Why are cats digitigrade?

Cats are digitigrades as they walk on their toes as is beautifully illustrated in this picture of a Siamese cat

All cats are digitigrade; that is, they walk on their toes. You probably know this. Incidentally, they walk with a direct register gait which means that the paw prints made by the forelegs are occupied by the paw prints made by the hind legs as the cat walks forwards. The distal phalange (phalanx) of …

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Infographic on caracal description

Caracal

I don’t need to add many words here as the infographic says all that I’d like to say about this very popular medium-sized wild cat species. In America there is considerable interest in the caracal as a pet. They are attractive. For the medium-sized wild cats the caracal and serval are the two most …

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The claws of wild and domestic cats (infographic)

Black Oriental Shorthair bred in Russia wants to get down as his breeder holds him for a video

Together with the cat’s athleticism, their claws and teeth define the cat because they are essential to their predatory nature. The cat is a top predator and they live with us when domesticated. It’s remarkable in many ways that humans should so successfully live with such a devastating predator. The relationship isn’t always successful …

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What’s faster: greyhound or cheetah?

Cheetah versus greyhound speed

The question asks if the top speed of the greyhound is faster than that of the cheetah or vice versa. Therefore, I’m not going to go into a long discussion about the endurance and acceleration of these two animals (but see below). I’m simply going to set down for the record what I think …

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Don’t modify something that is perfect – the domestic cat!

Don't modify the perfect domestic cat

The domestic cat’s wildcat ancestor has evolved over about 2 million years. The domestic cat is almost identical to their wildcat ancestor, the North African wildcat. Two million years of evolution has created a near perfect predatory machine with beautiful anatomy, fabulous senses and hunting and jumping skills. The domestic cat is nature’s finely …

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