country expression. Well, most male mammals (including humans) have teats, and they are all useless. A male cat has five or six pairs and their purpose is as mysterious as the human appendix—or as a man’s nipples.
Chest appendices
Fat acceptance vs. averages
Maine Coons can be even larger, averaging nine to twenty-two pounds—again, many of them lean toward the heavier end. The “generic” American cat, the American Shorthair, averages from eight to fifteen.
On the lighter side (literally), the short-legged Munchkins average five to nine pounds, but lightest of all is probably the quiet little Singapura, averaging from four to nine pounds. Not even the Ragdolls are anywhere near the record set by Himmy, an Australian tabby who died in 1986. Hefty Himmy weighed almost forty-seven pounds.
On the lighter side (literally), the short-legged Munchkins average five to nine pounds, but lightest of all is probably the quiet little Singapura, averaging from four to nine pounds. Not even the Ragdolls are anywhere near the record set by Himmy, an Australian tabby who died in 1986. Hefty Himmy weighed almost forty-seven pounds.
Three types of hair
Underneath these is the undercoat, which insulates and is composed of short, soft down hairs. (Some hot-climate breeds, such as the Siamese, lack down hair, while cold-climate breeds, like the Maine Coons, have thicker down.) A cat’s skin, like human skin, has erector muscles that raise or lower the hairs in response to emotions or temperature.
The cold nose test
dogs: a healthy animal will have a slightly cool nose. In both animals the nose is a kind of external thermometer. If your cat’s nose feels warm or hot, she may have a fever, a sign that something is wrong internally that needs a vet’s attention.
Nose leather
The cat version of “kissing” a human, or another cat, is to touch her nose leather to the other’s nose. Interestingly, the nose is the only part of a cat’s skin that has no sweat glands.
True and false vocalists
Global position systems
Chalk some of it up to sensitive vision, hearing and smell, but also to some mysterious natural forces we barely understand, such as their perception of magnetic fields, reactions to the slant of the sun’s rays and other phenomena.
These senses have delighted pet owners who had given up their pets as hopelessly lost, but whose pets somehow managed to come home again. The flip side: a cruel owner who carries his pet off and abandons it is often dismayed to find the pet back on his doorstep in a few days. (Serves him right!)
Toe-walking
fancy scientific terms: digitigrade describes animals that walk on their toes, while plantigrade refers to those that walk on the whole foot. Bears are plantigrade animals (so are humans, usually) whereas cats are digitigrade. Generally, digitigrade animals can run faster than animals that put their whole paw, foot or hoof on the ground.
The no-slip grip
Pad vibes
The cat’s pads feel slight movements that would not be perceptible to the human palm or sole, and they alert the cat to be aware of where she’s walking—or, better, turn around and flee.
No clipping here!
However, trimming whiskers should be avoided because they are the cat’s “antennas”—her sensitive feelers of the world around her—and are especially needed in the dark. There is even a kind of “whisker reflex”: in the dark, if something brushes against the cat’s eyebrow whiskers, she will shut her eyes immediately to protect them.
Flexible whiskers
head.
The long upper-lip whiskers are called mystacials, and the muscles under them can move the bottom and top rows of hairs independently. The short whiskers on the lower jaw are called mandibulars.
The whiskers on the cheeks are called genals, and the antennalike whiskers above the eyes are known as superciliaries. Quite apart from the face, each front leg has backward-pointing hairs that serve the same function as the head whiskers. All of them are, of course, supersensitive touch receptors.
The long upper-lip whiskers are called mystacials, and the muscles under them can move the bottom and top rows of hairs independently. The short whiskers on the lower jaw are called mandibulars.
The whiskers on the cheeks are called genals, and the antennalike whiskers above the eyes are known as superciliaries. Quite apart from the face, each front leg has backward-pointing hairs that serve the same function as the head whiskers. All of them are, of course, supersensitive touch receptors.
Alas, they’re called “canines”
They are the “rippers” in the cat’s mouth that not only do the serious business of tearing large bits of food, but also do the equally serious work of biting an attacker. As in most animals, the cat’s canines are pointed slightly inward, so whatever they fasten to—food or enemy—finds it difficult to escape.
First the baby teeth
between her fourth and sixth weeks. These are shed around the sixteenth week and replaced by the adult teeth, which are all in place by seven months.
No sweet tooth here
In spite of being carnivorous, and in spite of what was just said about sweet foods, some cats like sweet tastes, especially floury sweet objects like cookies. (Note that cookies and other sweet treats like pastries do have fat in them, and it’s likely that the fat is the draw, not the sugar.)
Grate tongue
pink tongue could feel so abrasive, like a pliant file on the skin.
Under a microscope, the tongue’s surface is far from flat, but has “barbs,” called papillae, which are slanted toward the back of the cat’s throat. These barbs are multi-functional: they help lap up water and food, “polish” the coat, clean off helpless kittens. The rough tongue even has a function in defense and hunting, for those barbs cause the wounds of the prey to bleed more profusely.
Under a microscope, the tongue’s surface is far from flat, but has “barbs,” called papillae, which are slanted toward the back of the cat’s throat. These barbs are multi-functional: they help lap up water and food, “polish” the coat, clean off helpless kittens. The rough tongue even has a function in defense and hunting, for those barbs cause the wounds of the prey to bleed more profusely.
Do the external ears really help?
hearing. Do the external ears really help that much, or is their sensitive hearing all a matter of internal sensors?
As with human ears, cats’ external ears play a large role in hearing—in fact, a larger role than human ears, since cats are able to turn their ears more than humans can. Humans who have had their external ears removed do not go deaf, but their hearing does suffer, and this is true for cats as well. The external ears are extremely useful “funnels” for sound.
As with human ears, cats’ external ears play a large role in hearing—in fact, a larger role than human ears, since cats are able to turn their ears more than humans can. Humans who have had their external ears removed do not go deaf, but their hearing does suffer, and this is true for cats as well. The external ears are extremely useful “funnels” for sound.
Ear range
Cats, as you might expect, have a wider range, about 10 octaves. Specifically, they are good at sensing higher pitched sounds than humans—such as the faint and high-pitched calls of kittens or rodents. In scientific terms, cats have an upper hearing range of 65 kilohertz.
Bright-eyed to the end
eyes seem to close more often for sleep.
Bi-eyes
amber, and you’ll usually find it among white cats.
It’s a genetic oddity that is little understood. Some people find it unpleasant to look at on first glance, but owners of these “bi-eyed” cats claim that the distinctive look does grow on you after a while. (And considering that these cats are usually white, it does add an extra dash of color.)
It’s a genetic oddity that is little understood. Some people find it unpleasant to look at on first glance, but owners of these “bi-eyed” cats claim that the distinctive look does grow on you after a while. (And considering that these cats are usually white, it does add an extra dash of color.)
Nictitate = wink
A soft-focus world
vision is superior to ours. Their amazing ability to sense motion (obviously something that would be highly useful to a predator seeking prey) is one example. Apart from their poor sense of color, however, cats also are not very good at distinguishing sharp details.
You might say they see the whole world in “soft focus.” The large lens in the cat eye is useful for gathering lots of light but is not so useful for seeing detail. Cats could not “read the fine print” even if they had the mental capacity to read.
You might say they see the whole world in “soft focus.” The large lens in the cat eye is useful for gathering lots of light but is not so useful for seeing detail. Cats could not “read the fine print” even if they had the mental capacity to read.
Focusing on details
Can they see in color?
eyes have two types of sensory cells: rods sense shape and cones sense color. (The old memory trick for sorting out which is which is to remember that cones and color begin with the same letter.)
Cats do have cones in their eyes, two different types, in fact, one for blue and one for green. That doesn’t exactly give them a full-color view of the world, but it does mean that they do have some sense of color.
Cats do have cones in their eyes, two different types, in fact, one for blue and one for green. That doesn’t exactly give them a full-color view of the world, but it does mean that they do have some sense of color.
The vacuum—friend or foe?
groom the cat.
This is amazing to watch, but if your cat will tolerate it, wonderful, for it is a tidy way to groom loose and dead hair off cats, especially longhaired ones. But don’t be surprised if your cat won’t cooperate.
This is amazing to watch, but if your cat will tolerate it, wonderful, for it is a tidy way to groom loose and dead hair off cats, especially longhaired ones. But don’t be surprised if your cat won’t cooperate.
Making eye contact, George Burns style
human — not an intense stare (which intimidates cats) but unbroken eye contact involving a slow blink (think of comedian George Burns). The experts think that the slow blink is the cat equivalent of a warm, welcoming smile.
Cat alarms?
burning house with no thought for us. We tend to assume that the only threat to a burglar would be that he might trip over the cat in the dark. Dogs, so people assume, are the “hero pets,” warning their owners of fire or other dangers.
But in fact there are true stories of cats waking up their owners when the house was on fire or raising a ruckus when someone was breaking into the house. There are even cases of cats saving the lives of people (or other cats) who were being attacked by vicious dogs. Yes, cats do seem to be selfish creatures, but they do have their noble moments.
But in fact there are true stories of cats waking up their owners when the house was on fire or raising a ruckus when someone was breaking into the house. There are even cases of cats saving the lives of people (or other cats) who were being attacked by vicious dogs. Yes, cats do seem to be selfish creatures, but they do have their noble moments.
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