The domestic cat is the only species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. You can also learn about your cat's present state of mind by observing the posture of his tail.
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The domestic cat is the only species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. You can also learn about your cat's present state of mind by observing the posture of his tail.
Pantera is a very tough, alpha male cat that looks and acts like a Panther. Hence, the name.
When I pull his tail, he falls over with a concerted 'umpff ' noise, and then purrs very loudly, as if to say, "pet me, please. " Amazing for such a 'bad' cat.
I tried this with Stinky the Cat out on the driveway. Once. She just looked back at me as if to say, "what's THIS nonsense? "
We didn't try that again for several years. Later in life, she actually enjoyed this little game. Though she would not 'fall over' for anyone. Which goes to show, you CAN teach an old cat some new tricks. As long as she fully approves of the trick ahead of time.
I'm relatively certain Stinky the Cat's state of mind has much more to do with the vertical posture of the Kibbles in the food dish, versus anything going on at the other end of said cat.
(She just wandered through my office on her way to somewhere. So I asked her about the tail thing. She looked up at me, eeked out a "Kibbles??", then walked back out. I rest my case.)
People who are allergic to cats are actually allergic to cat saliva or to cat dander. If the resident cat is bathed regularly the allergic people tolerate it better.
Eewgg! Kitty spittle and dander fluff. Though I must say I feel bad for anyone that is allergic to our four-legged friends. They CAN be a bit of fun now and then.
As for the bath part -- Ha Haa, Good One!! I'm pretty sure I'd rather be wrapped in brambles, rolled down a steep rocky hill, soaked in brine-water, then run over by two fat circus bears* on a tandem bicycle, than try to give Stinky the Cat a bath.
*Brutus and BoBo B. -The Bicycling Bear Brothers
A cat cannot see directly under its nose.
That is very interesting. I've never seen a cat trip over it's feet or take an UN-expected tumble. I wonder what their secret is? All those whiskers? Forward-facing backup cameras?
Which begs another question. Do cats ever mess with their friends? Two Tom's walking down an alley, one looks over at the other while they're moseying and says "Look, over there, it's a fat mouse"...just to see if he can make his friend trip over an ash-can lid. Since he KNOWS his buddy can't see down below his nose. It COULD happen.
Like birds, cats have a homing ability that uses its biological clock, the angle of the sun, and the Earth's magnetic field. A cat taken far from its home can return to it. But if a cat's owners move far from its home, the cat can't find them.
Now that you mention it, I've never seen a cross-eyed cat, so this makes total sense. Nature is SO amazing.
Siamese kittens are born white because of the heat inside the mother's uterus before birth. This heat keeps the kittens' hair from darkening on the points.
So more of a Kitty Bun in the Top-Rack Broiler thing, rather than the Oven, eh? Those wacky, white Siamese kitties. Always up to something.
Which begs the question: Do dark-colored cats come from a cooler uterus? And do we call them a 'refridge or 'cooler' cat from now on?
Like humans, cats tend to favor one paw over another
Does this mean the cat can 'bat' at something faster with it's dominant paw? For example: if the cat is going after a mouse...does the mouse stand a better chance of getting away if he/she/it always stays to the side of the cat that is NOT dominant?
So, in the case of a right-pawed cat...the mouse should always be heading to the left when it skitters across the kitchen floor. Not to the right.
Then again, how would the mouse really KNOW this information about the cat? All the mice I've seen, spend their time under the refrigerator or in a cupboard or other odd, out-of-the-way place. And so they don't really see the cat for very long. At least long enough to know its correct 'paw'. I think this needs a bit more research before I'm throwing all in behind this particular Cat Fact.
Does this choice pertain to just the front paws, or the BACK ones too? It would be VERY difficult to decide which one is your 'favourite', when you have so many to choose from. For Example: Does a cat that likes his or her back left paw best, then bat at things with THAT paw? How awkward would that be! And what about scratching itself? Which will it use most? The favourite paw? But this might be awkward. This will keep me up late at night, once again. You are very good at doing that, M. Catfact
Ha haa, immerse Stinky the Cat in a bathtub full of water, with my bare hands. Good one...
We recently gave Kiwi the cat a bath. Because he has a very small brain, and thinks it is OK to sleep in his litter box all the time. Even after using it. Yes, it is gross. No, I have not been able to train him otherwise. "Look Kiwi, a really nice box, right next door, full of blankets and pillows and other such fluff. Wouldn't you like to sleep in THERE?"
No, he'd rather climb back into the litter box. I'm not sure what sort of problem this is in a cat, but I'm pretty sure he could benefit from a bit of kitty counseling. (He once ran away because the wind blew too much. Must have been at least a light breeze.) Sigh...
Back to the bath. It went much better than expected. If it had been Stinky the Cat, I am quite certain I would now have much shorter arms. But Kiwi, he just went comatose, curled up in his standard, Pill-bug form (a tight ball), and went with it. Sometimes a cat with the combined IQ of old shoe leather and a brown twig is easier to deal with than one with some sort of upper-level learning degree. Now if I can only get him to quit using his 'fluff box' as a litter box too. I think I need a long nap.
I can ASSURE you, the allergic people tolerate this whole 'cat in the bath ' thing a LOT better than the cat. Have YOU ever tried dunking your cat in the tub? I have...