SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Cat Care
Cat Care Tips
The
7 Physical Attributes Of A Cat
Conformation
Muscle
and bone are what designs the conformation. The 244 bones
in the feline skeleton lend support and
substance to a cat's body while protecting its internal
organs. In some breeds bone is sturdy as an oak; in
others it is very delicate. In every breed bone is decorated
in wreaths of muscle. By conducting an electrical impulse,
and then through a series of chemical transformations,
converting that impulse into contractions, muscle produces
movement and, ultimately, the gracefulness that characterizes
the cat.
Ears
A
cat's ears are decorative as well as functional. They make
statements in addition to receiving them. There is no
mistaking the message intended by a cat when its ears are
pinned back. The upper limit of a cat's hearing is higher
than a dog's
and almost two octaves higher than ours. From a distance
of three feet, cats can discriminate between sources of sound
that are as little as three inches apart.
Eyes
Round,
almond shaped, or in between, the cat's eye reflects a
mysterious luster. Cats are the
most efficient gleaners of
light. Their pupils can dilate to a soulful, ½ inch
width or narrow to the most inscrutable slit. Cats cannot see
in absolute darkness, nor are they absolutely color blind,
though they can see red only in the emotional sense. They are,
in addition, somewhat farsighted. Their depth of field is in
sharpest focus between seven and twenty feet.
Size
The
difference between the largest breed of cat, the Ragdoll,
and the smallest, the Singapura, is a little more
than a dozen pounds and less than one square foot at the
extreme; while the difference between the longest and the
shortest facial
profiles is about two inches. Most other breeds fall into
the one-size-fits-all category. Yet within these limits,
more than
forty breeds have been defined.
Length
of coat
There
are twenty-seven shorthaired breeds and seventeen longhaired
ones. Seven pair of breeds are separated
by the gene for coat length: Abyssinian/ Somali, Colorpoint
Shorthair/Javanese, Exotic Shorthair/Persian, Manx/Cymric,
Oriental Shorthair/ Oriental Longhair, Scottish Fold/Scottish
Fold Longhair, Siamese/Balinese. Coat length also relegates
cats into shorthair or longhair specialty rings at shows,
except in the Cat Fanciers' Association, where specialty
rings are
determined by facial type and body conformation.
Type
of coat
Hair
grows from tiny pits in the skin called follicles. Primary
or guard hairs, the longest ones in a cat's
coat, grow from individual follicles. Secondary hairs, usually
classified as awn hairs (bristly tipped and medium in length)
or down hairs (fine, crinkled, and short in length) grow
in groups from single openings. Grooming needs are determined
not so much by coat length as by coat type. Breeds with thick
undercoats (awn and down hairs) are more likely to mat, hence
require more attention than breeds with less profuse undercoats.
Tail
Cats'
tails range from long, thin, and whip-like to short, thick,
and plume-like. The Siamese' tail ends somewhere
over the rainbow, while the Manx' tail stops before it begins.
The Japanese Bobtail's tail is curled, corkscrewed, and looks
like a pom-pom. Cats use their tails as balancing poles and
to keep their noses warm when they sleep. #
# # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
>
Home Page > Cat
Care Articles: Main Page |
