Questions tagged [cat]
The cat tag has no usage guidance.
17 questions
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What do cats see when they look at 2D, still images?
My cat doesn't like other cats. She doesn't really like anyone that isn't part of our family. So when she sees other cats she will aggressively try and chase them out of her area. She will also do the ...
- 286
1
vote
1
answer
403
views
Is it possible for a brown cat to birth an orange kitten?
I have a brown (cinnamon) cat, I assume her alleles would be b’b’ and oo. She was bred with either a black male (B_ o) or an orange male (__ O), or both if it’s possible for her to have carried the ...
- 111
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What did (domestic) cats evolve from?
I have received this question during a recent discussion about pet birds and cats. We know that birds evolved from the dinosaurs before the mass extinction that happened about 66 million years ago.
...
- 1,675
0
votes
2
answers
351
views
Why don't cats have to pant?
I understand why dogs pant and humans transpire, namely for temperature homeostasis. So why don't cats need to do either, even after expending a lot of energy on a hot day?
- 135
1
vote
0
answers
74
views
Do dogs and cats know the names of other people / pets in the house?
I have a dog named Penny and a cat named Milo. I always wonder if Milo knows Penny's name, and vice versa. So if I call Penny, does Milo know that I just called her? Similarly for humans, if someone ...
- 161
-1
votes
1
answer
55
views
question about cat's claws?
ok so I went and read this website:
https://www.yourpetsbestfriend.com/your_pets_best_friend/2010/03/why-cats-sharpen-their-claws.html
So I have some questions to ask:
how many times does a cat has ...
- 109
1
vote
2
answers
183
views
How do big cats perceive objects, specifically vehicles?
Right so we have been on safari in South Africa recently and before encountering big cats (lions) we have been told to hold still and not reach out beyond the boundaries of our safari vehicle because ...
- 113
7
votes
1
answer
385
views
Do cats ingest everything that they lick off themselves during grooming?
Cats are well-known for licking themselves clean, but what happens to all the loose hair and sand and mud and wet substances that they lick off themselves? Do they ingest everything? Do they cough up ...
- 195
0
votes
2
answers
420
views
Why do many humans, including myself, find cats so cute? [closed]
After all, they are descendants of big, dangerous lions and other wild cats, which doubtlessly have eaten many humans in the past, and probably continue to do so in some places even today.
Yet we for ...
0
votes
0
answers
27
views
Why do cats sleep in a curled up position?
I've noticed that cats will usually sleep curled up like ball, heads down and titled, with tails near their face. Is there any specific reason that cats would have a tendency to sleep this way?
4
votes
1
answer
545
views
How can cats' claw grow sharper without replacing the claw?
I cut my cat's claws once a month. The claws always have pointed and sharp tip even though I had cut them last month. I assumed cats cannot change the shape of the claw by growing new keratin at the ...
- 141
-1
votes
1
answer
95
views
What’s the evolutionary benefit of cats playing with their prey?
I just saw a cat playing and teasing a wounded bird for minutes, and I immediately started to wonder what the evolutionary rationale were. After all, it seems eating the prey as soon as possible ...
- 107
0
votes
1
answer
134
views
Why do (some) cats chase their own tail?
Is this just playful behaviour or are they unaware that it's their own body part ?
- 119
5
votes
1
answer
809
views
Why do cats meow but lions and tigers roar?
So as far as I know the cat animals are related to each other by evolution. (Please correct me on this if I am wrong?)
How come the big cats; lions, tigers et.c. roar but smaller cats like house ...
- 189
1
vote
4
answers
2k
views
Why can't cats run longer distances like dogs?
Cats can run about nearly 30mph. Their stamina, though, is for short distances. Why can't they run longer?
Can cats be trained to run longer distances like dogs? For instance, could their resistance ...
- 77
8
votes
1
answer
279
views
What is the mechanism behind cats' geolocating homing behavior?
Some cats, which are separated from their home, have the ability to travel back to their original home - even over long distances and land that they haven't encountered before. E.g., see the Time ...
- 1,597
3
votes
1
answer
683
views
Why are cats attracted to catnip?
According to wikipedia, the active substance is nepetalactone ($\ce{C_{10}H_{14}O_{2}}$) which has weak sedative, antispasmodic, febrifuge, and antibacterial effects in humans. Why are cats so fond of ...
- 366