Ten Things You May Not Know About Cats
Cats can talk. Researchers have recently learned how cats say I love you. It sounds crazy but it is true. They will also understand if you return the gesture. There you sit, all comfortable in your chair when suddenly, your house cats jumps into your lap and nestles down to get just as cozy. It begins to purr, letting you know that it’s content and happy. If you have ever noticed at moments like this, your cat will look into your eyes and slowly blink. It is that slow blink, researchers now know, that means I love you. They also found that the portion of a cats brain that responds to love become active if you look down and copy the slow blink. You can tell your cat that you love it and it will understand. Continue to read for more fun and interesting facts about the amazing cat.
10. Tip-toe cat
Cats walk on the toes–all of the time. It is called digitigrade. Unless your cat is running or standing on its hind legs, a cat will not walk on the pads of its feet. There are two reasons, the first goes back to their wild ancestors who had to either be quiet or be eaten. If you have a cat, and if you are reading this, you probably do, check out the soft pad on the underside of its paw. Most of the time it is squeaky clean and soft. This brings us to the second reason cats do not like to walk on those soft pads. They have a scent gland in them so that the cat can mark its territory.
9. Scent of a pussycat
Have you ever wondered why your cat rubs against your legs with its head? You may have thought that it is a sign of affection until you see them do it to the refrigerator, a doorway, and the bathroom toilet. Well, do not worry. Your cat does love you but it is not showing you, your cat is showing other animals. (Humans included) Cats have scent glands in the pads of their feet, the top of their head and cheeks, and in the bladder. The scent gland in the bladder changes the smell of their urine so that they can mark their territory. When your cat marks you by rubbing you, it is just saying, “You are mine!” The behavior is called bunting and is one of the highest compliments your cat can give.
8. No more gifts…PLEASE!
If a cat is happy with its home and the humans in it, it likes to tell us so. Unfortunately, cats are speechless. The cat cannot tell us why it deposited a dead mouse in the middle of the living room floor, or worse, on the bed. There are three reasons why your loving pet will do this and all of them are complimentary. 1. You feed and water your cat every day. Now your cat wants you to know that it can contribute its share and brings to you the only food it knows how to catch, a small animal. (Sometimes, not so small and no so dead) 2. Your cat wants you to like it as much as it likes you so it brings you a gift to show off how much it loves us in the only way it knows how. 3. Your cat wants you to see what a great and mighty hunter it is. It expects you to admire its prowess. It thinks you will be amazed at its unparalleled skill. When you scream and yell at the cat for bringing a dead animal into the house, your cat will be surprised at your reaction and will probably have its feelings deeply hurt. I know it will be difficult, but try not to react adversely to a dead animal gift. The best thing to do is to praise your loving pet and eat the dead animal right in front of it. Of course, I am kidding. Praise your pet and wait until it is not looking before you dispose of it properly. The cat will assume you ate it. Another thing you can do is make sure that it sees you pick it up and put it on the floor next to the trash. If it sees you do this a few times, it will start depositing the gifts in the spot it thinks you prefer to receive such gifts. Your cat loves you enough to feed you, try not to hurt its feelings or you are telling it that not all that love is mutual.
7. Knowing how your cat feels physically
How old your cat feels and how old it actually is are two entirely different things. If you are a person of age, you will understand what I am about to say. Once I hit fifty, I found that I had good days and bad and on any given day, I could feel anywhere from 30 to 100 years old. On those cold and wet days when I cannot even bend down, I think about my youth and deal with it. Your cat is probably going through the same thing. How can that be when it is only 5 years old? Cats, like dogs, age at a faster rate than we do. The picture above will help you figure out how old your cat is so that you can stay in tune with its feeling.
6. Inhumane Mutilation
A cat’s claw is not a nail. It does not grow at the end of its toe. It is part of the bone in the cat’s foot. To remove it or have your cat declawed is a totally inhumane act that should be avoided at all cost. If you love your animal, you will not have it declawed. It involves multiple amputations of your pet’s bones. Some cats recover from the trauma with minimal visible damage but in the end, even they will have problems. Never mind the fact that they are defenseless against other animals, that’s secondary to inside cats. (Unless they get out and lost) It is the long term back and neck problems that will arise. Watch out for behavioral changes as well, like urination and defecation in unusual places. Since you cat is digitigrade, it will not be able to walk comfortable or at all for several days or weeks. It will not be able to jump in and out of a liter box without pain and so, may lose its cat box training. Please do not do this to your animal. The United States is one of the few countries in which it is even legal. The whole of Europe has placed the procedure on the “inhumane acts” and “Cruelty or Animals” lists.
If you are against the painful mutilation of cats, you may read more about it and sign a petition to help get this procedure started towards the cruelty act. Please use the link to find out more.