Domestic Cats

Cats

Now it’s time to learn about the Oh-so-loveable domestic cat!

The five senses of a domestic cat are very much the same as a wild cat (see “Wildcats” link-senses) , the only difference is that when a domestic cat is in a bright light, the cats’ pupils narrow into a slit, not a tighter circle, as shown below…

A cat’s pupils in a dark light.

A cat’s pupils in a bright light.

The cat is an exceptionally clean animal. All cats spend a lot of time licking their fur with their rough tongues, pulling dirt out of their feet, and wiping their faces with their paws. Grooming spreads the cat’s individual scent from glands under its skin, over its body, and onto objects that it rubs against. Grooming also acts as a method of calming and “relaxing” the cat.

A cat’s neck is very flexible, and that comes in handy when the cat needs to groom its chest and belly! By doing this, the cat is cleaning its fur and getting the fur to lie straight and comfortably over its chest and belly. The other bonus to a cat licking its chest and belly is that it strengthens the cat’s individual scent after it has been stroked or has fed its kittens.

All cats are very particular about having clean paws, which are essential for fast movement and climbing. For instance, if a cat walks on something dirty or sticky, it will wash it off at once. Washing the paws also helps to spread the cat’s scent. Cleaning their paws can as well wet the paw in order to wash the cat’s face.

The cat washes its face by licking its paw and then rubbing the wet foot around its jaws. By doing this, a cat cleans its face, but more importantly (to the cat) it spreads scent from glands in the chin onto the feet, so the cat will leave its individual scent wherever it walks.

	By grooming the inside of its leg, the cat is spreading scent from its chin, anal, and genital glands around its body. Other cats will smell this individual scent.
		This cat, by Japanese artist Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858), is washing its ears more human-like that a regular cat would! Cats washing their ears in the usual feline manner is sometimes said to be a sign that rain is on the way.
		A cat’s nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human.
	There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world.
		Cats are partially color-blind, making red colors appear green and green colors appear red.
	In just seven years, a single pair of cats and their offspring could produce a total of 420,000 kittens!
		The domestic cat is the only cat species to hold its tail vertically while walking. Wildcats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs.
	A cat’s ear can turn up to 180 degrees. Each ear has more than twenty muscles that control its movement.
		On average, cats spend two-thirds of every day sleeping. So a nine-year-old cat has only been awake three years of its life.
	Cats “meow” often at humans, but hardly ever “meow” at other cats.
		A person who killed a cat in ancient Egypt could be punished with death.
	The average cat-food meal is equivalent to about five mice.
		Cats spend nearly one-third of their waking hours grooming themselves.
	According to Hebrew folklore, God created cats when Noah prayed for help. Noah was afraid that rats would eat all the food he had stored in the ark, so God made the lion sneeze, and out popped a cat!