Facts About Cat’s Sandpaper-like Tongues

A cat’s tongue isn’t like a humans or a dogs. It feels like sandpaper and is very rough. The roughness of the tongue is due to the papillae on their tongue, which are basically tiny, backward-facing barbs made of keratin. Keratin is the same stuff that’s found in humans fingernails. The ones in the center of the tongue are longer than the ones on the sides and are all covered in a very strong keratin sheath. The papillae is used by cat’s to groom their fur. It helps pick out dirt and debris from the cat’s fur to make it look nice and straight. In addition, it’s used to rip the flesh from the bones of their prey when they eat them. Cat’s have fewer taste buds and sadly they can’t taste sweets. Since cat’s are carnivores, their taste buds probably have not evolved to detect sweet flavors. Luckily dental disease is one of the primary health concerns in many adult cats, meaning their teeth are already bad enough  without sugar. Also, cats drink differently than dogs by using gravity and inertia. Cat use the tip of its tongue to pull water upward, closing its jaws before gravity pulls the column of liquid back toward earth.

 

The Importance of a Cat’s Tail

A cat’s tail is one of the most important body parts of the cat. First, the cat’s tail is a balancing tool because it acts as a counterweight when the cat walks along narrow surfaces like fences or walls. Also, the tail helps cats land on their feet with they fall from the air. The cars tail is made up of nineteen to twenty-three vertebrae and is about nine to eleven inches long. An extensive group of muscles, ligaments, and tendons hold the tail together and provide its amazing mobility. In addition, the tail acts as a communication aid because  they communicate through their body language. For example, happy cats have their tail sticking straight up with a quiver at the tip. If a cat’s tail is twitching, that means they are annoyed. Also, when a cat is about to attack, they will whip their tails back and forth. A cat’s tail will usually will puff up to make themselves look much bigger because they are angry or aggressive. Damage to a cat’s tail can result in serious nerve damage.  When the spinal cord ends, the nerves that help provide sensation to the tail, hind legs, bladder, large intestine, and anus have to extend outward without the protection of the spine’s bones. Never yank on your cat’s tail because that will overstretched or tear the nerves and cause chronic pain or the inability to walk. There are some cats that live without a tail and survives perfectly fine. The Manx cat is born without a tail and isn’t really clumsy. All in all, cat’s tails are a key part in the everyday functions of a cat’s life but sometimes other cats live perfectly fine without them.

Top Three Cats with the Highest Life Expectancy

Cats don’t live as long as humans, but they do live for a decent amount of time. A cat’s life expectancy usually is about twelve to eighteen years old. Most of the time, indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats because they aren’t endangered by cars or other animals that could kill them.

The Burmese has the longest life expectancy. It’s average lifespan is about eighteen to twenty years. Also, it has the record for the longest living cat at thirty-five years old. The Burmese is very built and athletic so they’re perfect for the outdoors. In addition they have a personality like a dog and dogs tend to live longer than cats.

The second cat that lives for a long time is the Siamese. Their lifespan is about fifteen to twenty years. Siamese cats are very active and their intelligence helps them survive. They learn new things very quick and become attached with their owner. Siamese cats can even learn how to open cupboards and doors.

The Manx cat is the next cat that lives for a pretty long time.  They usually live well beyond fifteen years.  They are suitable for most house-holds and like to be alone most of the time. Manx cats have long and strong legs, which helps them jump from place to place.

Cats and their Unique Eyes

During the day cats usually have a very thin or normal sized pupils but when night-time comes their pupils are big and wide. A cat’s pupil is very unique and different from a humans pupil. It has the ability to open fully or close to a mere slit based on the amount of light. A cat can see so well at night because of a special organ called the tapetum lucidum. The function of the organ amplifies the amount of light that reaches the retina. Also, cats have a wide field of vision and can see 200 degrees, while humans can only see 180 degrees. Their wide field of vision helps cats when they hunt and to be alert of anything that comes their way. Although cats have a better pupil than humans, they can only see certain colors. They can’t see the colors orange, red, or brown but cats can distinguish blue colors the best. The eye has adapted so it can help the cat hunt its prey such as  mice, birds, and any fast-moving animal. Also, a cat’s division is sharpest when it’s two to three feet from the face. The reason why a cat must get up close to its prey is because it can’t see it from a distance. Another interesting thing about the cat’s eye is it has three eyelids. The eye has an inner membrane that moves horizontally and keeps the eye hydrated. Some of the different colors of a cat’s eye are blue, green, gold, or copper. Blue-eyed cats get their blue color because they don’t have any pigment cells in their irises. Usually there is little relation between a cat’s fur and eye color.

Why Cats Hate Water

Cats and water just don’t mix. As we know cats hate taking showers and pretty much anything to do with water. The first reason why cats hate water is because it causes them to lose body heat. A cat can even get hypothermia due to how cold it is and die. The cats undercoat has no protection against moisture so when the water soaks the cats coat, it holds the water close to the skin. Also, the water causes their fur to become very heavy and weighs down the cat. For a Turkish Van, their coats are different and actually have oily fur and no undercoat, so their skin doesn’t get soaked with water. Another reason why cats hate water is because they hate the smell of the tap water. Cats have a very good sense of smell and they hate the scent of the chemicals from the tap water. In addition, cats spend most of their time and energy grooming themselves so they don’t have to take a bath.

One time I tried giving my cat a bath because she had fleas and it did not end well. I warmed up the water in my bathtub and slowly dropped her in but once her feet touched the water she instantly jumped out. So I put her on the table and got a wet towel and wiped her down. I started to add the shampoo and she started to scream. I tried to do all of this as fast as possible because I knew she would get cold pretty fast. Then she started licking herself and I got scared because I didn’t want her eating the shampoo. As I started wiping her down with the cloth, she starts screaming again. All the sudden she scratches my hand and it just starts to bleed and burn. I got it cleaned up and finished drying her up. After that whole experience I probably won’t be giving her another bath.

 

Cats in the Morning

Life Lessons Learned-

I never realized that when a cat gets hungry or needs something when their owner is sleeping, they’ll find a way to wake them up. Cats are very smart animals and will do anything to wake you up. They don’t really care what you’re doing and won’t stop bothering you until they get what they want. There are some pros and cons to having your cat wake you up in the morning. A good thing is that you’ll usually never oversleep since they’ll be there to wake you up early in the morning, but a bad thing is they will wake you up when you still want to sleep in and relax.

Until one time on a Saturday I was sleeping in and all he sudden I hear my cat screaming. I was too lazy to go see what she needed so I stayed in bed and went back to sleep. A couple of minutes later she jumps onto my bed and starts to lick my face. It was really disgusting because cats tongues are just like sandpaper so it hurt a lot. I woke up and just pushed her aside because I was really tired and she just sat there next to me. Then all the sudden I hear a big crash and I wake up to see my lamp on the floor. No one was around except for my cat sitting on the table where the lamp was. I yelled at my cat for knocking down my lamp and then I finally went downstairs to feed her and take her outside.

Then I realized my cat will do anything to wake me up so she can have food or go to the bathroom outside. I was shocked she could push my lamp off the table because it’s really heavy and close to the back of the wall. Also, I didn’t even realize how smart my cat was since she knew she needed to make a loud noise to wake me up. Everyday she would meow in my face but I would get up because I would have to get up for school. It’s kind of annoying having her wake me up very morning but I think it’s good because I’m never late to school.

So now I will try to always wake up the first time my cat tries to wake me up so she doesn’t cause a huge ruckus. I’ve learned that having a cat is a big responsibility and waking up early to feed her or taking her outside to use the bathroom is all part of it. Sometimes if I really don’t want to wake up I’ll close my door and leave my siblings or parents door open so she’ll wake them up.  I’m glad my cat tries to wake me up instead of her peeing or pooping in the house.

 

Cats Just Love to Hunt

Many cats love to hunt and are evolutionary specialized for hunting. Their fast and nimble legs help them catch insects or rodents. Cats are also very sneaky and quiet so their victim never sees them coming. Some things cats hunt and kill are birds, mice, rats, lizards, and insects. Cats are carnivores and can’t taste sugars so they don’t eat a lot plants. Multiple times my cat caught monarch butterflies and loved to play with them since they have gigantic wings and fly. Most of the time cats leave the victim they caught in front of the door for the owner as a “gift”. I think its pretty disgusting since we have to clean up the dead bird or rat. One time my cat caught a rat and only left the head, tail, and heart. In the wild, cat mothers teach their babies how to eat their food by bringing home a dead or injured prey. Usually that’s why cats don’t eat the prey they caught and just leave it near the door. Sometimes cats won’t kill the prey, but they will play with it for entertainment. Cats have such big ears that help them with picking up faint sounds for hunting. Also, the sense of smell helps guide the cat to their prey. Even though cats sleep a lot, they have a lot of energy and love to be in the outdoors.

Why Cats Sleep so Often

Cats are the definition of sleep. They sleep for about 16 hours a day and older cats sleep for about 20 hours a day. Usually they aren’t really sleeping because they’re in a state called snoozing. Snoozing is where they get all the rest they need, but they’re still alert to wake up at any moment. When a cat is in light sleep their ears will twitch and move toward noises. Also, cats can get into deep sleep but it’s usually only for a short period of time. A cat is in deep sleep when their eyes are closed tightly and they will have their paw or tail in their face. Deep sleep is very important for cats since it’s helps their body regenerate itself and stay healthy. During their deep sleep, cats can even dream like humans. If your cats paws or whiskers were twitching while their sleeping, there’s a good chance they could be dreaming. Since your cat is always hunting and playing, they burn a lot of energy so they need their sleep to rest up. Cats can even snore while they sleep since their airway is obstructed by extra skin from the soft palate. Snoring usually occurs in short-nosed breeds like the Persian, Himalayan, and the Exotic Short-hair.  Most cats sleep during the day and are awake at night because they’re nocturnal. Usually house cats are not nocturnal, but they’re crepuscular. Crepuscular means the cat combines daylight activity with nighttime activity. The next time you see your cat sleeping, don’t think that they’re lazy, think that they need their rest from all the hunting and playing.

 

How Many Kittens from One Cat?

Kernel writing- Elimination or confirmation

I’ve never been sure about how many kittens does an average cat have since I always see so many stray cats on the street. All I remember is going to the vet and seeing a bunch of kittens each time I came and I saw that they were always all different. Also, another time I took a tour around a college and saw a whole litter of kittens with their mother near the garbage bins.

But I’ve always suspected that it’s over two or one since my friends always give away at least three kittens when her cat has them. Also, since humans reproductive systems and cats reproductive systems are very different so usually humans don’t have more than one baby.

Also because once I experienced my friend’s cat giving birth to kittens. It was an interesting experience and she gave birth to five baby kittens. I was shocked because I didn’t expect to see so many kittens and I thought cats usually only have one or two babies.

Which made me think that a lot of people don’t get their cats neutered since there’s so many kittens for sale or on the street. I feel like people don’t think they have time to get their cat neutered and they don’t really care about how many kittens they have since they will just give them all away. Moreover, I think people think that getting their cat neutered is too expensive so they don’t want to put in all the money for their cat.

Finally, I realized that more people need to get their cats neutered so the population of kittens don’t over populate. I think it’s sad to see stray cats and kittens on the street because they have no one to care for them so a lot of them end up dying. Also, it’s hard when a vet gets new kittens and no one wants to adopt them so they end up dying too. I just want each kitten or cat in the world to have a safe home and someone to care and love them. 

Picking the Right Kitten?

Sometimes picking the right kitten is one of the hardest decisions to make since there’s such a wide variety. One of the main things to look at when picking a kitten is what kind of breed you want. Make sure the hair of the kitten is okay since a lot of people are allergic to certain types of hair. Once you know what kind of breed, you can pick the color and then choose the age of the kitten. Usually younger kittens are much harder to raise since you have to train them to use a litter box and you have to always hold them so they get use to people. I suggest to get older kittens so you don’t have to go through all the trouble of training them but they are cuter when they younger since they are really small. Some kittens are more energetic than others and require people to always be with them. On the other hand, some kittens are much more lazy and sleep most of the day. Another thing to look for is the gender of the kitten because people may prefer a girl over a boy or a boy over a girl. Also, going to a pound or a rescue center can make a huge difference in the type of kitten since most of the kittens were picked off the streets so they’re a lot more scared and aware of their surroundings. If you want a friendlier kitten at a higher price you can go to the pet store or the vet but I think it’s always better to save a kitten at the pound. Lastly, make sure you go into a room and hold the kitten to see if you like it and if it likes you. Most of the time kittens are scared meeting new people so don’t be discouraged if the kitten runs away from you. Choose your kitten wisely since you’ll be stuck with it for the next ten or more years.