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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
…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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