A Michael Broad Blog
Although nearly always described as ‘retractile’ claws, the claws of the domestic cat are technically ‘protractile’ for the reasons stated and illustrated in the infographic below. Here is an extended treatise of the above infographic. The claws of domestic cats (Felis catus) are retractile, though the term “protractile” is technically more accurate. Here’s how …
NEWS AND OPINION: A cat born with “four ears” is simply a visual anomaly. They have an extra flap of skin – the ear flap which ‘captures’ sound – that gives the appearance of an additional ear on each side of their head. However, the underlying anatomy – the internal ear structure responsible for …
To be clear I am referring to the small cat species of which there are 30 (plus the domestic cat) . The cat breeds are not separate species of domestic cat. They are all domestic cats and the domestic cat is techically one of the wild cat species albeit domesticated and socialised when living …
Here comes Toji! – Photo by fofurasfelinas (link at base of page) This is a really nice picture by a well-known Flickr photographer, Giane Portal, Flickr name: forfurasfelinas, of a sanctuary or rescue cat (she is heavily involved in cat rescue) named Toji. As we can see, he is a brown mackerel tabby cat …
TikTok’s cat vision filter is unsophisticated and misleading. I’ll explain why. TikTok has introduced another ‘filter’. What that means is the platform a alters the reality or filters the video that you make and, in this instance, they make the video look as if it was through the eyes of a cat. And in …
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 …
Introduction: I was the first person to make these comparison point-of-view images. Everyone has followed. I used our knowledge of the cat’s eyesight to work it out. Enjoy. We cannot be absolutely certain that these images are entirely accurate but they should be pretty close. Remember too that cats have poor close-range eyesight partly …
An often-asked question in relation to domestic cats is, “Can cats smile?” It is a question about feline emotions as you can’t smile unless you are happy, a basic emotion. The experts and the observant cat caregivers believe or know that cats can at least experience basic emotions. They can feel happy but can …
