaxing. That's why I find it funny to compare it to pet Pilates. If you think about it, one leg squeezing the other, sucking in the belly, twisting and turning, it sounds like a stretching class or a Pilates session. So, perhaps cats are working out when doing this! And kudos to them! Just looking at them motivates me to get my work out in!