Check Out The Cat Who Can Play Ping Pong

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Move over Andre Agassi. Give the pineapple back, Novak Djokovic. Quincy is a big ginger tomcat who has found a good hobby sure to help him stay in shape! He’s the star of a new viral sensation via Rumble. Quincy is an American shorthair who uses his kitty paws to swat ping pong balls over the net after his human friend lobs them to him. According to said human friend “Quincy found a new hobby last night and by the looks of it, we have a champion in the making!” A lot of details about Quincy are shrouded in mystery, but cats are known for being mysterious.

Could Quincy Go Pro?

Probably not. While there is nothing in the official rules that says players must be human and must use paddles, Quincy does have a few problems. He can’t serve, for one. Plus, his method seems to be entirely volleys. A volley, hitting the ball before it hits the ground on the player’s side of the net, is acceptable in regular tennis but not in table tennis. Another rule is the non-paddle hand cannot touch the table. Quincy needs all four of his feet on the table. He seems to favor his right front but he’ll use both front paws. (Incidentally, tomcats have a tendency to be left pawed. Quincy is a bit odd here.

It’s Good For Him Anyway

Even if Quincy never goes pro and keeps his favorite sport in his human friend’s game room, it’s important for a cat to get exercise. This is especially true for ginger cats as they have a tendency to put on weight easily. (https://www.felineliving.net/orange-tabby-cats/) Adult indoor cats need at least thirty minutes of play every day to stay healthy. Exercise not only burns off calories but tones the bones and muscles to keep the cat fit. Exercise is a good way for cat and human to bond. It will also keep the cat from becoming depressed by boredom. Cats are by their nature instinctive hunters. If they see something moving, they will feel inclined to try and catch it. Cats are also crepuscular by nature. This means they are more active at dawn and at dusk, with a lot of sleeping in between. Some cats, like Quincy, like batting balls around but some like to chase after the old fashioned dangly string. Many modern cats like to chase after a laser pointer. Any kind of stimulation is good for your cat.

Exercise is not only physically good for a cat, it’s mentally stimulating. Cats are more intelligent than you think and need the mental stimulation of exercise. Otherwise, Kitty might get into mischief. Bad kitty habits like clawing furniture, picking fights and yowling all night are often the result of an unchallenged mind. Idle paws are the devil’s workshop.The eye-hand (eye-paw?) co-ordination required for ping-pong has been shown to prevent dementia due to challenging the brain. This fast paced racket sport requires muscle and cardio endurance as well as nimble footwork and upper body flexibility to return balls going more than sixty miles an hour. Sounds like the perfect sport for a cat.

Happy Tabbies

Quincy is unusual in being a right handed tomcat. However, it is rather typical for ginger cats to be male. Out of a hundred ginger cat, eighty will be toms and twenty will be queens. Ginger cats are often a bit bolder than most cats. This could be because their tawny coat gives them natural camouflage. The confidence from being such a successful stalker leads to a tiny tiger on your hands! The lively, charming, clever ginger tabby is not only a favorite character in a number of cartoons but a few real life ginger tabbies found roles in Tinsel Town. Orangey starred opposite Audrey Hepburn and Crackerjack played an evil sensing half kneazel in the Harry Potter films. The painters Audubon and Picasso both saw ginger cats as beautiful, but deadly. Ronner-Knip and Kuniyoshi painted ginger cats in a calmer light.

Don’t Sell the Shorthair Short

Quincy appears to be an American shorthair, the most popular cat breed in North America. This is a cat known for being robustly healthy and very sweet and affectionate but not to the point of being clingy. This along with being low maintenance in general makes the American shorthair a very popular family cat. They came to North America with the first colonists. First, they were used to keep rats from eating the provisions on the ship, then they became barn cats, still keeping vermin away from precious food stores. The modern American shorthair is more of a pampered pet than a working animal. However, the desire to chase and hunt is still there. Your shorty will appreciate the opportunity to play a few chase and catch games to burn off energy. (And perhaps a few calories from nomming too many kitty treats!) The American shorthair’s coat, as indicated by the name, is short but thick enough to keep Kitty warm. Underneath that fur is a sturdy musculature meant for chasing down and killing vermin. In a case of “Use it or lose it” these muscles can easily dissolve to useless fat if they’re not worked. This is a breed that needs exercise to keep in the best form.

Conclusion

Quincy is a unique cat that has found a form of exercise that goes beyond chasing strings or beams of light. He has found himself drawn into ping pong, a sport requiring lightning reflexes and fast footwork. A cat is surprisingly well suited to the sport, though it’s unlikely you will see one in the Olympics any time soon.

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