Page 15 - The Complete Cat Breed Book (DK)

WHA T IS A C A T? 13

which patrol much smaller ranges. Domestic cats are A cat’s eyes are highly sensitive to small movements but their
also a little smaller than their wild cousins. color vision is poor, since cats are primarily nocturnal animals.
Being carnivores, cats have a relatively short intestinal Cats have a wider range of hearing than humans, enabling
tract, because it is easier to digest meat than plant matter. them to detect the high-pitched squeaks of rodents. In addition
A domestic cat’s tract is a little longer than that of a wildcat. to acute senses of taste and smell, cats have a sensory organ
This reflects dietary changes—primarily the cereal content in in the roof of the mouth—the vomeronasal, or Jacobson’s,
food scraps scavenged from humans over millennia. organ. To use this organ, cats contort their face (an action
Cats have scent-producing glands in the skin around called the Flehmen response) as they pick up scents—usually
the mouth and tail, and also on the paws. They mark their those left by other cats. The several sets of whiskers on the
territory using these scents and by scratching surfaces. face are highly sensitive to touch and air currents.

RIGHTING REFLEX
When a cat falls from a
fence or tree, it has the
innate ability—and amazing
flexibility—to twist its body
right-side up. As soon as
it senses disorientation,
the cat rotates its head,
followed by its front
legs, and finally the
hindquarters. The soft
pads of the feet and
PREDATORY NATURE Head turns
Cats have evolved into superb hunters: they have sharp senses to flexible joints help absorb
detect their prey, a lithe, athletic body capable of bursts of speed the shock of landing. A fall
to chase it down, and ferocious claws and teeth to catch and kill it. or drop, however, can still
prove dangerous to a cat.

COMMON FEATURES OF A CAT
All domestic cats have a similar design.
Selective breeding has produced
some variations in body size and
shape, but almost all breeds
are still recognizably close
relatives of their Front legs come around
wildcat ancestors.
A cat uses the
position and
movement of its tail
to signal its mood

Powerful
hindlegs propel a Hindquarters rotate
cat when running
and pouncing

Legs are a
little shorter
than those
of a wildcat CAT BALANCING
The tail aids balance.
Its highly complex
range of muscles
gives it a wide range
of movement. Legs extend for landing