Cat likes to slide down uncarpeted staircase on his side

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Cat likes to slide down a uncarpeted staircase on his side

While writing this I realised that a possible reason for this behavior is that the cat has a disability but I forgot to adjust the title accordingly. If this is correct the word ‘likes’ is wrong.

Why does this cat like to slide down a polished wooden staircase like this? On the face of it, it is very peculiar feline behaviour. In fact, it looks like unique behaviour and it is somewhat mystifying. The publisher of the video says that the cat is the laziest he has seen. He or she is saying that the reason why the cat does this is because he is lazy. I’m not sure that that is true. In fact I am pretty sure it’s not the reason. He may just like it…

A possibility is that the cat may be injured or be suffering from a disability preventing him from walking down the stairs. Perhaps his hind legs are paralysed. It looks there is something wrong with his left foreleg. This is my best guess and the more I think about it, the more likely it is to be the correct reason.

NO — ! I have found another cat that likes doing this:

cats are liquid. pic.twitter.com/OoVP4NeK19

— ? (@videocats) November 12, 2018

This indicates some cats like doing this stunt; simple as that – see more below.

Note: If the video goes blank please don’t blame me. It’ll be because the publisher on YouTube has pulled it or YouTube deleted it.

Alternative thoughts

Clearly, however, the cat likes or prefers to do it otherwise he wouldn’t do it. Therefore I would argue that he does it because he likes it or it alleviates discomfort or it is the only way down the stairs (disability). And if he likes it, it’s because it feels nice. The staircase is wooden and polished. One remote possibility is that he is simulating being stroked by a person. So perhaps the cat is making himself feel nice by pretending that he is being stroked by a person (if he is fit and well). That might sound far-fetched and indeed it probably is far-fetched.

The other aspect of it is that the cat is entertaining himself. It is not clear if he has a disability. You know how cats knock objects off shelves and mantel pieces for self-entertainment. Perhaps sliding down the stairs may also be a form of self-entertainment but this is less likely than the disability reason.