Category Kids Queries

Although only lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars can roar, all cats can purr. Researchers aren’t quite sure why cats produce this pleasant rumbling sound, but they think it starts as a way for mommas to reassure kittens that they’re safe. Once cats grow up, purring evolves to convey general contentment. Some scientists think that a cat’s purring sound might even help it develop stronger bones!

But not all cats can purr. Domestic cats, some wild cats and their relatives — civets, genets and mongooses — purr, and even hyenas, raccoons and guinea pigs can purr. However, cats that purr can’t roar, and cats that roar can’t purr because the structures surrounding roaring cats’ larynxes aren’t stiff enough to allow purring.

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Because your kitty thinks your stalking skills could use some work. Biologists think cats share their kills out of motherly instinct. Mama cats bring minced mice and battered birds to their kittens to teach them hunting skills. Trying to stop your cat from hunting and sharing is like asking your brother to stop stinking up the bathroom – it’s battle against nature!

Cats, in spite of being solitary hunters, are a social species, and communication between cats includes the use of a variety of vocalizations (meows, purrs, trills, whistles, grunts and growls), as well as cat pheromones and types of specific body language for cats.

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Cats groom themselves throughout the day using their sandpapery tongues to comb food and dirt from their fur. Unfortunately, they gobble down gobs of loose hair with all that gunk. Feline bellies aren’t equipped to digest strands of fur, so, kersplat! The hair comes out the same way it went in, and you discover soggy fuzz balls all over the house. Hey, a few hair balls are better than a filthy feline!

Hairballs in cats are more likely to appear in long-haired breeds, such as Persians and Maine Coons. Cats that shed a lot or who groom themselves compulsively are also more likely to have hairballs, because they tend to swallow a lot of fur. You may have noticed that your cat didn’t have hairballs as a kitten, but developed them as she grew. This is quite normal — as cats get older they become more adept groomers and therefore more proficient at removing fur from their coats with their tongues, which means more hairballs for you to clean up.

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The easiest way to answer this question is to trade places with your pooch. As a social pack animal, you consider it your job to guard your territory and look after the rest of your pack (in your case, the humans you live with). Feeling at home in Fido’s fur? Good. Now consider this: Nearly every day, a strange human approaches your territory, often while the rest of your pack isn’t home. It’s an intruder! The stranger rattles the front door, trying to get in. You must protect the house! You bark and growl and leap against the door, doing everything in your power to scare away the intruder. And it works! The stranger wanders away to the next house. Mission accomplished…until tomorrow.

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When you try to stop Spot from shoveling away the soil in the backyard, you’re waging a battle against instincts inherited from his wolf ancestors. Dogs dig holes for several reasons including:

To cool off: Freshly dug dirt makes a great escape from the heat on summer days.

To bury themselves: Just like wolves that bury food for survival, dogs feel an instinctive urge to hide precious items – such as bones and chew toys – for later retrieval.

To have fun: Some dog breeds (especially terriers and others bred to hunt burrowing rodents) just enjoy digging.

To keep themselves occupied: Certain dogs suffer separation anxiety when they’re left alone all day. Digging gives them something to do.

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Veterinarians think dogs secrete a thin layer of snot or just lick their noses – to keep them wet, which may help them detect the direction of interesting odors. Dogs with warm, dry noses are just as healthy as those with cold, wet ones.

Dogs are covered in hair and cannot sweat through their skin like people do. Instead, dogs dissipate heat through panting and by evaporation of moisture through their noses & paws. They have special glands inside the nose that secrete a watery fluid to keep the inside of the nose moist and to help keep the dog cool.

A warm nose does not always indicate a fever. The body temperature of your dog can only be determined with an actual thermometer. A warm and dry nose is common in healthy dogs after sleeping. Dry, chapped noses are common in older dogs and in some breeds like Bulldogs or Pugs.  Playing outside or sitting near a heat source can also cause a warm, dry nose.

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