A Michael Broad Blog
To the cat fancy domestic cat ears can be an anatomical feature that enhances appearance and which is ranked under the breed standard. Specifically, this is a reference to the ear flap. For Maine Coons they should be large and impressive in line with the impressive appearance of this breed. For Persians, the ear …
People who are unsure about domestic cats sometimes say that they are aloof and standoffish. This alleged aloofness can be seen, they’d say, when they don’t turn their heads towards you when you speak to them. This is not aloofness in the human meaning of the word. It is the behaviour of a different …
“Human composers must envy the cat its ears. But it is sad for the ordinary cat owner to realise that there is a whole range of sounds that simply cannot be shared with a much-loved pet. It is one of the humbling lessons we learn from living with companion animals, namely that we are …
Years ago, I proposed that the feline Henry’s pocket, a small extra fold of cartilage and skin within the ear flaps (pinnae) of domestic cats, was to enhance the ability to hear high pitched sounds. I was corrected by a welcome visitor who proposed that this mysterious item of feline anatomy (which still troubles …
I recently wrote an article about a cat that has for ear flaps. They named him Audio. That article is about the misdescription of the condition because a cat with 4 ear flaps does not have four sets of ear anatomy. They just have 4 ear flaps; the bit that we can see. And …
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 …
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 …
Treating your cat’s ear mites is possible at home provided (a) you do it in conjunction with veterinary advice to first positively identify ear mites as the cause of the health problem and (b) your vet has examined the cat and determined that the ear drums are intact and (c) you clean your cat’s …
