Cats Are Strong... But How Strong?

[b4bis91]

My parents have Chester: a 25 pound, big orange cat! Very shy, but super nice once you get to know him. But it is completely amazing just how strong he is. I remember having to hold him down while my mom trimmed his claws; the display of strength he exhibited was astounding. I had to hold on tight even just to ensure he didn't get loose. I feel like a kid or dog his size couldn't put up half the fight like that. And Chester wasn't even being mean, just trying to get loose.

He has opened closet doors with 50 pound weights in from of it just to get to dry food (which he can't have). My mom wasn't even able to pull him away from a food dish once he got a grip on something.

I am wondering where human and cats compare on a pound-per-pound basis. What is the ratio?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Do you know, try as I might, I could NOT find any real information on this, and I LOOKED! You've made me curious! I did find something that said that our leg strength was about equal, but that doesn't seem right...cat's can jump about 7 times their length, humans just can't. Must...search...farther...

 

[abyeb]

I think they are probably pound-per-pound stronger than humans. They can jump higher and sprint faster than even the best human athletes. Usain Bolt’s top speed is 27.8 mph, compared to a cat’s 30+. The world record for high jump, held by Javier Sotomayor is just over eight feet. We have some TCS kitties who can get close to, or even clear that!
How High Can Your Cat Jump?

 

[b4bis91]

That's why I figured I'd discuss it on here. A lot of "general rules of thumb" but nothing scientific, no numbers put on it. As far as the jumping goes, those numbers are misleading: they can jump 7 times as high, but they have about 1/7 the body weight to get to that height. It always cancels itself out. Fleas can jump several feet, hundreds of times their body length, but yet they are not hundreds of times as strong as us pound-per-pound, nor anywhere as close to as strong by absolute strength. Just like falling: a bug falling from 5 feet and an elephant are both going to face the same acceleration of gravity when they hit the ground, despite one falling several times its body length and the other not even one.

 

[LTS3]

He has opened closet doors with 50 pound weights in from of it just to get to dry food (which he can't have)

That's strong My 10 lb cat can push a 10 lb "door stop" (a kettle bell) out of the way so he can get into the laundry closet. I've since replaced the kettle bell with a door latch. Maybe that would work on your closet doors.

I'm not sure how much strenght a cat has either but they're pretty strong.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

This is an interesting thread. It made me think about m Rainbow Bridge cat, Speedboat. He was an orange tabby. He weighed 14 - 16 pounds, a big cat. When I was holding him if he decided he wanted down, I could not hold him.

 

[jinxybean]

I think a cat's strength is part of their evolutionary design to catch and kill prey. Their paws can command a surprising amount of downward force, to punch and stun small animals. Their limbs have amazing strength for their size in order to maintain hold in a locking embrace to fix their prey; claws are one part but it's their strength that can keep an animal the size of a rabbit in place as they attack.

But did you ever notice the lack of strength in a cat's backhand motion? I love to mess with my kitty in play, easily pushing her paws down because she can't slap "up". All she can do is pull her paw back and try to strike downward, over and over! And each time I go "boop!" to the top of her paw and she's soooo stymied! So not fair but she never wins. LOL!

 

[Draco]

my cat can pack quite a wallop if he wants to hit me. He's bruised me a few times before.

trying to hold him down to brush his teeth is like wrestling with a dog! He's stronger than he looks!

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
b4bis91 - The Royal Veterinary College's (John) Bradshaw and (Sarah) Ellis study was made into a BBC series - Cat Watch: New Horizons. The 100 subjects were equipped with GPS and four musculature sensors, and muscle recoil, reflex, kinetic energy and force values were charted while the cats hunted. The sensationalised television series prompted the papers to be moved behind institutional barriers (available to JSTOR subscribers, and undoubtedly to research students affiliated with the RVC).

Are cats - "pound for pound" - stronger than tigers, based on their musculature, as the BBC episodes:

Cat Watch: New Horizons. - Google Search

strongly suggest? Personal opinion: it seems unlikely based on the tiger's anatomy. Are cats - "pound for pound" - stronger than Humans? By far. Look at the length of the individual muscles (muscle strength is determined by cross-sectional area; the shorter the muscle, the higher the possible force exertion) in cats and in Humans.

http://simplebooklet.com/userFiles/a/2/8/6/2/0/5/2dwMArP3nKOWePMGw2DWOk/qdgsvoAF.jpg

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...S_pdf__page_115_of_192_large.jpg?v=1472140553

abyeb 's observations in Post #3 are right on target. Mister Bolt’s prowess as a runner and Mister Sotomayor's ability at the high jump wither compared to cats' speed by mass and their ability to propel themselves upward by virtue of their quads. In cats, the three vastus and the rectus femoris are so shortened as to allow the cats to reach six to eight times their height - a thirty to forty foot high jump for an Human.

Personal observation: Bob, my Norwegian Forest Cat, falls well above the average - just over 16kg and a fraction more than 112 cm nose-to-tail. His sheer ability to generate force, based on his mass and his musculature will stymie anyone who wants to make him do something he doesn't wish to do. Add to that, "big cat, big head, big teeth," and it's a fine thing that he's the gentlest cat I've known in many years. Even that aside, only two of my other ten cats will roughhouse with him - and cautiously, at that.

basscat and mightyboosh might share some personal observations here, I hope. Basscat's Bobcat - Gibs - and Phil's Maine Coon Cat - Oliver - are probably the two largest cats on TCS. Personal anecdotes, gents?
.

 

[b4bis91]

I'm seeing some very interesting discussions here. I'm amazed about the bruises from being swatted; you never think about the impact, only the claws. And that is very interesting about cats not having any upward force on their paws, only downward. This suggests to me that the agonist muscles dwarf the antagonist muscles in their paws, which could be why they can have nearly double their muscle in their paws for their size (purely speculation here, take with a grain of salt).

I know that pound-per-pound, cats are much more fierce than dogs. A pitbull would not fare well up against a bobcat, despite the latter being slightly smaller. Cats have deadlier weaponry; very strong paws, razor sharp claws, cunning moves and lightning fast reflexes. Although these traits are not exactly indicative of strength.

https://i.redditmedia.com/uvnS83HJ8....jpg?w=600&s=39fbd7cf1b947023fd86523a8550d962

Personal observation: Bob, my Norwegian Forest Cat, falls well above the average - just over 16kg and a fraction more than 112 cm nose-to-tail.

Sounds like a big cat, but I do think you have a type here. I think you meant 16 pounds, correct? I have noticed that the biggest house cats are always the gentle giants. I've never seen a big cat that was mean (to people or other cats).

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

b4bis91 - Sixteen kilos; a few ounces over 35 pounds.

Sixteen pounds in a Norwegian Forest Cat is just a kitten.
.

 

[mightyboosh]

basscat and mightyboosh might share some personal observations here, I hope. Basscat's Bobcat - Gibs - and Phil's Maine Coon Cat - Oliver - are probably the two largest cats on TCS. Personal anecdotes, gents?

As it happens, Oliver has a tummy bug at the moment and the vet gave me some medicine to be administered by syringe into his mouth. The first time it didn't go too badly but since he then knew what was coming, he has put up a fight. No claws or teeth though because he's just too gentle for that. However, whilst trying to administer this morning's dose I found out just how strong he is. I reckon I'm quite strong but he wriggled and writhed with such force that he got free and hid behind the sofa. He was like a giant boa constrictor on steroids. I think I'll have to wait until he's asleep and sneakily squirt it in.

Leaping. I wasn't there at the time but he was sat behind my daughter - Becky- on the kitchen worktop. Becky's head was about 24inches above the worktop. He then leapt over her head and onto a chair about six feet away. It's not the six feet that was impressive but the arc he had to travel to get to the chair and the fact that the top is shiny so there was no real purchase for him to do what he did.

I don't have many anecdotes because he's so sweet and gentle with us. He can give our massive dog a good swipe though now and again and the dog certainly knows about it when he does.

 

[abyeb]

As it happens, Oliver has a tummy bug at the moment and the vet gave me some medicine to be administered by syringe into his mouth. The first time it didn't go too badly but since he then knew what was coming, he has put up a fight. No claws or teeth though because he's just too gentle for that. However, whilst trying to administer this morning's dose I found out just how strong he is. I reckon I'm quite strong but he wriggled and writhed with such force that he got free and hid behind the sofa. He was like a giant boa constrictor on steroids. I think I'll have to wait until he's asleep and sneakily squirt it in.

Leaping. I wasn't there at the time but he was sat behind my daughter - Becky- on the kitchen worktop. Becky's head was about 24inches above the worktop. He then leapt over her head and onto a chair about six feet away. It's not the six feet that was impressive but the arc he had to travel to get to the chair and the fact that the top is shiny so there was no real purchase for him to do what he did.

I don't have many anecdotes because he's so sweet and gentle with us. He can give our massive dog a good swipe though now and again and the dog certainly knows about it when he does.

I hope Oliver is feeling better soon!

 

[b4bis91]

mightyboosh 1CatOverTheLine Oh my! Oliver looks gargantuan! I'd be curious to know where he tips the scale at. I thought 25 pounds was about as big as house cats ever get; how wrong I was (but everyone has shock and awe at Chester's size). He looks to be 30 pounds or more. I can only imagine the fight he could put up when giving him medicine.

My sister has a 100 pound Malamute. Well, I was over at her place tonight. The malamute got out into the front yard, and had to come back in (but if you know anything about how stubborn they are, it's easier said than done). We had to lure her back with dog treats, but she refused to stay. My sister grabbed her by the collar, at which point, I picked the malamute up, and carried her inside. It wasn't even that difficult, despite her being uncooperative (wiggling, growling, the works). My point being: if that 100 pounds was a cat (Mountain Lion, etc.), I wouldn't have stood a chance in holding it. Even Chester at 25 pounds could put out a similar amount of force.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

mightyboosh 1CatOverTheLine Oh my! Oliver looks gargantuan! I'd be curious to know where he tips the scale at. I thought 25 pounds was about as big as house cats ever get; how wrong I was (but everyone has shock and awe at Chester's size). He looks to be 30 pounds or more. I can only imagine the fight he could put up when giving him medicine.

b4bis91 - mightyboosh has never given Oliver's weight on TCS. I don't believe that Robin Henderson ever gave Stewey's weight either:

beyond saying he was in excess of forty pounds before he passed on a few years back, though he was measured by the good folks at Guinness, at 48½ inches or 123 cm, which is more than four inches longer than my little Bob. The confirmed weight record, as far as I'm aware, is 21.3 kg or just shy of 47 pounds.

LAPD Maine Coon Cats:

LAPurrD Maine Coon Cats

International Winner LAPD Shooter is a pretty fair sized cat, and probably close to Mozart Solar Song, born January 2015, hence, still growing:

and who has won many of the marbles:

and who's by World Champion Glorias Terra Blues of Midnight:

who is... well... rather large, aside from having won all the marbles.

There's a thread on TCS devoted to the Big Breeds, here:

The Big Breeds (and Mixes): Post 'em Here!

and there are some fine shots of mightyboosh's Oliver, along with several lovely Siberians, Maine Coons and NFCs.
.

 

[mightyboosh]

My sister grabbed her by the collar, at which point, I picked the malamute up, and carried her inside. It wasn't even that difficult, despite her being uncooperative (wiggling, growling, the works). My point being: if that 100 pounds was a cat (Mountain Lion, etc.), I wouldn't have stood a chance in holding it. Even Chester at 25 pounds could put out a similar amount of force.

Very good point. It would be utterly impossible to handle an unwilling 100 pound cat.

 

[mightyboosh]

mightyboosh has never given Oliver's weight on TCS. I don't believe that Robin Henderson ever gave Stewey's weight either:

He's not quite as big as he appears, in weight at least. He hovers around 20lbs but he's lost some due to his tummy bug. basscat will back me up here in that some photos give the impression of great size and others do not.

 

[basscat]

Tricky to answer.
A cat is mostly muscle. A Gibs is nothing but muscle.
In this photo, the muscular build is that of a Cougar with spots and a bob tail.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

HA! I have you ALL beat! Hekitty can move a 2coughcough pound woman from the livingroom to the kitchen with JUST HER EYES!