The human mind has discovered Pi, decrypted the mystery of the Taos HumA mysterious hum, first reported in the 1990s, heard by people in the town of Taos in New Mexico. and invented the internet. So you would be forgiven for assuming that scientists understand one of humanity's oldest companions.

However, although evidence suggests that cats have lived alongside us for over 9,500 years, they continue to evadeEscape. our understanding. They have captured the attention of poets and philosophers for their uncannily human sense of dignity, pride and cunning. Yet millions more also know them as the childlike animals who will ravage sofas in pursuit of a piece of string.

Cats are the protagonistsLeading characters. of myths, fables and old wives' tales. The ancient Egyptians worshipped a feline goddess named Bastet, whilst in ancient Rome it was believed that spreading a cat's ashes across a field would protect crops from harm.

In one famed fable called Belling the Cat, often falsely attributed to AesopAncient Greek writer (c.620 - 564BC) credited with hundreds of fables: short stories telling a moral lesson, often featuring animals., a group of preyed-upon mice mull over ways to fend off a maraudingSearching for people to attack or objects to steal. feline. They agree to attach a bell to its neck in order to warn them of its approach. However, when trying to elect a volunteer for the task of placing the bell on the cat, none of them is willing.

For the common reader, the fable should symbolise the importance of ensuring that ideas are feasible. For scientists involved in the study of cats, it can call to mind the frustrations of trying to reach a scientific consensus about feline behaviours.

In the 1890s, scientists were astonished by images which broke down the process of a cat falling from a height. The photographs showed the cat twisting whilst in midair. According to a physical law called "conservation of angular momentum", it should have been impossible.

This concept suggests that bodies that are not rotating cannot start to do so without application of an external force. Since the cat had not pushed itself off the surface, it should not be able to contortTwist or bend out of shape. in the air. The images, seeming to prove cats immune to the laws of physics themselves, flummoxed scientists.

Modern researchers have resolved this paradox, proving that the movement exemplifies a clever evolutionary trick that does conform to the unshakeable rules governing space. Cats' flexible spines allow them to twist their bodies midair in order to curtail the risk of falling from a height, hence the saying "cats always land on their feet".

However, many things remain unknown. We still do not understand why cats purr, or why they have the remarkable sum of 100 possible vocalisations.¹ And the growing field of cat psychology has yet to offer any conclusions about their sensitivity to social cues or ability to feel affection.

Furthermore, cats are not the only animals veiled in mystique. We still do not know for sure why zebras are striped, how some animals appear to be immortal, or how migrating butterflies navigate more than 2,000 miles across the globe.

Yes: It is shocking that we have so little understanding of our domestic companions. Cats are one of the most populous animals in the world. If we know so little about cats, we must be truly ignorant of other, more complex things.

No: Humans have an extraordinary bank of knowledge. We only believe in the mystery of cats because of a long cultural and literary history which has lauded them as incomprehensible and sometimes even divine.

Or... Finding out more about cats is not the key to solving our ignorance. Researching animals at all is a fool's errand at the moment. We should be focusing on developing modern medicine and fighting the climate crisis.

Taos Hum - A mysterious hum, first reported in the 1990s, heard by people in the town of Taos in New Mexico.

Evade - Escape.

Protagonists - Leading characters.

Aesop - Ancient Greek writer (c.620 - 564BC) credited with hundreds of fables: short stories telling a moral lesson, often featuring animals.

Marauding - Searching for people to attack or objects to steal.

Contort - Twist or bend out of shape.