Blissful Sunbathing Cat on Lawn Is Truly Living the Dream

As August stretches on, everyone is looking to squeeze out a final bit of rest and relaxation from the long, hot summer. Even the President of the United States recently decamped to his favorite Delaware beach to bury his feet in the sand and chill out under a nice umbrella. So how can we blame this cat, who clearly has a rough life of bird-watching, bathing, and cat naps, from wishing to do the same on a sunny lawn?

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In this clip, we zoom in one what appears to be a tabby and white cat cat lying flat on its back, its legs held stiffly up in the air, on a sunny green lawn.

Related: Cat's Brave Back Yard Encounter With a Hawk Is Tough to Watch

A Cat Nap

“He had me scared,” reads the caption on the video, clearly anticipating a “rigorous mortis” type situation. But as the person taking the video grows closer, the cat startles awake, and then in the manner of vaguely annoyed felines everywhere, stretches, wriggles deliciously against the grass, and proceeds to continue his self-grooming regimen.

Any cat person can tell you what we just witnessed. This here was a cat who fell asleep mid bath, which explains the position. What is marvelous, however, is that the cat was clearly comfortable enough in the front yard to do so.

“Best neighborhood in America,” reads one comment, while others pipe in to discuss birds of prey, mean neighbors, unleashed dogs, and of course, the growing menace of coyotes. For a cat to go belly up in the middle of a lawn like that either indicates an inordinate level of confidence in it place in that yard, or perhaps an indication that the kitty ain’t too bright.

Should Cats Be Outside?

The ongoing debate about whether cats should or should not be allowed to wander freely outdoor rages on. Those in the pro column cite the fact that this is the way housecoats have been treated since the beginning of their vaguely delineated domestication. They were not like dogs, leashed and controlled, primarily because the average cat poses no risk to people, just to small woodland creatures, and—of course—the pests they were domesticated to hunt and keep in check. Naturally people let their cats roam free at night—it was the best time for them to catch mice and rats.

But people who are against the idea cite statistics about the dangers cats face in the great outdoors now as opposed to hundreds of years ago. Our technological developments and urban sprawl mean today’s housecoats must contend with traffic, poison, too-tall buildings and fences that prevent easy movement, as well as a declining wild bird population of their own making.

Cats and Wild Birds

Outdoor cats kill over two billion birds each year in North America alone, making them the number one threat to our native species. They have been instrumental in the extinction of over sixty-three bird species.

I myself am a “keep my adorable invasive predators inside” kind of cat owner, but I know others are equally as passionate about their opposite view, claiming that it’s torture or animal abuse to relegate their kitty to an indoors life.

But mine do sunbathe just like this on the carpet, so they don’t seem to be suffering too much.

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