Why do cats like catnip?
Catnip is an herb located in the mint family that when crushed releases a chemical called nepetalactone. When the chemical is released, the cat will tend to roll in the catnip, smell it and occasionally — cats will eat it. Once the kitty has come in contact with the nepetalactone, the cat acts as if it’s on some sort of hallucinogen. Catnip is not harmful to cats even though it may impair them temporarily. Some cats won’t want anything to do with catnip.
What do you call a group of cats?
We all know a group of kittens is called a litter. But then what do you call a group of adult cats? A clowder. A male cat (when neutered) is called a “gib,” if not fixed, he is called a “tom.” And female cats are called “molly.”
Are cats colorblind?
Through years of research, it has been discovered that cats have both rods and cones in their eyes. After neurologists wired cats’ brains using electrodes in order to find out if a cat’s brain can in fact distinguish between different shades of color — the conclusion was cats are not colorblind.
What happens when you cut a cat’s whiskers?
It’s true, whiskers on cats are essentially a fifth sensory organ. Damaging a cat’s whiskers will cause it discomfort as well as disorientation and confusion. Whiskers aren’t just regular hairs on a cats face. They are located deep within the follicle, being surrounded by a muscle tissue sensitive to nerves and sensory cells. The purpose of whiskers is to serve as an “environmental scanning system.” Whiskers are so sensitive that a cat does not actually have to touch an object with whiskers to know it’s there.
Molly Spencer can be reached at [email protected]