Our cats are lucky in that they live in a super sensory world compared to ours. They can see, hear and smell things that are far beyond our abilities. Their physiology makes the ears, nose, eyes and tactile receptors such as whiskers incredibly sensitive in most areas and ranges that far exceed what you and I could do. I’m sure you’ve noticed that your cat seems aware of everything that goes on around it.
The cat’s whole body is sensitive to vibration with the paws especially so. It is thought that this sensitivity is linked to reports of cats that have predicted the proximity of earth tremors. They can ‘feel’ the pre-tremors or perceive the changes in the earth’s magnetic field. While we humans need very expensive specialized machinery for this sort of understanding, a cat appears to sense the atmospheric changes we miss. Science tells us that positively charged ions are released into the air just before some earthquakes. It seems very likely that our beautiful domestic cat can sense a change in the atmospheric static electricity through their fur. There are well documented occurrences of cats leaving villages mere hours before an earthquake.
The ability of the cat to detect changes in the atmospheric pressure is also thought to be why cats appear to be able to predict the weather. A cat may find a chair in a sunny spot before the clouds lift. They will also curl up in a secluded place or refuse to go outside if they sense rain. Some cats will vigorously rub and wash their ears before a storm as it is their very sensitive inner ear which detects these atmospheric changes.
It is thought that cats hold an internal ‘mapping’ of visual and scent aspects of where they are and other familiar routes they take. This is how they ‘find’ themselves when lost. They come across a previously ‘mapped’ area and it triggers a message in their brain which allows them to then find their way home. This is particularly marked in cats that have formed a strong bond with their family. Perhaps it is the vibrations and the cat’s sensitivity to them. It is believed that cats navigate using ‘homing’ instincts similar to those used by homing pigeons and migrating birds. Salmon are a perfect example of this as they unerringly find their way to where they were spawned when the time is right.
There have been many documented cases of cats travelling hundreds of miles to be reunited with their family, even though the way is not ‘mapped’ internally. There are also documented cases of cats who have accidently been left behind walking many hundreds of miles from the old home to the new home of their family. I cannot explain this as there can be no internal ‘mapping’ in these instances yet these cats will do anything to be reunited.
Is this ESP? A sixth sense? Or is it just five very well developed senses and an incredible bond with their family.
I am in absolute awe of the suppleness of cats body. It can twist itself so it can wash almost every part of its body. It can arch its back to make itself look menacing. It can lie flat on the ground so it can wriggle through the smallest opening. It can leap onto the smallest ledge effortlessly.
This, plus the speed of IN hunting, is due to the skeleton that allows for a controlled stalk with a fine all burst of speed.
Cats walk on their toes which enables them to run fast from a standing start. The foot and ankle bones are arranged so that the cat only walks on what, in our foot, is the section of the foot in front of the ball. Because of the need of rapid acceleration and high-speed, the cats need ankle and foot cannot move sideways. Because only a small area of your cats foot touches the ground when it’s running, the leg could be brought up quickly into the next stride. Where you are aware that your cat can increase the length of its stride by flexing and extending its spine? At full speed, cats move in a series of long half balance. The back legs propel the cat forward with some more strength and balance coming from the front legs.
Cats don’t have a collarbone which means that the shoulder joints and the front limbs can extend even further. I would love to be able to move my body the way my cat does. They can curl up very tightly when they are sleeping or they can stretch themselves right out when running and hunting. They can also do turn quickly, almost in midair, and if they are fighting. Spine of the cat can rotate the four section through 180° relative to the high end section. You can see this when a cat is able to right itself when it is falling so that it will land on its feet. When the cat is falling, angled its body to act as a parachute to slow its for down.
Cats can jump in many different ways. You will see this when they are climbing and reaching very high vantage point is as well is in that final lbs when catching their prey. Did you know they could John more than five times their own height? We can do this through a vertical spring backwards or forwards sleep when making a fast escape from the threat. They can also perform a semi-verticals semi-forward hunting hounds that gives their prey little time to escape. The power of these leaps comes from the flexible spine and the muscular tension in the strong we are makes which launched the cat into the air.
You see your cats climbing a tree, have a good look at how he does it. It is a combination of upwards thrust from the back legs and the use of the clause in the front paws being used like crampons. There will usually be a initial leap into the tree to get a good start and build up momentum.
Cats, no matter what they are doing, a fascinating animals. It’s no wonder we love them the way we do.
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