the falling cat
Much like an ice skater controls her rate of spin by pulling in or extending her arms, the cat first tucks in his front legs and splays out his rear legs, allowing him to quickly situate his forequarters with the feet down. He then reverses the procedure, extending his front legs and tucking in the rear legs, allowing the hindquarters to rapidly twist into position while the forequarters turn only slightly. Rear legs re-extend when in place, and he’s fully deployed.
no fear … the cat on these premises has not fallen … is at this moment stretched out at the foot of the bed … yowling for her servant to come scoop her stinky new poop …