Fun Facts about Feline Physiology

by Dr. Ko⁽¹⁷⁵⁾ Red Star

http://cathealthstore.com

Did you know...?

• Cats prefer acidic and bitter tastes and are unable to perceive sweetness due to an inherited mutation that affects their taste buds; since cats are meat eaters, being able to detect sweet flavors would not provide them with any survival advantage as predators.

• Cats' ability to hear low frequencies is approximately the same as ours, but they can hear frequencies than both humans and dogs which allows them to detect rodent communication, including ultrasonic calls: an essential trait for nocturnal rodent hunters!

• Cats' greatest visual acuity is at a distance of 75 cm, which is perfect for hunting (except from the perspective of mice!) because this is the approximate distance across which cats pounce when catching their meals!

• Cats have poorly developed color vision: they can distinguish blue and green but are frequently unable to distinguish between green and red.

• Since cats are mostly nocturnal predators they have excellent night vision. A large portion of a cat's retina has a special characteristic called the t apetum lucidum which is an iridescent reflective surface that causes constructive interference and increases the quantity of light passing through the retina. In other words, a cat's eye is like a small house of mirrors that amplifies the amount of light the eye perceives. Light passes through the retina and is then reflected back into the eye again, decreasing the actual amount of light required for them to see.

• Cats have an excellent sense of smell, and they rely on smell more than they do on their sense of taste. At the base of their nasal cavities, cats also possess a special sensory organ called the vomeronasal organ (VNO), also referred to as Jacobson's organ. The VNO detects pheromones, chemical molecules which carry information - pheromones are an important mode of inter-cat communication.

• Adult cats have poor temperature perception along their body coreswhich means that they can accidentally sustain burn injuries if humans are not careful about restricting their access to heating pads, stove tops, and other thermal devices. However, in general, cats are capable of withstanding much higher ambient temperatures than humans. Their heat tolerance is likely a result of their desert origins.

• Cats are obligate carnivores which means that they belong to the order Carnivora and must eat the flesh of animals in order to survive. They are poorly able to digest vegetation and utilize vegetation derived nutrients; they are not equipped with the appropriate digestive enzymes and absorptive mechanisms to do so.

• Cats have retractile claws and are digitigrades (they walk on their toes). These traits enable them to be agile tree climbers and silent stalkers; cats are generally ambush predators, or stalk-and-ambush predators.

• Cats' vibrissae (whiskers) provide sensory information to them and can detect very slight air movements caused by the movements of their prey: yet another handy feature for the feline predator to possess!

• Have you ever wondered how your kitty can get into impossibly tiny nooks and crannies? Cats have f ree-floating clavicles (collar bones) which enable them to squeeze through very small spaces!

To read more of Dr. Ko's articles, please visit www.catdoctorko.com/Dr-Ko-articles

The information provided in this article is for educational reference purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice and care of your veterinarian, nor medical diagnoses or treatments. All questions regarding your cat's health should be discussed with your veterinarian. © 2011 K & J Ventures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Article submitted Tuesday, June 28, 2011 & read 92 times.

Dr. Ko is a licensed Veterinarian who works exclusively with cats. She is a passionate believer in the importance of preventative medicine and educating cat owners about its benefits for their cats. It was this ideal which was the motivation for the creation of the Cat Health Store website - http://cathealthstore.com which is a free information resource and online store for cat owners everywhere!

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