Primordial Pouches, Not Belly Fat!
Primordial pouch, which looks like belly flap, refers to the saggy layer of skin that runs along from the back legs to the stomach.
Primordial pouch feels soft and tender, like touching the skin on the belly, and all cats have it regardless of age and gender.
Other feline species, such as tigers and lions, also have primordial pouches.
The Purpose of the Primordial Pouch
No 1. To Move Quickly
The primordial pouch enables cats to stride so flexibly that their movement seems liquid-like. Cats can also jump more than twice their height or run super fast.
Cats’ skin can tolerate even such dynamic movement because the primordial pouch can stretch out quite far.
No 2. To Protect Internal Organs
Cats’ important internal organs are all located in their stomach, so their life could be in danger if attacked by predators. The primordial pouch protects such important organs.
For instance, even if the predators attack cats with sharp claws or teeth, cats’ loose skin will prevent the internal organs from getting fatally wounded.
No 3. To Store Food
In the wild, cats used to live off small animals. If they failed to hunt, they had to starve.
Therefore, primordial pouches may have come about so that cats could eat as much as they could when they had the chance.