Research overview: felid gaits and the walk-trot-gallop transition

Cats move through a sequence of gaits as speed rises, from a walk to a trot, then to bounding and galloping forms. This overview describes the footfall patterns, duty factors, and energetic and stability considerations that govern when one gait gives way to another. Felids share the general mammalian gait repertoire but show distinctive features tied to flexible spines and stealth-capable slow walking. Researchers characterise gaits with motion capture, force plates, and footfall timing analysis across treadmill and overground locomotion. Understanding transitions matters because each gait represents a different solution to balancing speed, energy cost, and stability, and because the slow, controlled gaits of cats underpin their stalking, while the gallop underpins the final rush of a hunt.