Worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt, cats have an infamous reputation of being aloof and haughty. Today, they are a common sight in Singapore’s heartlands – but how well do we really know our furry friends? So far, we all know that they almost always land on their feet when falling (it’s a reflex that’s noticeable when they’re 3 weeks old, and by 7 weeks, they’re already experts), and that they love to squeeze themselves in boxes: the smaller the better (such spaces serve both as hiding places from predators and somewhere they could subtly stalk their prey).
So here are some more interesting tidbits about neko-chan (cat in Japanese):
The nose says it all
The secret to identifying a cat lies in its nose – although all cat noses may appear the same, that isn’t actually the case! Each nose, in fact, has a unique pattern comprising different bumps and ridges.
A cat’s nose is also indicative of its health status: while a dry nose may worry some owners, it’s normal for variation of wetness to occur throughout the day. What constitutes concern would be coloured (e.g. yellow or green) mucus coming out of your cat’s nose – he or she may have contracted a respiratory disease, and should be taken to see the vet immediately.
Grooming: the feline essential
Fun fact: cats spend 30% to 50% of the day just on cleaning themselves. Cats groom themselves, other cats, and their “human slaves” – they learned the action through mimicking their mothers, who licked them shortly after they were born (to stimulate their breathing). Apart from maintaining cleanliness, this act of self-grooming is also useful for reasons like cleansing injuries and masking the cat’s scent from predators. Excessive grooming, however, may point towards physical discomfort or a deeper issue such as anxiety.
When a cat licks your face or hand, it is usually his/her sign of affection towards you. Consider yourself lucky to be chosen!
Oh snap, who’s that!
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who on earth is this oddball?” Cats, apparently, are unable to recognize themselves, which would explain the phenomena of “cat in the mirror”. When cats see their own reflection, they think it’s another cat and tend to react by hissing and puffing themselves up, in an act of self-defense.
Most cats can’t handle milk
Did you know that most cats are lactose intolerant? Much like some humans, some cats don’t produce enough lactase, the enzyme required for digesting the lactose in milk. Kittens typically stop consuming their mother’s milk around 8-10 weeks, and lactase production often decreases significantly afterwards. Cats are especially weak to cow’s milk, which is full of fat and lactose.
You may have seen videos or films depicting cats being fed milk, but chances are if the cat is lactose intolerant, they’ll suffer from diarrhea, stomach pains, and vomiting, just like humans. While not all cats are lactose intolerant, it’s not a chance you want to take.
Cats can’t taste sweet
Cats have around 470 taste buds (humans have about 9,000), but they aren’t able to taste something we humans love: sweetness! This is because cats lack a specific gene called Tas1r2, which is part of the sweet taste receptor; this includes not just regular sugar, but even artificial sweeteners. But it’s not like they can’t taste anything when they eat something sweet – it’s just processed differently, so a cake may taste like a broccoli, for example.
While this may seem like a disability, cats are biologically carnivores, so their systems were designed to process meat, not carbohydrates (which is what most sweets are). So, giving cats something sweet isn’t seen as a reward the way we humans think it is.
Bonus fact
Did you know that the collective noun for cats isn’t a “bunch” or a “group”? If it’s a small group of cats, they’re referred to as a “clowder“! This term came about in the 1700s, when they were known as a clotter, or clotted mass, for how closely they stuck together in the streets. Over the years, clodder became clowder. However, when referring to a large family of wild cats, it’s known as a colony!
Aren’t these creatures just fascinating?
by Quek Yoke Ling
