Kid’s science project answers an important question (goes to Pop Sugar)

Have you ever watched your cat meander about your home, sitting on everything from your dinner plate to your bed pillow to your bathroom counter, and wondered, “Erm, did my cat’s butt really just make contact with my toothbrush?!”

Well, not only are you not alone, but you’ve also got some answers, thanks to an industrious sixth-grader named Kaeden Griffin. For his homeschool science fair project, Kaeden tackled one of the most perplexing questions stumping pet owners: “Does your cat’s butthole really touch all the surfaces in your home?”

Kaeden, like many others out there, assumed that if his cat sits on a surface, then their “butthole will also touch said surface,” and to test his hypothesis, he and his mom, Kerry, applied nontoxic lipstick (bright red lipstick, in fact!) to the buttholes of their two well-behaved cats. The cats were then given a series of commands — including sit, wait, lie down, and jump up — and were compensated with praise and treats. The lipstick was removed with a baby wipe once they collected the necessary data, which took place in less than 10 minutes.

(more, with the answer)

Kid’s Science Fair Project Answers the Eternal Question: “Do Cat Butts Really Touch All the Surfaces in Your Home?”