Why Do Cats...? Part II~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

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Why Do Cats ... ? Part II

Why does a cat's tongue feel like sandpaper?
To the cat, the sandpaper feeling tongue is a vital tool. The little prickly things covering the upper surface of the tongue are called papillae, and has hundreds of small backward pointing protuberances constructed of virtually the same substance as human fingernails. The cat uses his tongue like a comb to give himself an extra deep cleaning so that he leaves no odor to warn prey as he sneaks upon it. Not only does the tongue feel like sandpaper, it's used like it, designed to scrape that last little bit of meat from bones. This talent is no longer used by the average house cat, although the big African wild cats still use their tongues to pick the bones of carcasses clean, ensuring every last nutritious bite. At birth, a newborn kitten's tongue has a rim of spines that runs along the edge. These spines help give the hungry kitten a good grip on their mother's nipple.

How many teeth do cats have?
Cats have 30 teeth, each specially adapted for a specific job - such as stabbing, slicing, and biting. The teeth are arranged so the cat can sever a rodent's spine with the precision of a surgeon. The large canine teeth let him grab his prey securely enough to kill it. The molars work like scissors to cut prey into bite-size pieces. Their mouths also are specially adapted for meat eating. They can't move their jaws sideways like humans do, so they are unable to grind or chew their food with their mouths closed. That's why they always chew on large chunks of food with the side of their mouth, cutting off smaller pieces and swallowing the pieces whole. Kittens' baby teeth eventually get replaced by permanent ones, starting at about six months. There will be a full set of permanent teeth by nine months.

Why do cats drink dirty water?
Because of their keen sense of smell: fresh tap water usually is heavily treated with chemicals and chlorinated so strongly that it has a chemical odor, offending cats' sensitive noses. Even worse, you've probably washed the drinking dish with some form of detergent. Stale water in puddles, aquariums and flower vases seem much more attractive. They're full of natural microbes and organic decomposing vegetation. You should always thoroughly wash and rinse all detergent from water and food dishes before using. Let tap water stand for a while before offering to your cat.

Why don't cats like refrigerated food?
Cold food to cats is unappealing because they are basically predators. In the wild, they would consume their kills fresh - at body temperature. Serve your cat food at room temperature or give it a quick zap in the mircowave.

Are most cats left-handed or right-handed?
Paw preference tests were conducted on 60 cats at Oxford University's physiology lab. Researchers found that the majority of the cats consistently used their left paw. This led Dr. J. Cole of the university's lab to conclude that most cats are right brain dominant. That's because the right side of the brain hemisphere controls movement on the left side of the body and vice versa. Right brain dominance also means that your cat is highly intuitive. Other experts believe cats are ambidextrous.

Why do cats always land on their feet?
They don't. Even if they land upright, cats can sustain severe injuries from the impact. Their amazing acrobatic skill is due to their natural righting reflex. This mechanism is very complicated and is governed by a complex organ in the inner ear that determines a specific sequence of events. Simplified, this organ sends information to the brain about the position of the cat's head in relation to the ground. In fractions of seconds, the brain commands the head to change position in order to protect it. When his head is level, he first flips the top half of his body around to face the ground, then flips the rear. In the process, he uses his tail to adjust for any overbalance. Finally, he's ready for landing and reaches the ground on all four feet with his back arched to cushion the impact. The trick to success, though, is time. He needs a minimum of 1.8 seconds to right himself. Though he is able to accomplish this in a fall as short as one foot, his chances of success are much better at greater heights within limits. Experts say few cats are able survive a fall of more than 60 feet.

How does a cat know how high to jump?
It has to do with the eyes. Cats' faces are flat between the eyes, so both eyes are able to work together more easily. This is a rare feature in the animal kingdom. But because of it, the cat has an amazing ability to visually judge distances with remarkable accuracy. As a result, he can focus more sharply and actually see three-dimensionally.

Why are cats such finicky eaters?
Cats like to eat fresh food - a little bit at a time, yet quite often. Considering the size of the average mouse, small meals are the order of the day. A typical meal of commerical cat food, by the way, equals five mice. Cats prefer clean dishes and in a private, quiet place. If the mealtime ritual is not perfect, he may turn up his nose at supper. If hungry enough, however, he will eat almost anything, except fruit (some cats do like cantaloupe). If a cat continually avoids food, there could be several reasons. If he is an outdoor cat, he may be getting food elsewhere. He may be experiencing discomfort in his mouth or teeth. Stress or depression will affect the appetite. Leaving food out too long or serving it too cold may be a turn off. If food is kept in the refrigerator, try heating it slightly before serving. Food finickiness may even be built-in to your cat. Studies have actually shown that when cats are given a choice between a routine food or a new food, they almost always choose the new variety. Despite their finickiness, an average cat consumes about 127,750 calories a year, nearly 28 times his own weight in food, and the same amount again in liquids. In case you're wondering, no, cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet.

Why can cats eat garbage and not get sick?
Actually, sometimes they do get sick, terribly ill. After all, there are degrees of rotten food, even for a garbage picker. For the most part, though, cats are naturally safeguarded against food-related illness because they have specially designed gastric juices that protect them. These special chemicals not only can digest unchewed pieces of food, but can also break down some bones and destroy some bacteria in food.

Why do cats eat plants?
Cats nibble plants indoors as a substitute for eating grass, which is perfectly natural behavior. Eating grass is like taking medication - it's nature's way of inducing vomiting. The reason why cats need to regurgiate (vomit) is to rid their digestive system of those painful hairballs that accumulate from grooming. Because they can't very well stick a paw down their throat to do the job, they instinctively seek out grasses or plants. Since they'll eat almost anything green, it's important that cats don't have access to toxic plants. You can make sure that your cat is safe from poisonous plants by buying special grasses for cats sold at pet supply stores. He will also love parsley, sage, thyme, and lavender.

Why do cats sleep so much?
They are the catnap originators. They sleep practically all day - clocking in about 16 hours of dozing during each 24 hour period. They can sleep from sitting up to snuggling into spots humans can't deem comfortable or suitable for sleeping. Their sleep patterns have evolved because of their ancestors' success as predators. Their bodies are designed for short bursts of energy needed for high-performance over short distances. They're so efficient at stalking and killing their prey that they end up with time to spare. They sleep very lightly, so they make up the length of time they sleep what they lack in depth of sleep. Even though they may go into deep sleep, their brains are always on the alert for danger.

How well do cats hear?
Actually, the dog has a greater range of pitch, but the cat's hearing far exceeds a dog's when it comes to picking out high-pitched sounds. The cat has brilliantly adapted to hunting by lurking - listening for the tiniest sound, the smallest rustle, the tinest squeak. His keen hearing also lets him know the precise direction and distance of his victims. He can hear up to an amazing 100,000 cycles per second, which happens to be about the same pitch made by a mouse's squeal. A cat's hearing capability is five times greater than humans, a dog only one-third the hearing ability of the cat. The cat's sound sensitivity could be one of the reasons why many people mistakenly believe that cats have extrasensory or supernatural powers. He can hear ultrasonic sounds that precede a noisy activity such as an earthquake.

How do cats predict earthquakes and the weather?
For centuries, the Chinese look to cats for early warnings of earthquakes. Scientists monitoring earth tremors in California say that cats sense them long before the most delicate of instruments can. An old wives' tale may actually have some basis in scientific fact. It says that a cat passing his paw over his ear signals an oncoming storm. The reason may be that the cat is trying to massage away the annoying sensation of electrical waves that pass through the air when a storm is building. Before a storm actually strikes, there's an enormous buildup of electricity and the air becomes highly charged with particles that are thought to influence brain chemistry. Naturalist Ivan Sanderson thinks the cat's astonishing ability to flee from an area before a quake strikes is really a result of his supersenory perception - a highly sensitive way of hearing that lets him pick up noises inside the earth.

Why are kittens born with their eyes closed?
All kittens are born blind, and their eyes remain closed as a protective measure until this delicate sense begins to develop. Incidentally, they are also born deaf. Since the cat's perfect balance requires a combo of eye and ear messages, the tiny kitten's righting reflex isn't fully operational until his eyes open. Kittens will begin to open their eyes 5 - 10 days after they are born, then their eyes open fully between eight and 20 days. Once their eyes open, kittens will have to learn how to handle all these skills until they're approximately 12 weeks old. Their sense of smell, though, is well-developed from day one. Even at birth, certain behaviors are instinctive. If you hold your finger up to a new-born kitten's nose, for example, he'll hiss or spit if he feels disturbed. At birth, all kittens' eyes are blue/gray; they get their permanent eye color at about 12 weeks.

How can you determine the gender of a kitten? It's easiest to tell a kitten's sex when he or she is just a few hours old because the clues aren't all covered up with fur. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until the kitten is 10 or 12 weeks old. At that time, you can spot the differences this way: In females, the orifice is slitlike; in males, it's round. Also, the distance between the anus and the sexual opening is greater in males than in females. Additional information about determining the sex of kittens can be found here.

How long will a mom cat nurse her young?
As a rule, kittens are fully weaned at eight weeks, though the mom cat will continue to nurse her young as long as one or all will drink from her, even when the kittens may be months old. As early as three or four days after giving birth, the mom cat will begin to leave the nest for short periods. For the first couple of days, her little brood will hang on almost continually to her teats, even when they stop drinking and fall asleep. It's crucial at this stage that the kittens each have a steady milk supply. From the mother's milk, they not only get lots of nutrition, they also get antibodies that help guard them against disease. Although the mom cat only has eight teats, if she gives birth to more than six kittens, they may not get enough to eat. That's why it's critical that each newborn stakes out a special nipple of his own. Nature has taken care of this problem in a remarkable way. Each one of the mom cat's nipples has its own special smell. Once the kitten assigns himself to that nipple, he will always recognize it with ease. This helps to avoid potentially frantic and noisy scramblings for milk and keeps feeding time rather a civilized affair.

Why do cats have so many babies?
Nature was kind to cats when it came to guaranteeing the survival of their species. First of all, your cat can get pregnant as early as four months of age. Plus, the feline reproductive cycle is set up so that the female doesn't actually ovulate until she has by stimulated by a male cat. In other words, her eggs are released and available for fertitlization only after the male's sperm has been introduced into her reproductive tract. Because she ovulates instantly when she mates, the odds that she will become pregnant are greatly increased. Additonal pregnancy information can be found here.

Who had the largest litter?
The largest known litter in which all the kittens survived was from the offspring of Bluebell, a Persian from South Africa. She once gave birth to 14 kittens. Cats can produce two or three litters a year. During her reproductive life, a female could have more than a hundred offspring. One tabby beat this record in 1952. By the time Dusty had her last litter at age 18, she'd had more than 400 kittens. Please, please spay/neuter your pets.

Why do kittens born in the same litter look so different?
Because they more than likely had a different father. One of the more bizarre biological attributes of a female cat is that she can get into heat while she's already pregnant. In fact, her ovaries are stimulated to release more eggs as soon as one male partner withdraws. So a single litter of kittens can have more than one father. Mating isn't exactly a romantic affair for cats - the whole process only takes a few seconds. Once a male cat has finished, the female will wait for another tom to approach her. Depending on the neighborhood, one roaming tom after another will mate with a female. After that, it's anyone's guess whose sperm fertilized which egg. She can even carry two litters at the same time at two different stages of development.

How long does a female cat carry her litter?
The average gestation period of a cat is about nine weeks, or approximately 63 days. Some females don't exhibit hardly any external pregnancy signs until around the 35th day - then the female will have expanded like a balloon. If you're not sure when your cat got pregnant, you can figure out her due date by noticing when her nipples first begin to redden. This is known as "pinking up" and occurs approximately during the third week of pregnancy. You can then do the arithmetic from there. Kittens that are born earlier than 58 days tend to be born very weak or, worse, dead. Kittens born very late, after 71 days, are likely to also be born dead. Consult your veterinarian immediatlely if she's carrying this long - she may need help. Some females have been known to continue to breed well into their senior years, as old as 12, and there have been some even older than that. Please, for the health and well-being of your cat, spay/neuter.

Why do most cats hate water?
Considering that cats evolved practically as desert animals in climates that were very dry, it's not surprising that they aren't overly fond of water. There just wasn't very much water around. In reality, though, virtually any cat who has been exposed to water since kittenhood may enjoy it, and may even delight in taking the occasional bath. Cats are also natural swimmers. Certain breeds do seem to like water more than others. Abyssinians have been known to join their owners in the shower. The Van cat, rare outside his native Turkey, loves to swim. Turkish angoras and Manxes also enjoy water. A wild cat, known as "the fishing cat," may be the most unique. This one actually swims to catch fish. Called the Bengali Mach-Bagral, nature gave him extra-long claws, which he uses like fishhooks to spear them. This fishing cat is found in Nepal, Burma, Southern China, and parts of India.

Should you give a cat a bath?
As a rule, only bathe a cat if he's very dirty or if he has a disease that requires bathing. If you must bathe him, use a gentle shampoo and always bathe the cat in a well-heated room, in a tub of lukewarm water (about 86° Fahrenheit). Be gentle and never scare him by running water on him or spraying him with it. Scoop the water over him, never wetting his head, and always rub him dry with a prewarmed towel (pop a large fluffy towel into the dryer for a few minutes). Some cats don't object to a hairdryer, though make sure the dryer is on its lowest setting.

How long can a cat go without food or water?
A cat can survive without food much longer than humans can. He can lose as much as 40 percent of his body weight and survive. Water, though, is entirely a different matter. A 10 to 14 percent loss of the total water in a cat's body is fatal. Dehydration in cats can be a very serious matter. Dehydration must be addressed immediately and, if left untreated, can cause multiple health problems, including organ failure and death. A lot water is the best way to replace fluids, but a severely dehydrated cat should not be allowed to intake large amounts at once. This will result in vomiting and a further loss of fluids. Let the cat drink small amounts over a period of time. Electrolytes can be replaced with a hydrating solution. Pedialyte, a water and electrolyte product sold for human infants, is suitable for cats. Any cat that seems dehydrated or refuses to drink should be seen by a veterinarian immediately to determine appropriate treatment.

Why are kittens born with their ears folded?
Cats have a relatively short gestation periond. Cats can get pregnant more often and have more kittens. Having so many kittens often means that the kittens don't get a chance to fully develop all their senses before coming into the world. Eyesight and hearing - two of the most complicated - take time to properly mature. So the kittens are born deaf. The ear canal is closed and not fully developed. Their ears continue to develop after birth; therefore, the ears are sort of folded to protect the internal mechanism until development is complete. After birth, it takes about 14 days for the ear canal to open up. Until then, the kittens relies on signals they can actually feel, such as the vibrations of their mother's purring.

Why do cats walk the way they do?
A cat walks the way he does because it's best suited for a skillful hunter. Almost all animals walk by moving alternate legs - first the left front and right rear, then the right front and left rear. Only three animals walk by moving the two legs on one side together first, then shifting to do the same on the other side: the giraffe, the camel, and the cat. This method of walking, which is basically diagonal, uses a minimum of energy and helps ensure speed, agility, and silence.

Why do cats spend so much time grooming?
The typical cat devotes about a third of his waking day to grooming himself. Considering how many hours he devotes to sleep, this may not sound like much, but it translates to about three hours' worth of self-pampering a day. There are several reasons why he grooms himself so fastidiously. Cats clean themselves with their saliva, which is thought to contain a detergent-like deodorizing substance that keeps his coat soft, glossy, and clean. But grooming also has other important functions: it removes dead hair and skin, tones up the muscles and stimulates blood circulation. This is also why mother cats clean their newborns so frequently.

How do cats use their whiskers?
How cats' whiskers work isn't fully understood, but there is no doubt that they are one of the feline's most sensitive features. By bending his whiskers like antennae, a cat can magnify the smallest air disturbances. With these feelers, he can safely maneuver through underbrush and around obstacles and avoid bumping into things. A cat's whiskers, called vibrissae, grow at the side of his mouth in four rows and above his eyes (cats don't have eyebrows). There are approximately 30 of them, each attached to a nerve in the skin. They are so sensitive, that the cat relies on them to aid his movement in the dark. He can actually identify things he can't see. Studies of blindfolded cats, for example, reveal that they can place their front paws on a tabletop when only their whiskers had touched its edge. The slightest touch on a whisker also causes a reflex closing of the eyes. This is vital protection for the feline hunter whose eyes are frequently fixed on prey. It also ensures that a twig or grass springing back will not cause injury. Whiskers are so important to the cat that removal of them actually can harm the cat. Some scientists theorize that the cat bends some or all of his whiskers downward to help guide him when jumping or leaping over uneven ground. A cat with poor eyesight, or totally blind, will use his whiskers like a blind person uses a cane. The cat will walk with his head moving from side to side, using his whiskers to guide him. So it comes as no surprise to catlovers then, that when something is really wonderful, we say that it's "the cat's whiskers."

How can a cat crawl through openings smaller than his body?
This ability is due to the absence of a collarbone. A cat has a chest cavity that is very small for his size; the lack of the collarbone and small chest size makes him practically collapsible. With the help of his whiskers, a cat will carefully figure out the height or width of an opening before attempting entrance.

Does the loss of the tail affect a cat's sense of balance?
A cat's tail is obviously there for a reason. The tail is used for balance very much as a tightrope walker uses a long pole. If the cat is walking along a narrow ledge or fence and decides to peer over in one direction, he automatically moves his tail in the opposite direction. However, cats compensate quite well if the loss of their tail is because of an accident. If they weren't, there'd be no Manxes in catdom.

How can cats walk in snow and not get frozen paws?
Cats' footpads are very calloused areas, made of a modified type of skin that covers a thick cushion of connective tissue, making them much tougher than normal skin. Because these areas are thicker, they offer some protection against the cold. Where there is no calloused skin, there's fur.

Why don't cats drink a lot of water?
The cat's ancestors were originally desert animals. Their kidneys have adapted incredibly well without much water. Their kidneys can eliminate many harmful toxins into the urine without needing much fluid to do so. That is why their urine is so concentrated and has such a smell. The average healthy cat needs very little fluid to maintain his health. Feeding your cat some canned food, which is 70% water, the cat may choose not to drink much water. However, fresh water should always be available.

Can a cat get sunburn?
Not only can a cat get sunburn, but he can get a serious form of skin cancer as a result. White faced cats and/or pink nosed cats are especially susceptible to solar dermatitis. If not treated, it can induce squamous-cell carcinoma, a form of cancer. It's best to keep all cats indoors.

What's the average length of a cat's life?
The average life span of a cat has nearly doubled since 1930; most indoor cats live 16 to 20 years. There are countless documented examples of cats who have lived beyond the age of twenty. Outside cats who fend for themselves on the streets, on the other hand, live only 3 to 4 years, searching for food and dodging predators - human, wildlife, veheciluar, etc.

Who was the oldest cat?
The all-time senior citizen cat record is still held by Puss, a cat who lived with Mrs. T. Holway of Devon, England, until she died on November 29, 1939 - just one day after her 36th birthday.

Why Do Cats ...? Part I

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Reference Resources:
Cat World Desmond Morris