If a cat were an Olympic athlete, the only marathon it might win would be in sleeping. But watch out in the sprint events. The cat would leave its competitors in the dust. Oddly enough, it is the cat's fondness for sleep that makes it such a speed demon. Sleep is its way of conserving energy for the explosive bursts of power it needs for a successful chase. More often than not, these brief, energy-sapping episodes of running prowess are punctuated by yet more slumber. But hunting is not the only arena for showing off a cat's running ability. Sometimes its speed is put to the test when the cat itself is the target of a chase. Felines that survive in the wild, especially on open plains, rely heavily on their ability to run — much more so than domestic cats — because their habitats put greater onus on stalking and surprise attack. Given cause, though, all cats are gold-medal winners in high-speed pursuit.
What makes cats so good at running? Observe any feline and you'll find some answers. When they walk, for instance, cats alternate opposite legs. But watch them run and you'll see that the front and back legs work as pairs to attain speed. At a gallop, the cat arches its supple spine as its hind legs propel ahead of its front legs, rendering it airborne for the time between strides. The speed with which cats run comes through their exceptionally long stride and strong back legs. Even domestic cats can reach speeds of up to 30 mph in just a few seconds. But like most great sprinters, the cat has poor endurance over the long haul; a sustained trot will exhaust it. It becomes overheated in less than a minute and must stop to pant in order to cool down.
