Feature:
10 COOL SIMILARITIES DOMESTIC
CATS HAVE WITH BIG CATS
“…Scientists
believe that all of today’s house cats evolved from a common ancestor. The most
accepted theory is that millions of years ago, the feline lineage split, &
we eventually ended up with the big cats in the wild & the small pets that
prefer our living rooms over fending for themselves. And while a lot can happen
in 10 million years, studies show house cats & tigers share 95.6% of their
DNA. That number equates to a lot of similarities, & it’s fascinating to
compare the cat napping in your sink to a leopard lounging in a tree.
Domestic
cats & big cats have a lot in common. Here are some of the most interesting
similarities.
1. They’re natural-born
hunters.
All you
have to do is look at a big cat & domestic cat to see their anatomical
similarities. Their bodies are built generally the same, just different sizes.
They have powerful legs, flexible backs, sharp claws, & teeth. All of those
components work together to make all cats skilled hunters.
And
their hunting abilities aren’t all physical. All types of cats possess a
natural instinct that tells them the most successful ways to stalk & take
down prey. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, & all the other big cats hunt
to survive. Tabbies, tuxies, & calicos can hunt for food if they need to,
but they mostly do it because it’s fun & instinctual.
2. They like to rub against
things.
House
cats rub against our legs, the furniture, trees, the walls—basically everything
they can. We tend to consider this a cute attention-seeking behavior, but it
has a more practical purpose. What they’re actually doing is rubbing their
scent on things they consider part of their property or territory.
The
rubbing allows your cat to leave behind scent markers that tell other cats to
steer clear. Out in the wild, big cats do the same thing. They mark the boundaries
of their territories by rubbing on trees, rocks, & each other.
3. They have the same (ideal)
diets.
A tiger
will probably turn their nose up to the hard kibble your cat regularly eats,
but both big cats & house cats are carnivores. They survive on high protein
diets & don’t need to eat things like fruits or vegetables. In fact, their
bodies have trouble processing plants.
It
would be inhumane to subject a cat to a vegetarian diet as they’re obligate
carnivores, & the most species-appropriate diet for house cats is actually
raw meat. You won’t catch a lion grazing on grass, & while your house cat
might nibble on some green stuff, it’s not a necessary part of their nutrition.
4. They like to scratch.
Those
claw marks on the wooden table legs & the shredded fabric on the couch are
consequences of your cat’s natural instinct to scratch. They do it to file
their nails, & it’s also another way to mark their territory. The physical
marks & the scents left behind from the glands in their paws act as
effective ‘no trespassing’ signs.
In the
wild, there is no spray bottle to stop wild cats from putting claw marks in
anything they want. They do it for all the same reasons as your house cat. But
for them, it’s more serious. Protecting their territory is a matter of life or
death.
5. They follow the same sleep
cycle.
You
aren’t a cat person until you’ve been woken up at 4 AM by a crazy cat doing
sprints down the hallway. It happens because cats are crepuscular creatures.
This means they’re most active between dusk & dawn.
In the
wild, the low light of dusk & the darkness of night is the ideal time to
hunt. A big cat’s eyes allow them to see in the dark a lot better than most of
their prey. They use the lighting to their advantage, & when the sun is
high in the sky, you’ll likely find them napping. Just like house cats, big
cats love their naps & can sleep an average of 15 hours a day.
6. Their claws are
retractable.
In
addition to being sharp & potentially deadly, almost all species of cat
(big & small) have retractable claws. The cheetah is the only species with
semi-retractable claws, & that’s because they use them to burst into high
speeds at a moment’s notice.
…Claws
come out when the cat is hunting or climbing. And when they’re resting or
walking on solid ground, the claws retract to protect them from wear &
tear.
7. They have saggy bellies.A life
of luxury puts a lot of house cats at risk of being overweight, but those saggy
bellies aren’t always about too much food & not enough exercise. Cats have
what’s called a primordial pouch that hangs down in front of their hind legs.
This extra flap of skin & fat has nothing to do with a cat’s weight.
Both
house cats & big cats have primordial pouches for practical purposes. The
flap of skin act as padding to protect their vital organs during fights, &
it also stretches to allow more flexible movements while running & jumping…
8. They like to play.There
are no catnip mice or feather wands in the wild, but that doesn’t stop big cats
from playing like carefree house cats. Young cats usually like to play more
than their adult relatives, but age isn’t as much a factor as you might think.
Big cat cubs play with each other to learn basic
skills just like kittens wrestle with their litter mates. Big cats in
sanctuaries & zoos have even proven their love of play by being curious
about things like boxes & laser pointers. Big or small, it seems no feline
can resist a good play session.
9. They have rough tongues.
You
either love or hate the sandpaper feeling of your cat’s tongue against your
skin…a cat’s tongue is covered in little backward-facing barbs called papillae.
Those little barbs help detangle knots & lift out debris from a cat’s fur.
They also tickle your skin when your cat decides to turn their grooming
attentions toward you.
Hopefully
you never get close enough to feel the swipe of a big cat’s tongue. But if you
do, you’d feel the similarities between that wild animal’s tongue & that of
your friendly house cat’s. Lions, tigers, jaguars, & all the other big cats
have the same barbs on their tongues as domestic cats. The rough texture helps with
grooming & also pulls meat off the bones of their prey.
10. They knead.
…This
adorable kneading behavior starts when cubs & kittens move their little
paws while nursing to stimulate milk flow. And as they get bigger, the habit
turns into a signal of relaxed contentment.
Whether
that baby grows to be a 10-pound house cat or a 600-pound tiger, that kneading
behavior sticks with them. No one knows for sure why this behavior follows cats
into adulthood, but scientists have observed big cats kneading both in the wild
& in captivity.
Big or
small, domestic or wild, cats of all kinds are part of the same family. So the
next time you look at your feline friend, it won’t be hard to imagine them
living life in the wild.”
Amber
King
Catitudedaily.com
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