Do you know cats? The most comprehensive introduction to cats (2)
Do you know cats? The most comprehensive introduction to cats (2)
Tongue
As many cat owners know, the little guy is a demanding, fussy eater, and a study suggests there may be a genetic reason for the feline's unique eating habits. The results show that other mammals can use a specific gene to create "sweet taste receptors" on the tongue, so as to enjoy the taste of sweetness; however, this gene in the six cats failed, and they could not produce sweet taste. One of two proteins necessary for the production of taste receptors. All mammals have receptor cells on their tongues, and it is these cells that send taste signals to the brain for processing. Receptor cells are grouped together to form taste buds. A single human taste bud is made up of 50 to 100 receptor cells and can perceive 5 main tastes: salty, sour, sweet, bitter and soapy (soapy is the taste produced by monosodium glutamate and some fermented soy foods). Most mammalian sweet taste receptors are made of two proteins, one of which is missing in cats.
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Beard
A cat's whiskers are very sensitive tactile receptors, which can use the pressure changes produced by air vibrations to identify and perceive objects. Can function as an eye in some cases. When encountering narrow gaps or holes, the whiskers are used as gauges to determine whether the body can pass through. Every cat has a pair of mighty beards, don't underestimate those slender beards! For humans, a cat's whiskers may be just an appearance decoration, but for cats, it is a special sensory organ. As long as you observe carefully, you can find that the total length of the cat's whiskers is proportional to the width of the body. There are extremely sensitive sensory nerves at the root of a cat’s whiskers, which can be felt as long as the tail of the whiskers slightly touches an object. In fact, it is a supplement to the cat’s visual senses and a very important sensory organ on the cat’s body. When cats catch mice in the dark night, they rely on the sense of touch of their whiskers to find their way and balance their bodies. If the cat loses its whiskers, it will appear bumpy, unable to chase mice flexibly. Therefore, when keeping cats in the family, try to protect the cat's whiskers, especially if there are children in the family, pay attention to educating them not to scratch the cat's whiskers. According to data records, cats have 16 whiskers, which are evenly distributed on the left and right sides of the cat's nose. But after careful observation, I really can't distinguish clearly, because besides near the cat's nose, it also has whiskers on its cheeks and lower jaw. In addition, the length is different, and I don't know which one should be counted and which one should not be counted. The cat's whiskers are very sensitive, and they will respond to a little stimulation. When a cat is fed, sleeps comfortably and is happy and content, the whiskers are drawn back against the cheeks. When the cat's whiskers rise upwards and rush forward, it means that it is focusing on something, or it is interested in you, wants to play with you or has some requirements for you. When the cat's whiskers hang down naturally without any reaction, it means that it is calm and not interested in anything. When the cat's whiskers are twitching slightly, it means that it has found something and is detecting with radar-like whiskers.
Pads on a cat's paw
The meat pad can act as a shock absorber, making the cat walk without sound. When the cat falls from a high place, it will absorb most of the impact, so the cat will not be injured when it jumps from a high place. When the cat catches the mouse, the pads on the paws can reduce the sound of the cat's footsteps, so that the mouse will not easily hear the cat's footsteps, and it will not be easy to escape.
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Sensory function
vision
Due to the special structure of cat's eyes, they can see things around them more easily than humans in a dark environment, and its special function is gradually perfected after about three months of birth. Cats have very keen eyesight and can distinguish objects even at night in very weak light. And cats especially like relatively dark conditions. Therefore, when the sun is strong during the day, the cat’s pupils are almost completely closed into a thin line to minimize light In a dark environment, the pupils are wide open to increase the light penetration as much as possible. During the day, as the light changes, the cat's pupils take on different shapes.
The cat’s field of vision is very wide. The two eyes have both a common field of view and a separate field of vision. The field of view of each eye is above 150 degrees, and the field of view of the two eyes is above 200 degrees, while the field of view of a human is only about 100 degrees. Cats can only see things that change in light. If the light doesn’t change, cats can’t see anything. Therefore, when cats look at things, they often have to turn their eyes slightly left and right to make the objects in front of them move, so that they can see clearly. Cats are color blind. To cats, the whole world appears in different shades of gray.
hearing
Cats have very sensitive hearing, and many sounds can be heard by cats but not by humans. Cats are also better at localizing sounds than humans. The cat's ears are like two radar antennas, which can swing 180 degrees without moving the head, so that the cat can accurately locate the sound edge. Cats can memorize the sounds of their owners, such as footsteps and the sound of calling their names.
the sense of smell
The cat's sense of smell is also very developed, and its sense of smell is comparable to that of a dog, but people only make full use of the dog's sense of smell, but do nothing to cats. Only use it when it is advantageous. A cat's well-developed sense of smell plays a very important role in stimulating its appetite. When a cat is sick, its sense of smell will be affected, making it difficult to arouse its appetite. It even refuses to use dirty smelly bedpans.
taste
As far as taste is concerned, cats prefer animal-based high-protein foods, such as fish and meat, while they are less fond of non-animal foods and sweets. The cat’s taste organ is located at the root of the tongue. The cat’s sense of taste is very developed, and it can perceive bitter, sour and salt tastes, but is not sensitive to sweet tastes. Feed the food that is slightly sour and spoiled, and the cat will refuse to eat. Cats can taste water like no other animal.