Cute Kitty Quirks: Alex and His Happy Feet

Hi, I'm Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
Among Alex’s adorable features – of which there are many – are his quirky and expressive front legs. The first couple of times I noticed him sitting with his little feet daintily crossed, I didn’t think much of it. But then it happened again, and again, and again. Considering I have only photographed this funny little pose a fraction of the times I’ve witnessed it (and these aren’t all the photos I have!), you can only imagine how often he assumes this position.

In fact, I would venture to say that he sits with his front paws crossed more often than he doesn’t.

And when he’s not keeping his delicate little tootsies crossed, he’s often found hanging them off ledges.

The most important part of my role here at Catster is helping you, our lovely readers, to understand the hows, whys, and wherefores of all things feline, and I would love to share with you the reasons behind Alex’s peculiar paw positioning. Unfortunately, I have no idea why he does it! But considering that we’re talking about the cat who brought us The Somersault of Happiness, I’m not sure that the answers will be found in any logical places!

Ready for Anything
When he’s not happily tumbling about or stretching his body from wall to wall, Alex can be a bit flighty, especially when there are visitors in the house. Perhaps by keeping his front legs crossed, he is ready to turn and run in any direction…but I think that I might be reaching. Speaking of reaching, are the extended legs another way of staying poised and ready to make a quick escape?
Maybe I’m just trying to find logic where there is none! After all, what chance did Alex have of normalcy with Cyril as his role model?

When faced with a choice between normal and weird, I’m going to pick weird every time. Which is fortunate, because with my quirky cats and oddball dogs, there is very little chance of life being normal in our house!
I love hearing stories about the wacky, zany, and kooky habits of cats, so if your feline family member has some eccentric behaviors, drop me a message in the comments below.

This article is a part of Dr. Karyn's series with her five hilarious cats.
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Dr. Karyn Kanowski BVSc MRCVS (Veterinarian)
Dr. Karyn comes from Queensland, Australia, and has lived in the UK for the past 10 years. In 2010, she graduated from The University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science and also has a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology. She is passionate about using evidence, experience, and owner collaboration to provide the best solutions for pets, and believes in making reliable information about animal health accessible to all. Dr. Karyn shares her home with five cats, four dogs, and one husband. When she is not in the scrubs, she spends her time writing, gardening, and cleaning up pet hair!













