Cat science — CatAll

Cat Blood Types: A, B, AB and the Second Transfusion How common A, B and AB are in cats, why naturally occurring antibodies make a first mismatched transfusion unsafe, and the… 6 min read

Cat Body Temperature: 38.1-39.2°C and the 30-38°C Zone A cat runs at 38.1-39.2°C, about 1-2°C above you, with only four paw pads to sweat from. Here are the numbers, the 30-38°C… 7 min read

Cat Claw Anatomy: 18 Claws and the 2 mm Rule How retractable claws work, why sheaths shed every 2 to 3 months, how much to trim, and what declawing actually removes from… 6 min read

Cat Digestion Speed: 2-4 Hour Stomach, 12-24 Hour Transit Gastric emptying takes 2-4 hours and full transit 12-24. Why a gut only three times body length argues for 4-6 small meals, and… 7 min read

Cat Eyes: Why the Pupil Is a Vertical Slit A cat pupil cuts up to 90% of incoming light and can fill 90% of the eye in the dark. What that buys, and when two unequal… 6 min read

Cat Hearing: 48 Hz to 85 kHz and What It Costs Them Cats hear 48 Hz to 85 kHz, about 3 octaves past human range. Here is why an 80-90 dB(A) vacuum is a stress event and which… 6 min read

Cat Heart: 4 Chambers, 140-220 bpm and the 6 mm Line How a 20 gram feline heart works, what murmur grades 1 to 6 mean, and when a 6 mm wall or 30 breaths a minute means an echo is… 7 min read

Cat Jump Mechanics and What a 2-Storey Fall Does The mechanics behind a 1.5 m standing jump, the 3-times-body-weight push, and the injury map that decides what to check after a… 7 min read

Cat Kidney Function: 3,000 mOsm/kg and SDMA Timing How a cat concentrates urine to 3,000 mOsm/kg, why SDMA rises before creatinine, and which IRIS stage numbers and phosphorus… 7 min read

Cat Lifespan: 13 to 17 Years Indoors, 5 to 7 Out What the indoor and outdoor lifespan gap really measures, how to convert cat years after age 2, and the 5 variables that decide… 7 min read

Cat Liver Metabolism: 3-7 Days to Fatty Liver Why a cat liver has almost no glucokinase, how 3-7 days without food starts hepatic lipidosis, and why one 325 mg acetaminophen… 7 min read

Cat Memory: 16 Hours and 5 Repetitions Cats hold a working memory around 16 hours and learn a new cue in 5-15 repetitions. How to time a clicker within 1-3 seconds… 7 min read

Cat Night Vision: 6-8x the Light, Half the Colour A tapetum lucidum behind the retina gives cats 6-8x human light sensitivity, but only blue-yellow colour. What 0.5-2 lux of… 6 min read

Cat Nose Prints: Unique Ridges, 200 Million Receptors The ridge pattern on a cat's nose leather is unique and fixed for life, and the nose behind it holds about 200 million… 6 min read

A Cat's Nose: 200 Million Receptors in Practice Cats carry about 200 million olfactory receptors across 20 to 40 cm2 of epithelium. Here is how that shapes food temperature… 6 min read

How a Cat Purrs: 25-150 Hz, Two-Way Airflow A purr runs at 25-150 Hz and repeats 25-30 times a second on both inhale and exhale. Here is the mechanism, the 18-50 Hz bone… 7 min read

Cat Righting Reflex: Why 30 cm Decides the Landing The reflex appears at 3-4 weeks and is reliable by 6-7 weeks. Why 30 cm is the minimum drop, when short falls hurt more, and… 6 min read

Cat Scent Glands: 9 Zones and 20 Rubs a Day A cat carries 9 scent gland zones and rubs them 20 or more times a day. Here is what each zone deposits, how territory size… 7 min read

Cat Skeleton and Muscle: 230 Bones, 3x Body Weight How 230-244 bones and 500 muscles let a 4 kg cat land from 2 m, and how to score the muscle loss that starts around age 8. 7 min read

Cat Sleep Cycles: 12-16 Hours in 15-30 Minute Bouts Cats sleep 12-16 hours a day in 15-30 minute cycles, about 30% of it in REM. Here is the structure by age, and a 7-day plan for… 7 min read

How Cat Colonies Really Organize Free-roaming cat colonies are mother-lines of 2-20 females, with males leaving at 6-18 months. What that means for shared food… 6 min read

Cat Tail Anatomy: 18-23 Bones and Pull Injuries How 18-23 caudal vertebrae balance a cat, what the tail gland does, and the 48-hour bladder window after a tail pull, with a… 7 min read

Cat Taste Buds: 470 receptors, no sweet, 37 degrees Cats have about 470 taste buds against your 9,000 and a dead Tas1r2 sweet gene. Why 30-40 C food gets eaten, why bitter pills… 6 min read

Cat Teeth: 26 Deciduous, 30 Permanent, No Grinding Why 30 cat teeth cannot grind, what a 1 mm periodontal pocket means, and how tooth resorption shows up after age 3, with an… 7 min read

Cat Territory: 40-100 m2 Indoors, 1 Hectare Outside An indoor cat holds 40-100 m2, a rural cat 0.1-1 hectare. How density drives spraying, and why resources sit 1-1.5 m apart. 7 min read

Cat Tongue Papillae: 300 Hooks per mm2 and the Hairball Myth Why 300 keratin hooks per square millimeter remove 60 to 80% of loose hair, how hairballs actually form, and which remedies are… 6 min read

Cat Vocal Range: 20 Calls and the 300-600 Hz Purr Cats use about 20 distinct calls. What purrs, chirps and trills mean, why the food purr sits in the 300-600 Hz band of a baby's… 7 min read

Cat Whiskers: 24 Sensors, 3 mm Deep, Never Trim Them Twelve whiskers per side, each in a 3 mm follicle with a blood sinus. How the span measures body width, why trimming causes… 6 min read