Olivia lives on the edge. And sometimes she tumbles off that edge. I still chuckle recalling the morning she rolled off my desk into the trash basket below. Of course, she seemed a bit humiliated, but I have to tell you, it was funny.
Cats are thought to be agile and sure-footed, and they
are for the most part. But they can fall, trip, get tangled up in something, misstep, and just lose their balance like the rest of us. Olivia, for example, plays so hard and fast that she sometimes loses her footing and crashes into a wall. Last night she stepped off the narrow windowsill and her paw slipped into the space between the sill and the sofa. She tumbles off the bed, off her cat tree, chairs… She seems to be a total klutz at times. Yet, 
when she’s not tearing around the house at breakneck speeds, she’s lounging somewhere gracefully or not so gracefully. Sometimes she rolls off a perch or a piece of furniture while sound asleep. You should see the surprised look on her face—then comes the, “I meant to do that,” look.
Cats are actually more clumsy during the kitten and
adolescent stages for two reasons. One, they’re still in agility training—learning how to maintain a successful balancing act, and they play at speeds that could break the sound barrier. So if you have a clumsy kitten, don’t worry. Once she grows into her lanky legs and clunky paws and slows down a bit to smell the bacon, she’ll become that graceful being you envisioned lolling in your lap or on the dining room table. Yes, she’ll learn to pad through the elegantly set table without disturbing a crystal water glass or antique dishware. Just know that she might lick a spoon or sit on a dinner plate in the process, though. And she might eat part of your flower arrangement.
I didn’t say cats are predictable, but I think they’re just purrrrr-fect.
