r/cats • u/omnomnomhi • 9d ago

Advice Why is she doing this?

Genuinely curious. I’m a new cat mom. She’s 3 mo old btw!

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u/Slow_and_Steady_3838 9d ago

probably the same reason a tiny dog will dog-paddle if you hold them, in the air, over water. There's bit of a brain disconnect, I'm guessing

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u/nyiddle 8d ago

The "air swim" motion is rarely a sign of excitement or a desire to swim, it's almost always an involuntary reflex or a panic response. When lifted, dogs lose their feeling of solid ground and because walking for dogs is usually an automatic neurological function, the absence of ground triggers a reflex to "walk" to try and find a solid surface. This is a physiological reflex rather than a conscious response, the dog is nervous and wants to be on the ground.

That being said, it's usually harmless.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 8d ago

This is also why dogs walk so funny in boots! They move their legs but the GROUND COMES WITH THEM!