Respect the Cat: Hunter and Grooming Traits

Our domestic cat is by nature a hunter. A happy cat is a well-groomed member of the household. Respect the cat's true nature and you will have a friend forever.

Hunter Behavior:

A cat is a natural hunter. The family cat has not forgotten his roots in the wild. Several thousand years of breeding has not changed the basic hunting instinct of a cat. Nearly every part of a cat's body is used to hunt. An older cat's eye captures three times more light than a human eye. A cat's hearing is three times better than humans and five-times more sensitive than a dog's ability to hear high-pitch sounds.

The stealth body of a cat enables him to sneak around behind bushes and crouch down flat to the ground enabling him to analyze his targeted prey. He waits quietly unseen until the time is right and pounces on the prey using his front paws and claws for their intended purpose-snag and capture.According to cat scientists and veterinarians there is little difference between the loving family cat and lions, cheetahs, tigers and snow leopards.

Cats learn the art of hunting by playing hunting games as kittens. This is similar to children playing a game of Hide and Seek, but makes no mistake cats are not like little humans. Cats take their cue from their ancestral link in the wild. Cats in the wild hunt for food and survival. The family cat hunts not because he is hungry, but because he is inherently wired to do so. Cat hunting behavior involves chasing flying insects, colorful knitted balls and leaping into the air to snag a string suspended above its head. Whether the cat is in the wild or in the loving arms of a pet owner, it only succeeds in catching prey 60-percent of the time. Practice increases success.

Grooming Behavior:

Happy cats clean themselves with great care. Scientists believe cat grooming such as licking and grooming by selective fur-biting is triggered by the cerebellum and medulla region of the cat brain. A contented cat will spend time licking its fur, removing dead hair from its coat and carefully cleaning all of its body parts. Thus, the dreaded hairball may develop.

A hairball is a nasty result of grooming. A cat uses the barb-like projections on the tongue to clean and remove dead hair from its coat. Sometimes the excess hair sticks to a cat's tongue and eventually is swallowed. The hair accumulates in the stomach because it is not digestible. Most often, the cat is able to vomit up the hairball. It isn't a ball at all. A hairball is usually tubular in shape.
If a hairball becomes too large, it may get stuck in the cat's esophagus. The esophagus is a tube-like hose that connects the stomach to the mouth. If the cat is refusing to eat, is sad and listless, appears to be choking and can't regurgitate the hairball, this is the time to call a veterinarian.

Hairball Prevention:
A good way to prevent hairballs is for pet owners to assist cats in grooming by performing daily or routine combing or brushing of the cat's fur. After brushing, wipe the cat's coat with a damp cloth to remove loose hairs. A veterinarian can give cat owners medicine to prevent hairballs and provide good advice for prevention.

More About Cat Behaviors:
A cat has many behaviors. The hunting and grooming behaviors are probably the most important features of what comes naturally to a cat. Scientists who observe cats and analyze their behavior are called cat behaviorists. A fun kid experiment is to keep a diary for a week of all the behaviors of the family cat. Check out a variety of cat breeds for their special skills.