Everything you must know about Standing Cat

Standing Cat has become quite the internet phenomenon in recent days. French internet culture journalist Aude Baron has been digging into the story behind this little guy, and writes,

The cat's name is Rocky. He is 2 years old and his owners are French (Daisy and Yann). Rocky used to stand up because he couldn't see the birds through the windows, and wanted to, so he stood up. Why does he raise his leg in the middle of the video? Probably because there was a bird outside, according to Daisy, or maybe a dog wandering around. Rocky hates dogs.
He doesn't stand up too often any more because Daisy and Yann moved their stuff, so now Rocky can see everything without having to go bipedal.
He's also able to sit on his bottom like a human (this cat is crazy). Basically, that's it :-)

Video after the jump.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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Anonymous

My cat used to act the same way, including sitting backward on his behind. Now he’s just too fat to stand like that, but it’s more common than you’d think.

This comment brought to you by the security words “Grigsby Police”
Anonymous

Rocky is a beuatiful boy, but not so unusual. I had a kitty, Teddy Bear, who was a manx. Had him 19 years – lovely, loving little guy. He always sat on his bottom, like a person. I’m pretty sure he thought he was human. He loved people and any of the other cats we brought home were always welcome. I miss that sweet guy to this day – he’s been gone two years now. God bless you, my Teddy. I’ll see you in heaven.
Church

@bopo @nanner

Damn, I wish we could have gotten them all together to hang out. That’d be a hell of a picture.
Anonymous

STAND YOUR GROUND, KITTY!

TX1950
beep1o

Any cat can do this, but most choose not to. They just generally don’t need to.

I trained a cat to do this before getting a treat. It wasn’t difficult.
Anonymous

I, for one, welcome our new bipedal feline overlords.
overgrown

i have taught two cats two stand and walk on their hind legs with organic vanilla creamtop yogurt (yes, both seriously preferred vanilla). i say “taught” because i first thought it was only something they would do with encouragement until i saw one do it ‘in the wild’ after a few sessions in the kitchen. that said, they never take more than about five steps, and lose patience quickly if you are teasing them about how short they are.
Uncle_Max

Sort of related: Does anybody else remember an old video on America’s Funniest Home Videos that had a cat standing on it’s hind legs swiping at the family dog whenever it walked by? That cat was fantastic, and looked like a little boxer, standing on it’s hind legs with it’s front paws out, ready to swing at the dog. I loved that video so much and was hoping I’d be able to find it with the new resurgence of standing cat videos, but so far no luck.

And yes, I do feel kind of guilty about enjoying a clip from AFV so much.
Church

Huh. Apparently Al Bundy Kittehs aren’t as rare as I thought:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTr_kvYxzdM
Anonymous

Sorry to focus away from the magnificence that is ” Le Chat Debout,’ but a Grand Theft Auto poster over the TV? Really?
Anonymous

One of our cats does this all the time. For her it’s less of a “can’t see over [item]” thing than “OMGWTF I HEARD NOISE?!” reaction. Like Standing Cat, she can hold the pose for just about near forever. We’ve been calling it “meerkatting” in honor of the ever-aware and curious meerkats.
JJR1971

I wasn’t impressed, my cat can do that, too. It’s a little weird when he does, but I’ve seen him do it multiple times.
namnezia

I think I once saw this cat trying to board a tram in Moscow, the conductor kicked him out despite the cat offering to pay its fare.
- SciMom
  
  Behemoth, is that you??
- Anonymous
  
  @namnezia-You beat me to the reference to “The Master and Margarita” My younger cat cat of two stands like this whenever he gets excited,thankfully he doesn’t like vodka as well.
- unisaur
  
  Haha, perfect! That is the same thing we say about our cat when he stands up – he is a giant black cat besides.
- benchscientist
  
  Nice! Must have read that same tale about some cat in Moscow in a book once. I was unnerved i tried to get rid of it but then again “manuscripts don’t burn..”
- Anonymous
  
  Over near Patriarch Pond. I’ve seen him there, too.
- Gag Halfrunt
  
  I can haz Behemoth?
sciencejournalist

There’s a sad little part of me that wants to buy that cat some boots.
- Anonymous
  
  That was so cute! I just watched shrek last night. funny!
- VagabondAstronomer
  
  …plus a rapier and a dashing hat, mustn’t forget those…
ultranaut

My cat does this on occasion as well, and she will also sit on her butt like a person. She also enjoys watching TV and video games. She is a really weird cat. I used to have another one who would try to stick his tongue in my ear, nose, or eye while I was sleeping. That is really not a good way to wake up.
Anonymous

Standing Cat’s apotheosis, Standing Cat in Boots!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZy2I8csVQU
Anonymous

After reading the summary I watched the video and didn’t see him raise his “leg”. My mind saw him raise his “arm”. My mind and Standing Cat are messing with me.
Anonymous

This cat needs to have LOTS of kittens. Bipedal cats are the future!
thequickbrownfox

2001 obelisk must be near.
Drew from Zhrodague

Quiet Noises, you said ‘cat pants’.
Felton

Cats is the craziest people!
Anonymous

Creepy neighbor cat is watching you masturbate.
Anonymous

He stands as if it’s perfectly natural. He looks as if he was built to be bipedal.
Anonymous

If you think THIS is adorable, check out the Studio Ghibli animated movie “The Cat Returns”: There’s an entire CITY of bipedal cats!
http://www.henshinonline.com/images/flightsoffantasy_04.jpg
Baron Karza

Hailing a taxi frum ur couch: ur doin’ it RITE!!
jjasper

That’s no mere cat.
- hordeofmonks
  
  i was going to respond with a retort about meerkats, thinking your word choice was merely a coincidence, but then i realized that you were most likely already ahead of me. bravo, good sir.
AllisonWunderland

Let’s see if this posts . . .

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ontologix/1248282733198.gif?t=1270926657
JasonsRobot

I wish he were wearing a western gunslinger belt. No cowboy costume. Just a casually tasteful holster and sidearm.
Anonymous

Run Reepicheep, Run.

Brought to you by the captcha – crappies on.
JoshP

And no one else’s mind goes to possible breeding programmes to enhance this tendency? I know I’m not alone in this. C’mon.
And their paws have cutesy thumby kinda thing too.
- Anonymous
  
  I was just thinking about breeding cats last night. It’d be cool if we could breed cats in as many different varying forms as, say, dogs.
  
  Huge lazy cats and tiny ball of energy cats? I’m in.
  
  But I’d also like to select for temperament, too. I want a line of cats that aren’t quite as aloof.
  - Lasulu
    
    Try a Maine Coon Cat. Big and furry and very friendly and people oriented.
Anonymous

birds are like crack for cats, once they see one there addicted to just watching them.

my cats an indoor cat, but we have a glassed in pourch, so when summer time comes around shes exstatic watching all the birds in her little glass box.

some times i picture her running around yelling “ITS NICE ITS NICE ITS NICE ITS NICE”
- cuvtixo
  
  NICE ‘ITS??? Because he’s a male chauvinist cat?
littlebone

That tail acts like a biological Segway.
dculberson

My ferret would stand up on her hind legs. I trained her to do it when she was really young and the training stuck around through her whole life.
- The Lizardman
  
  All of our ferrets will stand for treats – one can even take a couple steps and also balance standing on the palm of my hand.
  
  Growing up I remember our sled dogs often standing and walking for treats.
  
  I sometimes wonder about the seeming human proclivity to get their quadraped pets to stand on two legs.
Anonymous

So all we need to do to test whether we can engineer evolution is some careful furniture/window placement in a breeding lab?

To hell with jetpacks, let’s make LOLPEOPLE.
Anonymous

I just want to know what is going on outside that window. Judging by that cat’s body language, it is something pretty frickin exciting.
glory bee

My cat who adopted me and is very afraid of being back on the streets goes crazy on the bed at night before settling down. He tries to get rid of his tail by plonking one paw on it and feverishly trying to chew it off. I don’t find it funny just sooo much of a pity that he sees his tail as something he can’t control and hates it!
Geoffrey

LOL he already has his own fan site http://www.StandingCat.com
rebus

My friend’s big grey cat stood up to see something from a table behind the couch we were sitting on.

He rose slowly to full standing height and watched just like this one. I remember cause it was so cool and weird that it gave me chills.

He loved to fetch too.
Anonymous

That cat is people!
dean10003

our old cat did this once in front of the whole family in the middle of the living room looking at something. but i don’t think there was anything to look at that he couldn’t have walked over to look at THROUGH TWO ROOMS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HOUSE. i think he was just showing off. it was totally cool nonetheless. work it for the ladies in heaven, buster.
Anonymous

i was ready for a levee or maybe even a grand jete. such poise.
Anonymous

And that, my friends, is how evolution works.
Quiet Noises

And I thought it was strange my cat pants like a dog when she runs around in the yard.
- Anonymous
  
  If your cat is panting, they IMMEDIATELY need to cool off. Google “Cat panting” and see for yourself – it’s never a good sign.
- Anonymous
  
  That means your cat has asthma if it pants like a dog.
- Anonymous
  
  A panting cat is generally a symptom of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. You should get your cat to a vet pronto for a test .. your vet may catch a heart murmur. Soon as I told my vet about my cat panting she did the same thing. Now he’s on heart medication.. no more panting…
- Anonymous
  
  Your cat pants much like a dog does because they both have the same way of cooling themselves down, seeing as they lack the working sweat glands that us humans have.
- Anonymous
  
  cats, like dogs, cannot sweat so instead they pant too. that just means ur cat got a pretty good exercise and is all tuckered out =). she is perfectly normal. haha
- Anonymous
  
  cats panting like dogs are showing a sign of great stress and quite normal when experiencing emotions that may lead to full blown shock…unfortunately your cat’s freaking out, though and would approach the great outdoors differently:(
Anonymous

I think he raised his paw cause he was reaching for his cigarette and forgot he hadn’t lit up yet.
ian71

“Why does he raise his leg in the middle of the video? Probably because there was a bird outside”

I believe this to be incorrect. The cat is using both of its front limbs as well as its tail to keep balanced, and just needed to shift that limb for a moment to maintain its stance.

The Stance Of Awesomeness.
xzzy

If anyone asked my opinion before seeing this, I would have said it was impossible for a cat to stand like a human.

I’ve seen ‘em try, and it’s usually a brief attempt to stand quickly followed by dropping back to all four paws, because they can’t find balance.
- Anonymous
  
  The cat is probably, but not necessarily, getting most of its balance from the soft surface in the couch. Notice the dip. I know their is a word to describe exactly what I mean, but my brain is failing me.
  
  This cat has entered the commitment to stand on two legs!
- Anonymous
  
  Me too. I didn’t think their hips would be able to handle it. I mean, obviously they can’t for long periods of time- there’s a reason it took millions of years for humans to evolve to be bipedal- but I wouldn’t have thought that a cat could hold in that position, putting weight on that joint from that direction, for even a second. I guess practice makes perfect, eh? Babies aren’t so good at that, either.
- Anonymous
  
  It is impossible, he’s standing like a cat. The hips are different so his knees and toes are pointing out. Mine does this too sometimes, but they can’t keep it up as long as we can.
2k

My cat… oops!
The cat I know, Ziggy, is Polydactyl.
Is it strange to think that these two characteristics could imply a future of bipedal cats with opposable thumbs?
- Felton
  
  Felis erectus?
Anonymous

I had a cat that would do that, jump in the bath when someone was bathing or showering. Used the toilet a few times. And would make weird meowing sounds when people would come to the house or walk near the yard at the mailman and people thought we had a small yappy dog. It never scratched although it did bite a few people, and would play fetch although with a toy mouse.

katrina
Anonymous

I once had an orange cat (found as a kitten on the street-) that would stand like a figure in an Egyptian painting one leg forward one back, arms stretched out one above the other. Sometimes he would stand in the hallway propped against the wall like this with his head turned facing my boyfriend and me in the living room- just staring. Other times he would “assume the postion” AWAY from the wall and do one of two things: Stand and stare, or HOP SIDEWAYS DOWN THE HALLWAY while staring. We thought it was hilarious and would fall over laughing. This was 1984, and we had no video camera- which I especially regret now- that cat could have kicked internet ass…
ahmacrom

How bout my daughters cat who grabs a super ball in her mouth, walks up the stairs, and then drops the ball down them and will repeat till nap time.
Anonymous

My cat used to stand this way to see out of the window. She would then turn around and from that standing position she would let fly and jump half way across the room. I guess it helped that her back legs were so much longer than her front and when she jumped off they really gave her a lift. It was an amazing thing to watch, her getting so much air and for such a long jump.
Ernunnos

Aw, poor guy. It looks cute to us, but he’s really having to get into an unnatural position just to watch some Cat TV. Imagine having to get on all fours and crane your neck back to view your TV. I’m glad they’ve moved their furniture.
G@ttoGiallo

… and this one is still great since 2007…
5,919,752 views !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYdvp56hx5U&feature=player_embedded
Gutierrez

Dig the user of The Seatbelts, “Cats On Mars” for this.
- MadRat
  
  Gutierrez answered the one question the Aude Baron didn’t: The music that was being used. Thanks, Gutierrez! I guess it’s from Cowboy Bebop which is why it sounded familiar to me.
Anonymous

I stumbled here and I’m staying!

Pretty awesome cat! And seriously, a thousand high fives for using an obscure track from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack(s). Cats on Mars ftw!
SKR

I don’t think that position is unnatural at all. I remember seeing a Nova episode (or some such program) where a bobcat would stand on its hind legs to see over tall grass.

I had a roommate whose dog would sit on its butt in a chair like a person.
kaffeen

I will never think of “Standing Cat” the same ever again. Thank you for ruining my vision of him as a little person in a cat costume.
Antinous / Moderator

I have observed, from incessant viewing of cat videos, that folds seem much more likely to do this.
Anonymous

#5 -
yeah, +1 for Cowboy Bebop music.
sirski

my dog is about the same size as standing cat, and also goes bipedal when necessary, usually to see what is happening on the other side of the field, or across the street. she can actually walk while doing this, and not long ago, whilst moving on two legs and eyeballing the big black dog across the street, she walked smack into a sign post..CLANG!!
Church

“He’s also able to sit on his bottom like a human (this cat is crazy).”

The GF used to have a cat that would sit on the couch next to me, in a complete Al Bundy pose.

I wish I had a digital camera back then. He was a one-off.
- bopo
  
  My cat likes to do that. I call it Fat Guy Watching the Superbowl.
- nanner
  
  our cat used to sit like that too but i thought of it as a Bill the Cat move, rather than Al Bundy :)
standard

I wish the French journalist had dug into the whole ‘framed Grand Theft Auto poster in the living room’ thing.
- Anonymous
  
  haha!