I’m sure you know that the whole body surface of the cat is sensitive to touch. But were you aware that the long ‘guard hairs’, those that are a little longer than the rest of the coat, are extremely sensitive? The movement on those guard hairs keeps your cat in touch with the environment around it either through the nerves in the skin or through the air, allowing the cat to remain downwind of any prey it is hunting.
The pads of the paws are full on ‘pressure receptors’ and are used to gather information on where they are and what they are walking on. These pressure receptors allow the cat to find out about the size, shape, texture of objects which gives the cat an opportunity to choose to test further with firmer pawing or to use the sense of smell to investigate expand their investigation. But touch and being aware of your environment also includes the sensations of heat, cold and pain. The sense of touch is well developed when kittens are born, unlike sight and hearing. Cats don’t feel heat the way you or I would. They can lie comfortably next to a hot fire that would make us want to move back. Cats have fewer heat sensitive nerve endings in their skin, and this has no doubt evolved to let their fur protect and insulate them. However they can detect small temperature differences through the thickened nose skin. This is an adaptation which concentrates senses on the face as the cat which encounters most new environments first. These concentrated senses on the face allow the information to be passed quickly to the brain.
The cat whiskers are large stiff hairs with lots of nerve endings, especially in the roots. The whiskers on the side of the face are called mystacials. During low light movements, the mystacial whiskers are used to detect the proximity of any object close to the face. The sense of touch in the whiskers enables the cat to make instant corrections without losing concentration with their eyes and ears. Whiskers also detect small air currents and the variation when the air moves around an unseen object. It has be found that cats with broken or cut whiskers are less successful at night time hunting due to the loss of sense of touch through them. It is also thought that a cat’s whiskers are as long as the cat’s body is wide. This way if the whiskers brush the sides of an opening, the cat will realise that it probably wouldn’t be able to fit through it.
There are other whiskers on a cats face. Those above they eyes are called superciliary tuft and those at the side of the face behind the cheeks are known as the genal tufts. There are also a few whiskers on the inside of the front legs. These will most likely help the cat to gauge exactly where to place his feel when stalking prey. These, with the other whiskers, allow him to concentrate on his prey rather than on where he needs to put his feet.
There are also touch sensors and a at the base of the teeth which may help the cat with the final aim of the killing bite. These nerves are routed through to the brain so that information from the eyes and the other sensory tactile areas is co-ordinated in the brain.
We know that cats are excellent hunters. The evolution of the cat as a hunting machine has become highly developed both internally and externally. Cats are truly amazing creatures. They can hunt and kill prey with amazing skill yet play with children with such wonderful gentleness.
Cats can get sick and vomit, ust like us.
Many people have questions about their cat’s health and what to look out for with regard to cat health issues. If your cat is vomiting you need to find out what the problem is.
Every cat owner will have to clean up cat vomit at some stage and you need to investigate just why your cat is vomiting. Not the most pleasant of subjects I know, but it is one that needs addressing. One possible reason for cats to vomit are hairballs lodged in their throat. If your cat seems to cough often then suddenly vomits up the last meal, it could be that a hairball or even strands of fur have been caught when grooming. Usually the cat will only vomit once as the offending item has been expelled.
If your cat keeps vomiting, then it is wise to investigate further. Have you changed pet foods? Could it be a reaction to that? Have you just put on a flea collar? This can cause nausea for a day or two. Make sure that no-one has put out any poisons to catch rats or mice. If your cat has access to outdoors, are there any snail pellets around, or has the garden been sprayed to eliminate weeds. If you are able to answer yes to any of these questions, a trip, or at least a phone call, to the vet will be necessary. Your vet may be able to suggest treatment that you can carry out at home. If you are unsure about any of the above, I would advise taking your cat to the vet immediately.
If your cat has been vomiting, I suggest you stop feeding for 24 hours, just as you would with children. You cat’s stomach will be sore and inflamed and will need to recover. Give your cat small amounts of water for 24 hours then introduce some bland foods such as cooked white rice or similar. The following day mix some bland food with a little cat food to see how they tolerate it. Don’t give your cat milk as this will cause further vomiting. Keep an eye on how your cat looks and how well it is tolerating the food before going back to normal feeding.
It might not look nice but cat vomit is telling you there is a problem.
Understanding your cat and being aware of what is happening with it will help you keep it in top condition and health. By forming a bond with your cat early, not only will you notice when something is wrong, your cat will come to you for help.
A number of years ago my cat Tikki was due to give birth and decided to snuggle into bed with me one night. I woke the next morning feeling wet as her waters had broken. She lay between by stomach and bent legs and gave birth to five beautiful kittens. I had been paying special attention to her when she was pregnant and she understood that being with me was safe. I had also helped her with previous births when she was in trouble.
When she was due to give birth for her final litter she disappeared for a day. This didn’t worry me unduly as I was sure she was nesting and would let me know when she was ready. When I went for my morning cup of coffee the next day, she was lying in the entrance to the kitchen, in great distress. I rang the vet and he arranged to me me at his surgery immediately. Apparently her uterus had twisted around completely, cutting off all food and nutrients to the kittens which had died and were therefore poisoning her. She was saved but unfortunately none of the kittens made it. The point of this story is that if your cat knows she can trust you and that you will help her, she will let you know when there is a problem, just as Tikki did.
It doesn’t have to be as drastic as what happened with Tikki. Other cat health symptoms can include being off her food, dull eyes, lethargy, vomiting, problems with using the litter box, or suddenly lashing out when stroked or petted.
It is important for you to know what is wrong as soon as possible. Questions you need to ask yourself must include how long has she been ill and is a trip to the vet necessary.
Try to serve your cat’s food at room temperature. Food taken straight from the fridge can also cause your cat to vomit. If time is short or you have forgotten, just give it a few seconds in the microwave to bring it back to room temperature.
Remember, cats will eat grass to induce vomiting, often to help them get rid of fur that has lodged when they are grooming. Grooming your cat regularly can help eliminate hairballs.
Cat care and cats health go hand in hand. Caring for your cat will make you more aware of any health problems as they arise. This will increase the bond between you and give you a much richer relationship. Healthy cats are likely to live longer as well, another added bonus.
A book I strongly recommend investing in is *Veterinary Secrets Revealed, which has been written by a vet who has practiced Veterinary Medicine for over a decade. I’m sure it will soon become a valuable resource that could end up saving you a good deal of money.
