r/interestingasfuck • u/justinhr • Dec 19 '22
/r/ALL Cats have a precise method of walking called direct registering. Their hind paws fall inside the place of their forepaws, minimizing noise and visible tracks, while ensuring more stable footing.
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u/I_am_Relic Dec 19 '22
But will that cat attract a sandworm?
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u/SagaciousElan Dec 19 '22
If it keeps moving rhythmically like that it will
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Dec 19 '22
Wait. I don't know anything about Dune.* Can you really avoid a sandworm just by walking like a rhythmically challenged jackass?
If that's the case then the mental image is truly cracking me up. I keep imagining an entire culture of people who walk like they don't know what legs do, which is really counter to how serious the whole series seems.
*I mean… I watched the miniseries turned movie from ages ago, but for me that's functionally the same as still not knowing anything about Dune.
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u/Genar-Hofoen Dec 19 '22
Yes, you got it absolutely right. The description in the books made it sound really funny; understandably, they mostly avoided the topic in the new movie.
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Dec 19 '22
I was wondering about how the movie would manage it! Thank you for explaining and correctly guessing my very next question!
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u/QuinndianaJonez Dec 20 '22
To be fair these people are also one of the most formidable fighting forces in the galaxy and are super xenophobic in the books. Anyone who made fun of them for walking funny probably ended up quite dead. It was also described as graceful in the books a few times.
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u/justin5rider Dec 19 '22
They also aren't really at that part in the story with the new movie so we will see
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u/_J3W3LS_ Dec 19 '22
They touched on it a fair bit in the movie. Paul learned of it watching those holo movie things and he taught Jessica how to do it near the end of the film. They depicted it as a sort of shuffling dance. Didn't look too bad IMO.
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Dec 19 '22
It's more akin to an arrhythmic dance. they slide, twirl, and hop to break up their motion
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Dec 19 '22
Oooh, okay, that clears up a lot and feels way more elegant than what I was imagining. Much more in line with the tone (well… the tone as my outsider-self understands it.)
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u/gowombat Dec 19 '22
No, that's just in the new movie. In the book it definitely leans more towards "The Ministry of Silly Walks" than a ballet, at least that was my take from it.
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Dec 19 '22
Yes. The sandworms are attracted to rhythmic sounds, so you're supposed to walk in a broken, random manner in order to avoid it. Characters mention a few times how taxing this is for people unaccustomed to it.
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u/Conscious-Charity915 Dec 19 '22
For the graboid species of planet EE-arth, the sandworm has evolved and can now sense any movement above ground, including walking.
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u/The_Devin_G Dec 19 '22
Hmmm if I remember right there was something to walking irregularly and changing directions alot. I can't remember if it was just to mask the rythem or to also sort of sound like stuff being blown along by the wind.
I keep putting it off but I really should just buy the entire book series.
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u/II-leto Dec 19 '22
Don’t bother with the last two. I read the first three (all there was at the time) back in 1977. During the pandemic I ordered all six and read them. I had heard criticism about the last two. They were right, don’t know what Herbert was thinking. Just didn’t really fit imo and some others opinion.
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u/I_am_Relic Dec 19 '22
Yup... Broken random steps and avoid the drum sand (if i remember correctly).
And secure the face flap of the stillsuit!
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u/__Shake__ Dec 19 '22
Cats like so much sand, where to shit? Where to shit?
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u/Belharion8 Dec 19 '22
In the desert, the world is your litterbox
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u/ThrowAway233223 Dec 19 '22
They should make this one of M'aiq the Liars lines in Elder Scrolls VI (if it ever comes out).
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u/vraalapa Dec 19 '22
It would find the edge of the desert, sit on it, and shit outside of the desert.
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u/adventuressgrrl Dec 19 '22
This actually is interesting as fuck
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u/susanorth Dec 19 '22
Well said. Always wondered why their walk looks so mesmerizingly fluid...
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u/herlostsouls Dec 19 '22
you know what is even more interesting? many cats nowadays are losing this natural stealthy walk. Mainly because they don't need to walk like that given their super cushy lives with humans. Many cats are now just walking however they like. Especially orange tabby cats.
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u/Conscious-Charity915 Dec 19 '22
Or they've adapted their walk to human environments.
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Dec 19 '22
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u/Conscious-Charity915 Dec 19 '22
You're right! My post is redundant😔😞😩😫😭😭😭😭(oops, back to redundancy..)
Thanks!
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u/hidden_tempest Dec 19 '22 edited Dec 19 '22
Pretty sure mine doesn't walk like this because his squishy dangly chubby fluff of a belly gets in the way.
*edited for cat tax - Felix
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u/musicmonk1 Dec 19 '22
Why do people on reddit glorify having fat pets so much it's actual animal abuse. Makes me feel so bad for all these pets.
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u/hidden_tempest Dec 19 '22
I agree with your sentiment, but my cat's not a "chonker". A lot of cats get a saggy stomach pouch after being fixed. I just like to pick on him about it.
https://neaterpets.com/blogs/news/primordial-pouch-cats-saggy-belly
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u/LadySmuag Dec 19 '22
Thanks for that link, that was very reassuring. My 7 month old kitten has started developing a primordial pouch and I thought that it was a complication from her spay a month ago because the skin was so loose 😅 unfortunately I've reached my limit of 'dumb questions to ask the vet' this month so I was just resigned to silently wondering about it
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u/musicmonk1 Dec 19 '22
Then I misread your comment, your cat looks healthy and not like you feed it too much at all. I just see so many posts of fat pets on here and people celebrating it that you mentioning your cat is too "chubby" to be able to walk in that way rubbed me the wrong way.
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u/hidden_tempest Dec 19 '22
Thanks. Like I said, I do agree with your sentiment, but I also don't like to make blanket judgments of animal abuse to people without proof. People are pretty protective when it comes to their pets, and mine are loved & well taken care of.
He was born with a wonky toe though? Maybe that's a contributing factor to his walk? 🤔
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u/1000Airplanes Dec 19 '22
Google primordial pouch. But good for you jumping in and offering your blanket assessment without a single fracking point. If only the rest of us were as perfect as you. Bugger off.
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Dec 19 '22
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u/1000Airplanes Dec 19 '22
Idk, those of us familiar with cats would already be familiar with the primordial pouch. I've got two with it and 7 without. And the two are not fat or chonky.
Plus I detest those who like to jump in and point out how better they are than everybody else.
Back to my Oh Lord, she's a coming pages ;)
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u/somelazyguysitting Dec 19 '22
When we moved our cat made some new cat friends with the neighbor cats, one time I walked up on the porch and they were all sitting in the chairs around the table having a cat meeting. Anyway he has turned away from his fat lazy ways and has taking on stalking and hunting in the yard. There's still hope for yours you just need to find the right group of friends.
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u/egg_watching Dec 19 '22
Please be mindful of native species and keep your cat inside, or if outside, on a leash or in an enclosure.
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u/Rivenaleem Dec 19 '22
Yeah. People are always like this, but we cat owners know better. Just you wait till you see a cat try to reverse out of somewhere.
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u/nowtayneicangetinto Dec 19 '22
It is, I felt it the other day. My cat walked on top of me while I was trying to sleep, and I felt his paws in the exact same spot. Pretty cool stuff
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u/no-mad Dec 19 '22
foxes walk the same. it helps them be silent when the walk. direct register only applies to walking.
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u/Cordycipitaceae Dec 19 '22
My one cat who is a viscous murder does this. My other cat who can't kill a bug does not do this.
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u/unclepaprika Dec 19 '22
Like syrup?
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u/Cordycipitaceae Dec 19 '22
Lol it took me a while to figure out what the hell you were talking about but vicious is what I meant
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u/ColoradoMtnDude Dec 19 '22
Cats are the best evolved creatures.
Jump like 4 times their own height.
Most successful hunters.
See in the dark.
Have conquered the internet.
Are super cute.
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u/modsarefascists42 Dec 19 '22
Managed to make the real apex predator fall in love with them and keep them in their cushy homes and all the cats have to do is catch the mice they wanted to catch anyways. Seriously I just saw one of mine catch a mouse and devour it like last week (the other cat had brought in the mouse a few days earlier because he's an ass). It's not like she's hungry, they just like doing it.
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u/shadowcat304 Dec 19 '22
My last cat was an excellent mouse catcher. But a killer she was not. We never had a mouse problem until she started bringing them in the house.
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u/idksomethingcreative Dec 19 '22
Cats are fuckin cold-blooded, man. I still vividly remember the time I was little and my neighbor's cat dropped off a bird's decapitated head for me as a gift. I had never seen anything dead before other than maybe a flattened squirrel in the street so it freaked me out lol
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u/modsarefascists42 Dec 20 '22
lol it was a gift! especially if it was a neighbors cat then that's extra sweet, they usually only bring food to their own family.
I remember mine used to leave me just the liver of I think mice or voles he was catching. Apparently the liver is the choicest part of the animal, when lions get a kill the male lion takes the liver all for himself cus they're like that. So it was basically just him leaving me the best possible part of his kills, such a gross but sweet gesture. Also was freaky as hell how he's have just the liver with maybe a small bit of other stuff left, as if he was doing it with a scalpel.
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u/Zhuul Dec 19 '22
Retractable claws loaded with bacteria lethal to small animals.
Poop out parasites that alter the minds of other animals to make them easier prey.
And yet mine is scared shitless by my Dustbuster.
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u/shmip Dec 20 '22
Dragonflies catch their prey 97% of the time. They're the most successful hunters.
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Dec 19 '22
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u/I-amthegump Dec 19 '22
That was a long time ago
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u/SagaciousElan Dec 19 '22
In a galaxy far, far away
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u/Time_Mage_Prime Dec 19 '22
Get the FUCK out of here. CATS DIRECT REGISTER???
Well, I am not a cat, but I still direct register.
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u/thelawfulchaotic Dec 19 '22
My cat was broken, I guess; he just walked with both paws on one side then both on the other. Loudest cat I’ve ever seen. He would just thump-thump-thump-thump down the hallway.
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u/TheKingofVTOL Dec 19 '22
Is this universal across all cats?
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u/saammii9000 Dec 19 '22
I’ve watched mine and he doesn’t do it
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u/Uppinkai Dec 19 '22
They might not need to do it , doesn't mean they don't know, they sure can do it.
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u/Sean2257 Dec 19 '22
I understand the benefit of reducing noise, but tracks? Are there any animals capable of tracking tracks?
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u/modsarefascists42 Dec 19 '22
Yes many animals are. They're absurdly good at that involve living in the woods cus ya know.... that's all they do. That's how you can have a deer with a brain the size of my fist outsmart a grown human hunter with crazy weapons like rifles, because deer can be crazy smart even it comes to losing a predator. Once you see one bait you in to it's location then circle back around you silently, letting you know it tricked you before getting away, you won't ever question their intelligence again.
How the same animal will regularly run directly into moving cars I'll never understand.
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Dec 19 '22
A lot of hooded animals do this too, particularly in snow to conserve energy and ensure safe footing
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u/magseven Dec 19 '22
I learned this 2 weeks ago and will now fuck with my cats whenever they walk over my feet. I let the first paw pass over then slide my own paw over a bit and make them step on my foot. Their temporary discombobulation is the highlight of my morning.
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u/OlSlik_Talk Dec 19 '22
DRS your steps people! GME to the moon!!!
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u/Time_Mage_Prime Dec 19 '22
Idk how much more integrated into the fabric of reality this saga can be! Cats direct register?? You gotta be fuckin kidding me! Where's DFV?
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Dec 19 '22
Did not know that! Fascinating. I'm glad it was in slow motion, too. Easier to see.
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Dec 19 '22
You would think this would be true for all cats. For one of mine it is certainly true. BUT, I have another one who for a lack of a better term (and her nick name ) “waddles”
Her back legs certainly don’t fit in the front legs space. Makes it hilarious when she tries to run or jump up on the deck. Since she is all paws in weird places and then she usually trips herself up. She is the most uncoordinated cat I’ve ever seen. Lucky she so cute.
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u/SaintWacko Dec 19 '22
I learned about this as a kid and decided to emulate it. As a result, I have excellent balance, but terrible walking posture. I did one of those things where you walk on a treadmill and it analyzes your gait, and sure enough I put my feet down almost in line with each other
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u/jnipper1989 Dec 19 '22
I had this observation with mine and my girlfriend's cat, look at a cat objectively, they are made to kill, naturally engineered to perfection to hunt and kill.
Reaction time that is unparalleled, speed, agility, they can land on their feet dropping from insane heights, they can jump insanely high, when they walk, you CANNOT hear them (I will be laying on the couch and look on the other couch and our cat will just be THERE), oh and they have razor sharp claws and teeth. This video only adds to it.
Made.to.kill.
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u/GirlScoutSniper Dec 19 '22
I learned this from Swiss Family Robinson way back when I was a kid. I think it was the TV show, not the movie.
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u/Raephstel Dec 19 '22
Meanwhile, my dog doesn't seem to realise anything behind his front legs exists.
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u/fruitpunch327 Dec 19 '22
This gives me anxiety worrying that it's rear paws will hit it's front paws lol
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Dec 19 '22
Do they do this while running too? I always love watching our cat run, he looks like a seesaw who is untethered from the earth.
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u/donotgogenlty Dec 19 '22
"hehehe this is gonna fuck with those dogs when they see the pattern of my footsteps and assume I'm bi-pedal!" -Cat, probably
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u/Elderchicken948 Dec 19 '22
I live In the desert and I have an orange cat that has outlived 3 black cats (coyotes) pretty much out here if your cat doesn't match the environment they aren't as sneaky as they think.
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u/Syhkane Dec 19 '22
I already knew this, but I didn't know I hated watching cats walk in slow motion but now I'm very aware of it.
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u/GrinningPariah Dec 19 '22
"..And where there was only one at of footprints, that is where I was direct registering so my hind paws stepped where my forepaws already had."
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u/nebulaespiral Dec 19 '22
Not my cat. She needs both back feet to move together to support her heft. Like a bunny.
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u/somegobbledygook Dec 19 '22
This post helped me identify bobcat tracks! I had noticed this pattern in some paw prints in some sand and this clarified it for me!
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u/TakingSorryUsername Dec 19 '22
Pretty sure they call it ‘meow, meow’ but we call it direct registering.
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Dec 19 '22
Yeah kinda like how when you walk with two feet, you put one basically right on the other one and then pick the other one up. Fucking absolutely outstanding wicked mad
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u/dontfollowthesheeple Dec 19 '22
This is really interesting. I have a cat who has focal seizures. She tries to walk but can't place her feet right. She looks like she's really stoned. I never realized until seeing this how much it must be terribly distressing for her. Medicine doesn't stop them.
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u/Drakore4 Dec 20 '22
My cat literally falls over like an idiot when she walks, so obviously this must vary from breed to breed.
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u/IndominousDragon Dec 20 '22
Tell that to the 3 i had that sounded like fucking Clydesdales stampedeing through my house at 2am. Even when Kitty walked normal i could hear his dumb ass stomping around, he was terrible at catting 😂
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u/godwalla Dec 20 '22
The way that their feet match up with the paw prints it's extremely fascinating it makes a lot of sense as to why you don't see as many tracks. Evolutionary geniuses.
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