All articles tagged with "Cat Science"
Cats purr by rapidly dilating and constricting the glottis, the part of the larynx surrounding the vocal cords, during both inhalation and exhalation, producing a continuous vibration at frequencies between 25 and 150 Hz. Purring signals contentment in many situations, but cats also purr when inju
Cats meow almost exclusively to communicate with humans, not with other cats. Adult cats essentially do not meow at one another; the behavior evolved specifically as a communication channel targeted at people. Kittens meow to their mothers, but this vocalization largely disappears as they mature un
Cats knead, pushing their paws rhythmically against soft surfaces in an alternating left-right motion, because the behavior originates in kittenhood nursing, when kittens knead their mother's mammary glands to stimulate milk flow. In adult cats, the behavior is retained as a comfort reflex neurolo
Cats demonstrate intelligence roughly equivalent to a 6- to 9-month-old human infant in object permanence tasks, can recognize their own name from similar words, count small quantities, and learn by observation. They are harder to test than dogs because they lack the social motivation to perform for
The average domestic cat can jump approximately 5 to 6 times its own body height from a standing position, typically 1.5 to 1.8 meters (about 5 to 6 feet). To put this in human perspective, this is equivalent to a person 1.8 meters tall leaping 9 to 10 meters straight up without a running start. Th
Cats can see in light levels approximately six times lower than what humans need to see, not because they have supernatural vision, but because of several anatomical adaptations: a much higher density of rod photoreceptors in the retina, a reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum that bounces li
