A cat used as prefix to either "jump" (cat-jump) , "leap" (cat-leap), or "grab" (cat-grab) all of which are descriptive of the literal steps in one basic movement.
A cat is the conclusion to a jump towards any vertical surface such as a ledge, wall, or fence in which the traceur rather than passing over the obstacle, stops oneself against the surface, with hands placed atop the lateral face and feet in contact with the surface. The technique in it's cat"grab" definition also comes into play as the end result of a turn vault, thus subtracting the "jump" or "leap" aspect from the technique.
Variations to the technique come according to surface conditions and velocity. In some situations the traceur may slide their feet down the full length of their landing area into a hanging position upon impact thus absorbing more of the impact and compensating for excessive speed.
As with the the cat as a position proceeding the turn vault, technique may vary according to the surface to which the feet make contact, for example a cat over a rail can vary greatly from a cat over a solid wall.
Once in the cat position it is common then to drop, if used to position oneself over heights/ top out if used to access the area above the wall surface/ or; in some instances, leap from one cat position into another against a parallel lateral face in what is called a "cat to cat"
