by Gigi McWhirter
From understanding us more than we might think to having more bones than we do, our dogs and cats are fascinating. Let’s take a deeper look.
DOGS
Your dog has a sense of smell at least 40 times better than yours. They have more than 300 million scent receptors in their noses, compared to your approximately 6 million. They also have the equivalent of fingerprints. Every nose print is unique and can be used to ID dogs.
Just like us, they have REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and can dream. That twitching or moving their paws while sleeping is when this likely is happening.
Lucky for us, our canine companions can interpret our facial expressions and body language, figuring out whether we are happy, sad or angry — they often respond accordingly.
They don’t sweat like us. Their sweat glands are in their paw pads, which help them cool down.
One of our favorite things about dogs is watching their tails move. A wagging tail can mean happiness, but the speed and direction of the wag can also indicate feelings such as nervousness or aggression.
CATS
Then there are our feline friends, who comfort us with purrs. However, cats don’t only purr when they are content but also when they are anxious, in pain or even as a self-healing mechanism. And get this, the vibrations from purring can help heal bones and tissues.
Which may help because cats can leap up to six times their body length. This is aided by their powerful leg muscles and flexible spine. Cats have a free-floating collarbone allowing them to land on their feet. This bone structure gives them the agility to twist and turn midair.
Perhaps more fascinating, considering their size compared to ours, is that our kitties have 230 bones to our 206. Their extra bones mostly are in their tail and spine, giving them flexibility and agility.
They can move silently through the use of claws that extend and retract (which keeps them sharp), and their ears rotate 180 degrees, helping them detect sounds from various directions to locate prey … or you.
No surprise, but cats can spend up to 50% of their waking hours grooming themselves. This activity helps them stay clean, regulate their body temperature and reduce stress.
Truly our pets should be appreciated and loved for all they are.
Happy Tails to You
