Cats are able to rotate their supple spines more than many other animals and can twist their bodies to a much greater extent. Cats' vertebrae—the spools-on-a-string-like bones in the back—are very flexibly connected and have especially elastic cushioning disks between them.

Do cats have a backbone?

Scientists classify animals based on their similarities. ... Some animals, like dogs, cats, birds, lizards, fish, and even humans have backbones - Scientists classify backboned animals as vertebrate. Other animals, such as squid, worms, bugs, and clams do not have backbones.

How flexible is a cats spine?

The individual bones that make up a cat's spine have elastic cushioning discs in between them. These discs allow cats to easily rotate their bodies up to 180 degrees to the left or right. Humans are only able to rotate their torso area up to 90 degrees.