With the recent ban on declawing enacted by the state of California, I thought it was high time to look at cats claws in more depth! First off, a cats claws is made of keratin, just like your fingernails and toenails! Your hair, and a cat's fur and whiskers are also made of keratin. There are 2 parts to a cat's claw, the first is the "quick" - it is the mound shaped living tissue that runs through the center of the claw. This contains blood vessels and nerves. This is where the saying "cut to the quick" comes from. The quick is sensitive, so when trimming a cats claws, you always need to be careful not to cut too...
Did you ever look at your cat's belly and notice some extra saggy skin and wonder "why does my cat have a saggy belly"? Well, there's actually a name for it! It's called a primordial pouch and all cats have one (even big cats like lions and tigers), although the size can vary from cat to cat, and it doesn't mean that your cat is overweight or needs some kind of kitty tummy tuck! Cat pouches are loose skin over the belly, and even slim cats have it. When your cat walks, you might see it swing from side to side. This is normal in cats! After all, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing! Overweight cats...
Have you ever seen a cat with extra toes, or a cat that looks like it is wearing mittens? Then you've seen a polydactyl cat! Polydactyl cats (not pterodactyl cats) have extra toes because of a genetic mutation that is passed on from one of it's parents, and it's actually pretty common, especially in Western England, Wales, Canada and the Eastern United States. Let's learn more about these cats with double paws! A common question is how many toes does a polydactyl cat have, and the answer is - it depends on the individual! TheSprucePets.com says that the world record polydactyl cat had 28 toes, 7 on each paw! But, most polydactyl kitties don't have that many toes! In fact, it's rare for...
I use the pun purrfect a lot on this website because cats purr, but what is purring? Why and when do cats purr? Do big cats purr? Let's delve into the world of cat purrs! What does cat purring mean? Most people think that a cat that purrs is happy or at least content, but according to PetMD, cats also purr when they are frightened or in pain, so a purring cat is not necessarily a happy cat! Kittens start purring after only a few days according to NewScientist, but remain blind and deaf for around 2 weeks, so the first function of purring in cats is to communicate with their mother! The purring from the kittens lets the mother cat know where...
Have you ever seen the teeth of a cat? Teeth in cats actually have some similarities to your teeth! According to PetMD cats, like humans, have a set of baby teeth that they lose and are replaced by adult teeth. A kitten will have 26 baby teeth and 30 permanent teeth. By comparison, humans have 20 baby teeth and 32 permanent teeth. Also, like a human, cats have different kinds of teeth. House cats teeth consist of incisors, canines, pre-molars and molars, just like us! The most noticeable teeth are the cat fangs, which are actually the cats canine teeth! A cats fangs are very sharp and long because they are designed for hunting. PetsRadar says a cats sharp teeth means they can...
