Pilates and Cats
The Purrfect Combination!
We started the Purrlates website and YouTube channel during the Covid pandemic in 2020. After the shutdown in San Francisco ended, we began teaching Purrlates mat classes at KitTea Cafe. An inclusive, all-level mat class that also raised money for the purrmanent residents at the cafe. Cats love it when you are down on the floor in their territory!
Inspiration
"Contrology was conceived to limber and stretch muscles and ligaments so that your body will be as supple as that of a cat."
Joseph Pilates, Return to Life Through Contrology
Joseph Pilates
People have always been inspired by the way animals stretch, play, and run. Joseph Pilates mentions cats several times in his book "Return to Life Through Contrology", written in 1945.
"How much fun can we have simply by watching the animal mother especially of the cat family, giving a lesson in physical culture to her offspring? What a lesson she can teach us!"
Archie and Romeo
Archie the tuxedo cat was the inspiration for Purrlates during the Covid-19 shutdown in 2019. Romeo joined our family in 2025. He is a ten year old rescue from Northwest Animal Companions in Portland, Oregon. Romeo brings resilience, strength, and a fluffy belly to the mat!