Research overview: spinal flexibility and its role across felid locomotion

The felid spine is notably flexible, and this overview surveys how that flexibility serves functions from grooming and squeezing through gaps to extending stride during a gallop. Dorsoventral flexion lengthens reach at speed, lateral bending aids tight turning, and overall suppleness supports the body-twisting of the righting reflex. Researchers examine vertebral morphology, intervertebral mobility, and epaxial muscle architecture, linking them to observed movements via imaging and kinematics. The same flexibility that aids high performance also trades against the rigidity that stabilises heavier-bodied runners, a recurring theme in carnivore locomotion. Why it matters: the spine is an underappreciated locomotor organ in cats, contributing to speed, agility, and the everyday flexibility that defines feline movement.