How High Can Munchkin Cats Jump? Can They Get Onto Counters?

Munchkins are often lovingly referred to as the dachshund-cat. These cute short-legged cats can still jump far higher than their doggy look-alikes. Before adopting a Munchkin kitten, because you think they won’t be able to jump onto your kitchen countertops, let me explain the caveats of a Munchkin’s vertical abilities.

How high a Munchkin cat can jump depends on how short their legs are, and leg length varies within the breed. For example, Munchkin cats with very short legs (rug-hugger) can jump around 12 inches (30 cm), while Munchkins with standard leg lengths can jump up to 35 inches (90 cm).

One of the main objections non-cat owners have to owning a cat is that cats love to walk on kitchen countertops, computer keyboards, paperwork, or anything else that seems to grab the attention of their human owners – and they do all this with the same four paws they just used to scratch around in their litter box.

Luckily this is something (most) dog owners do not have to worry about, but will a Munchkins be capable of making litter box dust footprints on your kitchen countertops?

This Munchkin has ‘standard’ length Munchkin legs, which means that he can jump around 35 inches high. So if he really wants to, he will be able to jump onto a countertop. However, the ‘super short’ and ‘rug hugger’ leg lengths will probably not be able to jump onto a countertop.

Factors Influencing How High Munchkins Can Jump

Leg Length

Leg length varies within the Munchkin breed. And not even all the kittens born from breeding two short-legged Munchkins will have the dwarf legs.

Breeding 2 short-legged Munchkins will usually only result in around 50% of the litter having short legs. The kittens from a Munchkin litter with regular or ‘normal’ longer cat leg length are called ‘Munchkin Variants’ and look like normal non-dwarf cats.

The short leg length is caused by a genetic mutation causing chondrodysplasia (sometimes called achondroplasia in human medicine) which causes abnormal growth plates in long bones leading to stunted growth of long bones (primarily the bones of the front and back legs).

This dwarfism gene is dominant in cats, meaning they only need one copy of the gene to have short legs. Having two copies of these genes (inheriting one from each parent) is incompatible with life, meaning that these embryos usually die before birth.

While most genetic mutations are not inherently bad (genetic mutation is the basis of evolution), breeding for a mutation that can potentially be harmful is not considered good breeding practice (specific to breeding animals – human genetics are a whole different story). This is one of the reasons why breeding Munchkins is seen as so controversial.

The International Feline Federation (FiFe) does not accept the Munchkin as an official breed, and therefore there are no official breed standards. However, the following categories of front leg length have been accepted by Munchkin breeders:

  • Standard: leg length of 3-4 inches
  • Super Short: leg length of 2-3 inches
  • Rug Hugger: leg length less than 2 inches

Munchkin’s front legs are shorter than their back legs, and front leg length is therefore measured. It should be noted that excessively long back legs compared to front leg length can lead to painful back problems. Avoid adopting kittens with a severe forward-sloping back.

Weight

An overweight Munchkin cat will have more trouble jumping than a lean Munchkin. Keeping your Munchkin at a healthy body weight is even more critical because of their disproportionately long backs compared to leg length.

Responsible pet owners need to monitor their pet’s weight and adjust their diet accordingly. Obesity can make your cat prone to developing health conditions such as arthritis, fatty liver disease, and type 2 Diabetes.

Age

Young adult cats (around 1-3 years old) are in the prime of their athletic abilities and are therefore able to jump the highest.

Similarly, young kittens and older cats will not be able to jump as high.

Health Conditions

Painful conditions such as arthritis, back problems, or health conditions causing general malaise and weakness will limit your cat’s ability to jump.

Not being able to jump up to their favorite vantage point spot is often one of the first signs cat owners notice if their cat is ill.

Do Munchkins Like To Jump?

Cats enjoy observing their territories from a height, which applies to Munchkins. It is the instinct for cats to see how high they can climb in a given environment, hence why cats enjoy climbing trees or onto the roofs of houses.

Cats who live in homes with no vertical climbing areas will often develop behavioral problems. Luckily behavior problems do not seem to plague many Munchkins, but we can safely conclude from general cat behavior that cats enjoy jumping and climbing to viewpoints.

Munchkin cats will often show a desire to jump, and they will most definitely try to jump.

This Munchkin cat has the ‘standard’ leg length. Therefore, with some effort, she can clear the countertop.

Will Munchkin Cats Jump Onto Counters?

Munchkins, just like any other cat will probably try to get onto the kitchen countertop. They might not be able to jump onto it but may try to use nearby furniture or objects as ‘steps’ to get onto the countertop.

Luckily, cats can be taught to keep off counters with good success. This training just needs a lot of patience and consistency.

By either spraying your kitten with a spray bottle the moment they enter a ‘forbidden area’ or giving them a gentle tap on the nose (just enough for it to be uncomfortable), they will soon realize that certain areas of the home = discomfort and therefore avoid going there.

The key to successful training is being consistent. There can be no exceptions to the rules you set, and you need to be timely with ‘reprimands.’ This means that EVERY time they enter an off-limits area, they need to be reprimanded as soon as they enter the area as consistently as humanly possible.

Exceptions and inconsistency will often confuse our pets and make training more complicated than it needs to be.

Conclusion

Many factors play into how high Munchkins can jump and whether they can jump onto kitchen counters.

It is safest to rather not to adopt a Munchkin cat for the sole reason of them being less likely to be able to jump onto counters, as any cat can be trained to stay away from certain areas in the home with consistent training. Personality dependant, of course!

References

Dr. Annerien de Villiers

Dr. Annerien de Villiers graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Pretoria in 2018. She has since worked full-time in clinical practice tending to all kinds of companion animals in general practice. Serving the human-animal bond with care and compassion and making accurate information accessible to pet owners is at the heart of her driving force as a veterinarian.

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