Sigh. It's both up and down. The photo is an optical illusion. It's all in the perception of the stairs. Each side of the stairs has different angles on the side. Depending on which side you look at, or which side your brain sees best, is the way in which the cats direction will be. Right=down, Left =up. Cover each side and look at where the top of the stairs "start" and you'll notice it's actually both.