Clinica Veterinaria: Some Things Your Cat Does, Just Because It’s a Cat

The same way dogs have shared their lives with us for the last 10,000 years, and this fact have made them modify their genetics for, for example, being able to digest starch, cats have made the same for a similar period of time.

Domestication happened in a certain prehistoric moment and affected several animal species (cats, dogs, livestock, horses, Asian elephants…) and gave humans the power of dominating and modifying the environment, and improving transportation, agriculture and stockbreeding.

We owe these species (animal, but also vegetal ones, since the plants we grow for obtaining food are also “domesticated” ones) a significant part of what we are nowadays since they have provided us food, materials and workforce.

Some species, basically dogs and cats, have also “thrived”, so they no longer need to work (with some exceptions) for enjoying human company and protection. By the way: we are not the only primate species which have pets. Some social primates adopt pets the same way humans do.

In case of cats, since they are no longer necessary for controlling rodents pests, the fact that they behave like kittens during their whole lives, becomes very attractive for humans. Those feline behaviours we specially love (being playful, exploration, etc), are typical in kittens: chasing preys and playing with them is the most important training in a cat development, since it makes them learn and being in shape. An adult cat is perfectly able to chase, catch and kill a prey in a matter of seconds, with an accurate bite at the occipital area, and they don’t need to practice or learn how to do it, they are just born with this ability. They don’t need to play with the prey for learning how to catch and kill it. So, why adult cats keep doing it? Because during domestication process, juvenile characteristics are been encouraged. Normally, cats which behave and look like kittens (round heads, big round eyes, round shape… just remember Shrek’s Puss in Boots), are more likely to be adopted. Feline breeds which look like this (British Shorthair, Exotic Shorthair) look specially lovable for us. Of course, there are other very popular breeds (Siamese, Sphynx) which look the opposite.

Domestic adult cats keep playing the same way kittens do for life. While a feral cat kills its preys in seconds and eat 100% of them, a domestic cat just eat 30% of them, just because they don’t need all those calories. So it makes the game last for longer. Your cat is not vicious and doesn’t want to make the prey suffer. It’s just a cat.

Another typical cat characteristic is their “difficult” appetite. Cats have much less taste buds at their tongue than us (20 times less), and they are unable to feel the sweet taste. So they choose their food according to smell, texture and previous experiences. Normally they prefer fatty foods (they like vanilla ice cream because of the fat, not because of the sugar) and gelatinous textures. Your cat is not picky with the food. It’s just a cat.

And finally, your cat is not silly because is unable to find a toy which is in front of its nose. It’s just because, due to its head shape, its vision has a blind spot under the chin, so it can’t see what it’s exactly in front of its head.

Your cat is special just because it’s a cat.