Is this cat moving up or down the stairs? I know

This is a visual puzzle from what I consider to be the image section of the Reddit website (imgur). This photo of a cat going up or down stairs seems to have baffled many people which is why the title asks the question: “Is this cat moving up or down the stairs?”. I set out my argument below. An interesting side issue is whether a person’s mentality helps to persuade the person to chose going up or down the stairs.

cat going up or down stairs?
Cat going up or down stairs? Answer: down, I say!
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Without wishing to be boastful, I am convinced that I have a rock solid answer.

The cat (a tabby-and-white) is moving down the stairs.

The reason for my confident assessment is this. On all stairs where a person’s foot is to be placed are flat. They have to be for safety. That is the first reason. If you look at the picture, if the cat was coming up the stairs he’d be treading on surfaces that are not flat because there is a ridge on the outside surface of each stair, which I have pointed out in the picture. Also, the footfall area is not deep enough to be safe if you say the cat is going up the stairs because the ridge occupies a part of the surface. It would be dangerous.

Cat going down stairs

Also, if is very common for staircases to have the flat surface where the foot is placed to overhang slightly at the leading edge. This is the second reason why we are looking at a cat going down stairs. You can see the slight overhang of the slab (perhaps of concrete) which forms the landing area for each foot fall. The slight overhang allows the footfall area to be slightly larger thereby making it safer and easier to use.

Here is an example of another set of masonry built stairs showing the ridge I refer to:

Masonry stairs

Here is a mock up of the same cat going down stairs with the same sort of ridge visible:

Cat going down stairs

I don’t think the gait of the cat has any influences of decision making. I hope you found this interesting.

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31 thoughts on “Is this cat moving up or down the stairs? I know”

  1. Yeah_Sandra, I have wondered about the view from the top of the stairs as well. I suppose the original photographer is having the last laugh ? Will he make a final statement? Stay tuned and sharpen your claws-meow-

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  2. None of these pictures show the stairs from the top landing, looking down. (at the cat coming up!) Anyone wonder about this?

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      • You’re probably right that it wasn’t originally meant as a riddle. Glad to see another reader sees what I mean by the picture not being taken from the top landing, showing the cat moving up the stairs.

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        • There is an article on CNET about a professor’s analysis of the picture and he waffles on and comes to no conclusion, which I find very strange because to me the answer is not in philosophy or how the eye sees objects but in the way builders build staircases!

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  3. In the case of the cat going down it`s left paw is against the vertical part of the stair which would give no footing and the other paw is in the air. The cat would loose it`s balance. It`s usual that the edging juts out at the top of the vertical surface increasing the area of the flat surface and protecting the edge, but usual doesn`t apply in every case. I have seen things ten times more odd than putting an edge on top of the footing of a stair. My house in Cyprus was built mostly whilst I was absent and I found the kitchen door to outside opened onto a five foot vertical drop, and the 6 x 3.5 meter kitchen had a very small window more suitable for a small bathroom. Doors open the wrong way so that the light switch is behind the open door.Perhaps this photo was chosen because of the strange placing of the edging to lead one astray. That is only to be expected in a photo meant to puzzle, otherwise it would be too easy. If the stairway is very steep the footing space by necessity must be very narrow. This is probably a staircase that is little used and being less than perfect is not so important. There is not even a handrail and the wall finishing is very rough.

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    • Harvey, it’s funny you should mention Cyprus, because if there’s one place to see unsual masonry techniques it would be there 😉

      I wonder if the photographer will come forward at some stage to clear up the mystery.

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  4. I imagine myself at the top of the stairs, with the cat coming towards me. It doesn’t work because of the angles of the stairs on either side. The cat is definitely coming down the stairs!

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  5. Michael_ It appears that this cat is going down a set of stairs. I base this opinion on the fact that a cat will use their back legs & tail in a different position to help them ascend an object, step, box or a tree. This cat is not showing any of the body motions that they would project for climbing. Just my point of view from here *Eva

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