A common refrain in a discussion of cats is that each one is a true individual personality. I very much agree with this observation. There is absolutely no doubt about it.
While each cat is an individual, as a species they do seem to possess common abilities and senses that are unique to the cat family.
I was educated as an electrical engineer. I am an amateur student of science. I am not given to wild speculation. Nevertheless, I am convinced that cats have mystical senses beyond our understanding.
I recall one occasion when I got a can of tuna from the kitchen cabinet, only to turn around to find multiple cats staring up at me. I had not opened the can, had not placed the can on the counter, I had simply picked it up from inside the cabinet and was standing there holding it in my hand. I had company for lunch.
In fact, it seemed to me they had headed for the kitchen even before I opened the cabinet door. It was as if they had heard me thinking about getting a can of tuna. How did they know?
We had a cat named Skipper who was outside during the day and inside during the night. Every evening about supper-time I would go to the door and call his name, and Skipper would dutifully come up the steps and into the house. One of our neighbors was amazed that a cat would exhibit such dog-like behavior.
Many times Skipper showed me he possessed a not-available-to-humans intelligence.
For one example, every night when it was time for bed-time treats, Skipper would find me, sit on the floor a few feet in front of me, and look at me with an expression that said “it’s treat time, Joe”. If I was slow to react, his expression would change to “Joe, can you not hear these thought waves I am sending you?”
Now I know you are thinking I am looney as all get out, but I’m telling you that over the years I had many of these interactions that convinced me that cats have senses that we cannot even imagine.
As for their physical abilities, those are obvious. I see statements on the internet that domestic cats have a vertical leap of 6-7 times their own height. However, I cannot find a valid origin for these claims, so I am going to rely on my own observations and conservatively estimate that a healthy adult cat can jump about 4 times their height.
In order to equal this feat, a 6′ tall human would have to jump 24′ high. This is obviously impossible for the human, but no big deal for the cat.
The point of all of this is that our cats are incredibly interesting beings. My mission in writing this blog post will be to share with you some of the fantastic attributes of our cat companions.
There is more to see and learn on my blog home page Great Cat Info
For now just scroll down for more about amazing cats:
The Effect of Catnip
Regarding a plant named catnip that has the scientific name nepta cataria, one would assume this must have something to do with cats. Your assumption would definitely be correct.
As a cat lover, you would surely have a lot of questions about catnip.
What effect will it have on my cat? How should I give it to my cat? How should I store the catnip and how long will it last? Are there other plants that have a similar effect as catnip?
Your answers to these questions can be found on my blog post How Will Catnip Affect My Cat?
Your Cat’s Eyes Are Amazing
You may have some questions about your cat’s eyes:
- Is cat staring a bad thing for them?
- Does cat slow-blinking really work?
- How well does my cat see close-up and far-away?
- Why do the slits in my cats eyes sometimes get big and round?
- Does my cat prefer a particular color?
Answers to these questions will be found on my blog post Why Does My Cat Blink at Me?
Is Your Cat’s Sniffing a Mystery to You?
You may be wondering :
- What is that funny-face that sometimes happens when my cat is smelling?
- Does my cat sniff me for a reason?
- Why does every thing I bring home get sniffed?
- What should I do about cat spraying for scent?
- Do my cats really need to sniff each other’s behinds?
- Do I need to worry about getting my food sniffed?
You will enjoy exploring these subjects when you visit my blog post Why Does My Cat Sniff Everything?
How to Talk With Your Cat
It has been my experience that cats really do try to communicate with us. Let us try to understand what they are trying to tell us.
Some of the things we might learn include:
- What is behind our cat’s meow?
- Why does my cat purr?
- What are some other ways my cat vocalizes?
- Will my cat know if I call their name?
- Does my cat recognize my voice?
- Should I holler at my cat?
My blog post How Your Cat Talks to You will answer these questions for you.
What Your Cat’s Body Language is Saying to You
In the absence of their ability to simply talk human to us, cats will often transmit their needs and desires using body language. We can do our best to pay attention and learn something from them.
We can try to understand such behavior as:
- What is the meaning of their tail position?
- Do their ears divulge information we should know?
- What might their overall body posture reveal?
- What the heck is with the crazy running through the house?
- Does my cat looking up at me mean I need to do something?
- Why is my kitty licking all over his/her body?
When you visit my blog post How to Read Cat Body Language you will get a pretty good idea about what your cat is trying to tell you.
Should My Cat Get Treats?
Cats seem to be able to tell time. They know when it is nap time, meal time, play time. And they sure do know when it is treat time.
Once they get their mind set on treats, there’s no stopping them. Maybe you’ve experienced this?
So how often should you yield to their meowing, and how much treat should they get?
Part of the answer to these questions may have to do with the nutritional quality of the treats.
You should visit Why Does My Cat Love Treats?, my blog post that will provide you with some information about treats that you may not be aware of.
Do Cats Prefer Warm or Cool Temperatures?
Based on their behavior and their ancestry, it very much seems cats like warmth.
When they want to nap, they seek out warm places.
Their ancestors lived in warm climates.
They do seem to be warm-weather animals.
To learn about some of their behaviors and their ancestry as these two things relate to their preference for warmth, visit my blog post Does My Cat Like To Be Warm or Cool?
When Cats Dip Their Paw into The Water Bowl
Is this misbehaving, or just more cat behavior that makes them the incredibly amazing beings that they are?
Well, it is very difficult for us to know what they have in mind when they do this, but given what we do know about them, we can make an educated guess or two.
Actually, I wrote a blog post in which I give ten educated guesses.
Take a look at that blog post, Why Cats Put a Paw Into Their Water Bowl, to learn more about this somewhat unconventional cat conduct.
Did You Know That Cats Have Dewclaws?
Have you noticed what appears to be an extra claw on your cat’s front legs, located just a bit above the paw and on the inside of the leg?
That claw is referred to as the dewclaw. There are some interesting things to know about that claw, and how it differs from your cat’s other claws.
My blog post What is a Cat Dewclaw will give you information about the declaw, as well as about your cat’s other more well-known claws.
Cats Often Behave on Instinct
Watching cats do the things they do can be a fascinating way to spend some time. As cats go about their daily lives, we might wonder what in the world prompted a particular action on their part.
Our domestic cats have not changed much since they became our beloved household kitties, and a great deal of what they do is guided by instinct.
My blog post What Are Cat Natural Instincts will explore some of this behavior and how it relates to your kittycat’s wild cousins. You are invited to click the link and learn about your cat’s habits.
Those Incredible Cat Whiskers
When I was doing research on cat whiskers, I almost could not believe what I was learning. I think you will be as amazed as I was when you read my blog post and come to know about how awesome those cat whiskers are.
Most of what I discovered was new to me, so I took care to cite the academic resources I was using to get the information. How Do Cats Use Their Whiskers is my blog post, and I invite you to find out things about your cat you could not have imagined.
Cats Chew Food In a Different Way From Us
Cat teeth are the teeth of a predator carnivore. Their teeth are intended for tearing and shredding, then eating in a hurry. Cats do not have time to sit around and chew.
So what are those teeth like and how do cats use them? Answers to those questions can be found on my blog post How Do Cats Chew Food? You are invited to check it out.
Why Is My Cat Pawing All Around That Bowl?
Your cat finishes up a meal, then starts a routine of pawing all around the bowl in a very conscientious manner. Then kitty just walks off looking very satisfied about a job well done.
You are standing there thinking, “what in the world was that all about”.
As is often the case with our cats’ behavior, explanation can be difficult. However, there are some ideas about what is going on here, and my blog post Why Does a Cat Scratch Around a Food Bowl? will provide you with some possible answers.
How Are Cats and Tigers Alike?
When you watch your house kitty play with a toy mouse or a similar object, are you reminded of those wildlife videos that show big cats like Lions and Tigers hunting?
It is easy to see the wild animal residing in your pet cat.
The fact is our feline pets are not far removed from their wild ancestors. You can explore some of the similarities in my blog post Is My Cat Like a Tiger?
Why Your Cat Might Display Their Butt to You
So you are sitting on the sofa or lying in bed, and your cat jumps up onto your lap or chest.
Then the next thing you know, your kitty turns in such a manner that their butt is right in your face.
Is this an intentional thing? Is your cat sending you a message? There actually is an answer to these questions, and you can find them on my blog post Why Do Cats Put Their Butt in Your Face?
Does Your Cat’s Belly Flop Around?
So your kitty is walking or running through the house, and the cat’s belly is swinging to and fro?
You might wonder if this is normal or is there a problem.
What you will learn in my blog post Why Does My Cat Have a Floppy Belly? will not completely eliminate the possibility that there is a problem, but it will certainly inform you about the fact that all members of the cat family have what is called a primordial pouch.
Cats Almost Always Land on Their Feet
One of the magical things that cats do is land on their feet. Not all of the time, but more often than not.
This is actually an important skill for them because it helps them avoid injury.
How they do this has been a subject of study for many years. It has also been a source of wonder.
You will find interesting information about this in my blog post How Do Cats Land on Their Feet.
Do You Wonder Why Your Cat Licks Him or Herself?
There are a number of reasons why a cat may lick themself.
Some of those reason may be obvious, some may not be.
Why Do Cats Lick Themselves? is my blog post that explores those reasons.
Where appropriate I add a comment about how much attention you may want to give to a specific reason. Most of the time there is no problem, but sometimes there could be.
When Your Cat Doesn’t See the Treat
Perhaps you have put a treat or a toy in front of your cat and the kitty doesn’t see it. You may wonder if your kitty has a vision problem.
While that is certainly a possibility, it may just be that your cat, like I believe most if not all cats, do not see clearly objects that are very close to their eyes.
You can learn more about this by visiting my blog post Can Cat See Things Up Close?
Why Your Cat Has Slit-Shaped Pupils
Have you ever noticed those little black slits in your cat’s eyes? Yes, those are your cat’s pupils.
You may wonder why your kitty’s pupils are slits when your pupils are round.
There are reasons for that, and it makes for an interesting story.
You will find that story in my blog post What Are Those Slits in My Cat’s Eyes?