by Nomi Berger
 
Two questions for feline fanciers: “How high can cats jump?” and “How do they do it?”
 
Have you ever been utterly fascinated by the sight of your own kitties leaping effortlessly onto a windowsill or scaling a tall bookshelf in mere seconds? If so, you’ve probably wondered why these “furry acrobats” jump so much and just how they accomplish these feline feats.
 
According to animal behaviorists, jumping isn’t simply an amusing pastime for them. It’s an integral part of the way they explore their surroundings and remain active. From navigating their environment to satisfying their innate hunting instincts and engaging in play, cats rely on their strong sense of balance, powerful hind legs and flexible spine, allowing them to jump vertically up to 8 or 9 feet. And since the average housecat measures about 18 inches long, this means they can jump about five to six times their body length in that single vertical leap!
 
Before your own kitty jumps, you’ll often see her crouch down, in essence, loading her spring-like hind legs with energy for the leap. After launching herself upwards, her flexible spine enables her to adjust herself in midair. Pay close attention and you’ll often see her tail move as she lands, acting as a counterbalance to keep her steady on her feet.
 
Some of the most common reasons that housecats jump include:
· Seeking tall “vantage” points: this behavior is derived from their predator-prey instincts. Being high up permits them to watch for “prey” while also allowing them to keep an eye out for “predators.”
· Hunting: pouncing on “prey” is an important part of the hunting process.
· Playing: jumping for wand toys or toy mice mimics actual hunting and provides them with much-needed physical exercise and mental stimulation.
 
Just as people have different athletic abilities, not all housecats possess the same jumping prowess. Some of the most common factors that impact their jumping skills include:
· Age: senior cats (those 7 years old and older) may be less motivated to jump up to a higher vantage point due to reduced muscle mass, discomfort or other health concerns.
· Body conditions: arthritic and obese housecats and those with extremely weak muscles will see their jumping abilities greatly reduced.
· Breed: Some small cat breeds, particularly those with proportionally shorter legs, like Munchkins, will, naturally, have a more limited vertical jump than athletic cats with longer bodies and legs, like Abyssinians.
 
Sadly, however, cats can often jump up into danger: onto countertops with food that’s toxic to them, onto a hot stove or onto a shelf that can’t quite hold their weight. You, as a pet parent, can discourage your own cat from jumping onto risky spaces by offering her safe and sturdy alternatives. Consider anchoring a tall, well-built cat tree to one of your walls or mounting a series of cat shelves onto a wall as safe places to perch. These features can also help “fraidy” cats gain more confidence in jumping, while helping them exercise and, over time, build up both their skill and their muscles.
 
Keeping your kitty from becoming bored is another way to reduce her jumping. Playing with her several times a day and providing her with interactive toys and puzzle feeders are purr-fect ways to keep her mentally stimulated and physically satisfied – and away from paw-tential danger.

by Nomi Berger
 
Do you have images of bygone days when a cat was always lapping up milk from a bowl? Have you ever wondered if milk is even good for cats? If so, the short answer is “no.”
 
Cow’s milk isn’t good for cats for several reasons. The most important reason being that, as cats mature they produce less lactase, the enzyme needed to properly digest milk. Like so many people with the same condition, these cats are referred to as being lactose intolerant.
 
Without lactase, the undigested milk sugar, lactose, passes through these cats’ intestinal tracts, and as it does, it pulls water into their intestines. This excessive amount of water can result in diarrhea, while bacteria in their colons consume a large influx of sugars, resulting in gas. All of this can trigger vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
 
Any cats showing signs of vomiting, diarrhea and gas within 12 hours of drinking milk are, in all probability, lactose intolerant. Most will bounce back from mild lactose intolerance within 24 hours. But if they’re feeling sick for longer than 24 hours, are vomiting to the point where they can’t keep down water or are especially lethargic, it’s essential to seek prompt veterinary care.
 
Not all cats, though, are lactose intolerant. Can they, then, drink milk? Sadly, the answer is still “no.” Cow’s milk contains quite a lot of fat and many (perhaps even most) cats are prone to obesity. Permitting them to drink milk on a regular basis adds fats and sugars to their diet and almost guarantees that they will become dangerously overweight. If, however, your own cat loves milk and isn’t lactose intolerant, a teaspoon of milk once or twice a week is unlikely to harm her.
 
As to drinking milk alternatives: if cow’s milk is off-limits, can you share your favorite plant or nut-based milk with your cat? Unfortunately, oat milks, soy milks, almond milks and coconut milks aren’t the best of ideas. Why? Some of these milks can be high in fat and cause your cat to become overweight. Some contain sugars, oils and thickeners that can be very hard to digest and lead to gastrointestinal upset. Some contain additives and preservatives that may prove difficult for cats to digest. Some contain added salt. And while a bit of salt isn’t necessarily bad, if your kitty’s prone to hypertension or renal disease, it’s never a good idea to add more salt to her diet.
 
Kittens, on the other hand, can happily drink milk without any signs of gastrointestinal distress. But they can only drink milk produced by female cats, not milk from other species such as cows, sheep or goats. This is due to the fact that kittens are born with the full ability to process cat milk. But as they’re weaned and begin eating the food that they’ll consume as adults, they start losing the ability -- and the enzymes -- to successfully process cat milk: at around 8 weeks of age.
 
There are, however, some commercial products that have been designed to mimic cat milk as closely as possible, such as PetAg KMR liquid milk supplement and PetAg KMR powder milk supplement. These, according to veterinary experts, are the only kind of “milk” products suitable for orphaned kittens and those requiring additional supplementation.
 

by Nomi Berger

Quite a mouthful: superfecundation!

What could it paws-ibly mean? In reference to female cats, fecundity is their ability to produce a large number of offspring. A fecund cat is fertile and capable of giving birth to many kittens. An intact female cat, known as a “queen”, can have either a large litter at one time or a frequent number of litters.

Superfecundation refers to a queen being impregnated by multiple intact males or “toms” and bringing her kittens (from different fathers) to term during the same pregnancy. The result: littermates who bear little or no resemblance to one another and who may only be half-sisters and half-brothers.

Female cats are known as “induced ovulators,” which means that eggs are only released from their ovaries after they’ve mated. Because of this, each ovary may release eggs during separate matings, increasing the probability of multiple fertilizations. Once ovulation has occurred, females will go out of heat within a day or two. An intact female will first go into heat at about six months old and her pregnancy will last for approximately 64 to 71 days, with an average of 65 days (nine weeks). Each heat usually lasts several days, with the average length being seven days. If an intact female hasn’t mated with an intact male when she’s fertile, she’ll go out of heat for a period of time ranging from two to 19 days.

A fertile intact female cat may produce six kittens in a litter, but a particularly fecund one may produce 30 kittens per year for six years or more, reaching as many as 180 kittens in her lifetime. An intact male cat with high fecundity, on the other hand, can father thousands of kittens during his lifetime!

Although more common among intact outdoor and feral cats, intact indoor/outdoor female cats and indoor ones living with intact males are equally at risk of having unwanted, multiple pregnancies. The most notable signs of females being in heat are behavioral. They become very affectionate, even demanding, persistently rubbing against their owners or furniture, and constantly wanting attention. They roll around on the floor more often and become more vocal. When stroked along the spine or back, they will raise their rear quarters into the air and tread with their back legs.

Some will urinate more frequently or spray urine on aka marking vertical objects. Their urine contains pheromones and hormones that signal their reproductive state, thereby attracting any intact males in the house – creating the “purr-fect storm” for copulation. Should these intact females venture outside, they’re certain to mate with one or more intact males in the area before coming back home.

The only solution to the twin problems of unwanted, multiple litters and cat overpopulation is spaying and neutering intact female and male cats. Most veterinarians recommend having females spayed before the age of five months, while kittens as young as eight weeks old can safely be neutered or spayed. Most cats will return to normal within three days following the procedure, with their healing complete within two weeks.

by Nomi Berger
 
Does your favorite feline have a belly that sways from side to side? Could it be … fat?
 
According to veterinarians, it’s not fat at all! It’s a primordial pouch: a loose flap comprised of a mixture of fat, skin and fur on the underside of a cat that hangs between her midsection and hind legs and feels floppy to the touch. Although it may look as if an overweight cat who recently lost weight retained the extra skin, that so-called extra skin has less to do with her condition and more to do with genetics.
 
While all cats have primordial pouches, they vary in size depending on each individual kitty. Cats start developing these telltale stomach pouches during kittenhood, usually around 6 months of age. And, perhaps most fascinating of all is the fact that “big cats” a.k.a. lions and tigers have them as well!
 
Even experts can only theorize as to the purpose of these legendary pouches. Protection: a primordial pouch might shield a cat’s vital organs during rough activities and/or fights. Flexibility: it might allow a cat’s abdomen to stretch during movement, making her even more agile. Food storage: it might help accommodate larger meals when she eats a great deal at once. Heat regulation: it might be of assistance in temperature control by allowing air to circulate more effectively. Then again, the primordial pouch may merely be an evolutionary trait left over from a cat’s wild ancestors.
 
No matter how large or small your own kitty’s swaying belly flap is, having a primordial pouch isn’t an indication of her overall health or whether she’s either underweight or overweight. Like people, a cat’s skin tends to sag, stretch and lose elasticity with age, leading inevitably to a belly that seems to sway more as she matures into a senior cat.
 
If you’re still unsure as to whether you’re seeing your kitty’s primordial pouch or fat, consider the following advice to help you differentiate between the two. Focus less on the size of your cat’s belly flap and more on her body condition score (BCS), a visual tool used by veterinarians to determine if a cat is at her ideal weight. Begin by looking down at her from above. Healthy cats will have noticeable waistlines whereas overweight ones won’t.
 
Then, run your fingers gently across her ribs. If she’s at an ideal weight, her ribs should feel similar to when your knuckles are being rubbed on an open palm. If she’s overweight, you’ll feel a pronounced layer of fat covering her ribs. If she’s underweight, however, her ribs may feel prominent, much the way the backs of your knuckles feel when you make a fist.
 
While helping your cat shed some excess pounds won’t make her primordial pouch smaller, helping her maintain a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise will help prevent an accumulation of unwanted fat. If, however, you’re either uncertain as to whether your cat’s at a healthy weight or want advice to help her reach her ideal weight, reach out to your vet.

by Nomi Berger
 
Curious as to why a cat’s tongue feels surprisingly like sandpaper, so rough and so scratchy, when you’re the recipient of some loving licks?
 
If so, examine the topside of your kitty’s tongue up close and purr-sonal and you’ll see what look like teeny, tiny spikes covering a good portion of it. These are called papillae – pointy, curved cones comprised of keratin, the same material that makes up our human fingernails. According to veterinarians, in cats, they’re known as filiform papillae since the “spines” face towards the back of their mouths.
 
This rough texture helps cats groom themselves so skillfully, drink water and eat food so efficiently, and socialize and communicate so effectively. (While it’s usually harmless when your kitty licks you, if her licking becomes excessive, provide her with lick mats as an alternative).
 
Grooming: cats spend 30% to 50% of their day grooming themselves, and the papillae on their tongues can reach all the way down to their skin. This allows them to detangle their fur, remove loose fur, debris, dust and other particles from their coat and help evenly distribute their body’s oils across their coat, keeping it shiny and smooth. Their tongues also act as a form of temperature control. Since papillae are hollow, they suck up saliva that is then deposited in their fur while they’re grooming, and when that saliva evaporates, it helps keep them cool.
 
Drinking: cats, like dogs, lack the ability to suction water into their mouths. But unlike dogs accustomed to scooping up water with the tips of their tongues, cats extend their tongues to just touch the water’s surface and then deftly and swiftly flick them back in. Water adheres to the top of their tongues, thanks to the papillae, and is pulled into their mouths without even breaking the surface of the water.
 
Eating: purr-fectly suited as efficient eating “utensils,” the papillae on their tongues helped cats in the wild wipe clean the bones of their prey and moved that food towards the back of their mouths. Even if our domesticated cats’ form of “hunting” is finding some long-forgotten treats behind a sofa or a chair, their papillae-covered tongues will ensure that they thoroughly enjoy them down to the very last crumb.
 
Communicating and socializing: cats use licking as a way of bonding both with their fellow felines and with members of their human family – as cat owners already know. But they also use their tongues to understand the world around them, particularly where pheromones (chemical signals released by other cats) and fascinating scents of all kinds are concerned, by opening their mouths, sticking out their tongues slightly, and inhaling!

by Nomi Berger
 
A tabby cat is NOT a specific breed. Rather, a tabby cat refers to that particular cat’s coat pattern. In fact, the tabby coat – the most common pattern of fur paws-ible -- is found on cats of any breed, mixed breed and on both male and female cats. And because of this, it’s extremely difficult to find cats who AREN’T tabbies.
 
Most tabby cats are easily recognizable due to the distinctive M-shaped marking on their foreheads. Tabby cats’ coats come in a fascinating variety of colors, including brown, calico, gray, orange and even tortoiseshell, and have spots, stripes or swirls on their bodies, legs, tails and/or faces. Since the tabby gene is a dominant gene, it only takes one parent with that particular tabby gene to pass the pattern on to a kitten.
 
There are five different types of tabby cat patterns:
· Mackerel: The most common tabby pattern, the mackerel features narrow, tiger-like stripes.
· Classic: Cats with a classic tabby pattern have a marble-like swirl on their sides much like a cinnamon roll.
· Spotted: True to its name, the spotted tabby pattern has spots instead of the more common narrow stripes.
· Patched: Patched tabbies are calico or tortoiseshell cats who not only have the tabby pattern but are known as caliby and torby cats, respectively.
· Ticked: The least common of the five tabby cat patterns, ticked coats are often more subtle than the other varieties. In this particular pattern, each individual hair, called agouti hairs, contains bands of different colors that create an iridescent or shimmering effect.
 
Due to the fact that any cat can inherit the tabby gene, the breeds that recognize a tabby pattern in their breed standard include: Abyssinian, American Bobtail, Bengal, British Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, Exotic Shorthair,
LaPerm, Maine Coon, Manx, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Oriental Shorthair, Persian, Scottish Fold, Siberian,
Turkish Angora, and Turkish Van.
 
As to how long do tabby cats live? Because a cat’s lifespan varies by breed, tabby cats can live 10 – 15 years. But, blessed with the finest of care, some cats can live well into their 20’s.
 
If your own favorite feline is a tabby, a cat DNA test will tell you which breeds are in her DNA, thereby enabling you to “guess-timate” her lifespan.

by Nomi Berger
 
What IS it about cats and their affinity for cardboard boxes?
 
If you’re curious, do paw-lease consider the following five reasons.
 
1. Cardboard boxes provide them with a sense of security: Despite being domesticated for some, today’s cats retain much of their original, natural instincts. One way for cats in the wild to remain vigilant and keep themselves safe from predators is by squeezing into small spaces that make them feel secure. Studies show that those cats given cardboard boxes as hiding places adapted more quickly to changes in their environment than those who weren’t. Many animal behaviorists, therefore, recommend that cat owners provide their feline friends with cardboard boxes in such paw-tentially stressful situations as bringing home a new pet, home renovation, moving and/or after visiting the vet.
 
2. Cardboard boxes are purr-fect for scratching and biting: Both are normal, instinctive behaviors and serve several purposes. Cats utilize the boxes to express their emotions, sharpen their claws and “mark” them with the scent glands located in their paws. The texture of the cardboard is ideal, allowing cats to sink their teeth and claws into it while rewarding them with a most satisfying sound. Not surprisingly, due to its popularity, many commercial cat scratchers today are constructed out of cardboard.
 
3. Cardboard boxes are warm: Famous for finding comfy, cozy places in which to nap, cats will typically curl up contentedly in the sunniest areas of their homes, next to heat-generating sources like radiators and on top of their owners’ beds. Since cardboard retains its heat so efficiently, it’s an especially effective insulator and allows cats to control their own body temperatures when they cram themselves into snugly fitting cardboard boxes.
 
4. Cardboard boxes are fun: Cats may be creatures of habit and comfort, but as natural-born predators, they must still exercise their hunting instincts through play. And because cats love hiding and stalking their prey before pouncing on them, they find that cardboard boxes will allow them the precise concealment they need from any and all unsuspecting targets. Although the “prey” for indoor cats is most often restricted to their owners, their feline and/or canine friends and their toys, a cardboard box affords them the concealment they crave while they wait to pounce, albeit playfully, on their next chosen “victim.”
 
5. Cardboard boxes satisfy their curiosity: As affectionate, active and entertaining as they are, our cherished cat companions are purr-haps best known for their endearing, enduring and boundless curiosity. Luckily for them, having a cardboard box in their midst is both enticing and exciting, definitely peaking their interest and sparking that oh-so-legendary curiosity. Wondering what this mysterious material is all about, they will gravitate towards the cardboard, and in the blink of a kitty-cat eye discover its various awesome uses. Whether it serves as their new, favorite napping spot, a secret space from which to view their indoor world, a multi-purpose makeshift toy or a surprisingly efficient scratching post, endless hours of self-entertainment are as limitless as their own imagination.

by Nomi Berger
 
Have you ever pondered the question: “Is my cat capable of dreaming?” Simply put, the answer is “yes.” Like most other mammals, cats do dream. Why? Research has shown that it’s an essential occurrence to help their brains organize and arrange images from the day.
 
Dreaming mainly occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep when their brains, similar to our brains, exhibit activity akin to wakefulness. And while the specifics of cats’ dreams are, as yet, unknown, it’s likely that their brains are reviewing their days’ activities, consolidating these memories, and processing various other experiences.
 
Dreams also help cats reinforce learning, retain memories, and even serve as a form of enrichment, paw-tentially allowing them to imagine such splendiferous scenarios as catching mice as large as cars! Close observation of your own cat can provide you with clues both about her sleep behavior and when she may be dreaming. With time, patience and focused attention, you may even be able to guess what she’s dreaming about.
 
Overt signs that your cat is dreaming may include: twitching, particularly of her whiskers and paws, body movements, running-like motions, chirping and purring sounds, muffled meows and various facial expressions. Fortunately, however, the brain is equipped with a safety feature that prevents both cats and humans from physically acting out their dreams: the pons.
 
What, then, DO cats dream about? Do they dream about their pet parents? Do they dream about interacting with their housemates? Do they dream about hunting mice or chasing after birds? Do they have nightmares? While there may not be truly definitive answers to these questions yet, by closely observing cats while they dream, and considering what’s known about dreaming in other species, one can make some educated guesses as to what they do dream about.
 
Dreaming about their daily experiences: Since most mammals use dreams to process the events they’ve experienced, it’s reasonable to assume that cats re-live their daily experiences at night, perhaps with some imaginative additions. Whatever your own “meow-meow” may have been interested in during the day will, in all probability, play a featured role in her dreams that same night.
 
Dreaming about their pet parents: Cats, in all probability, will dream the most pleasant and pleasurable of dreams about their devoted and doting pet parents.
 
Dreaming about their preferred pastimes: Our feline friends are equally likely to dream about such exhilarating and satisfying activities as eating, playing games and “hunting” such indoor prey as laser beams, plastic balls and rolling cat springs, interactive wands and treat-dispensing toys.
 
Nightmares: If cats have had an especially frightening experience during the day, such as a fight with a housemate or something as seemingly mundane as the sound of the vacuum cleaner, the apartment buzzer or some unexpected visitors, they may indeed have what we would consider to be nightmares.
 
In conclusion: Sometimes when cats are sleeping, they may twitch, stretch, snore, purr or make unusual squeaking noises -- all associated with REM sleep. When your own cat twitches in her sleep, it’s generally due to signals being sent to her brain during the “dreaming” phase.

by Nomi Berger
 
Do you fret about black cats crossing your path and bringing misfortune your way whenever the page of a calendar turns to that fabled Friday the 13th?
 
Did you know that history has provided humans with 13 paws-itive reasons to refute this age-old superstition?
 
Skeptical? Curious? Read on, then, for reassurance …
 
The Ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet, who resembled a cat, was the goddess of love, joy, music, dance, protection, and last but not least, cats. And because cats were particularly popular in ancient Egypt, they were considered to be her sacred animal.
 
Freyja, the most renowned of the Norse goddesses, was the goddess of love, fertility, battle and death. She rode in a chariot that was drawn by cats, and farmers would leave offerings out for the cats to guarantee them a bountiful harvest.
 
The Ancrene Wisse, written in the 13th century, was a guide for devout recluses whose lives were dedicated to devotional reading, meditation and prayer. The anchoresses usually lived in enclosures attached to churches, and while they were permitted minimal to no contact with people, they were permitted to have cats.
 
A Chinese proverb states that having a cat assures its owner of having good luck. A more practical proverb states that  “Black cat or white cat: If it can catch mice, it’s a good cat.”
 
The prophet Muhammad had a favorite tabby called Muezza and, according to Hadith (a report of the prophet’s sayings and deeds), he prohibited the persecution and killing of cats.
 
In India, a cat is believed to be magical and the bearer of good luck. One belief states that if you kill a cat, you must offer a cat in gold to a priest.
 
In Yorkshire, England, keeping a black cat in your house not only brings you good luck, it ensures that your favorite fisherman will return safely from the sea.
 
It’s considered good luck on your wedding day if you see either a sneezing cat or a black cat.
 
An Italian superstition, on the other hand, believes that a sneezing cat is a good omen for everyone who hears it.
 
The Scots believe that finding a strange black cat on your porch brings you prosperity.
 
An American superstition believes that dreaming of a white cat means good luck.
 
Another American superstition believes that if you see a one-eyed cat, you should spit on your thumb and stamp it into the palm of your hand. If you then make a wish, that wish will come true.
 
In France, there’s a saying that dogs may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.

by Nomi Berger
 
Have you noticed your kitty drinking water from her water bowl, not with her tongue but with her front paws, using them like a tiny furry paddle or cup? A common sight, purr-haps, and yet, have you ever wondered WHY she’s behaving this way?
 
If so, paw-lease consider the four following paws-ibilities.
 
The water bowl is too small: Since our feline friends favor having easy access to a large supply of water, and that supply, i.e., their bowl is too small, they may have difficulty drinking from it properly and comfortably. Enter ingenuity! How clever of them to dip their paws into the water as their way of getting several cool and refreshing sips from the bowls to their mouths. If your kitty is drinking water like this, check the size of her bowl and replace it with a larger one.
 
She may be experiencing “whisker fatigue”: As odd as this phrase may seem, truth, as they say, is often stranger than fiction. Cats have extremely delicate and sensitive whiskers on their faces that can be easily irritated by rubbing against the unforgiving sides of their water bowls. It makes purr-fect sense then, for them to drink their water by using one or both paws and avoid irritating their whiskers even more. And so, if your kitty is getting her water in this manner, replace her current bowl with one of the many available commercial bowls designated as being “whisker-friendly.”
 
She may simply be playing: As naturally curious, not to mention, creative, animals, kitties enjoy experimenting and doing things differently. Case in point: they LOVE “playing” and engaging with various parts of their bodies, such as chasing their tails and grooming themselves. Therefore, when your “meow-meow” uses her front paws to splash around in her water bowl, she may “see” this as another form of experimenting, exploring and engaging in play.
 
Cats turn up their noses at tepid water. Finicky about what they drink, felines tend to avoid any water in their bowls that fails the “fresh” test. And because they LOVE moving water, they’re never shy about sipping water from the sink faucet or attempting to drink from the toilet bowl. By using their paws in their water bowls, they’re literally “stirring” the water up to create more movement and flow. The solution: invest in an automatic pet fountain that will allow your purr-ecious puss to either drink from the fountain’s bowl or from its continual stream of clean and fresh falling water.