The domestic cat is NOT weird as stupid newspaper journalists claim

Online newspaper journalists have a tendency to claim that the domestic cat is "weird". It just plain stupid. Domestic cats behave as they instinctively have evolved to behave. They behave differently to humans and from a cat's perspective, no doubt humans behave weirdly. 

In fact human behaviour is far more weird than cat behaviour. Look at what humans are doing to the planet at the moment? They are destroying the planet upon which they rely for sustenance and for all their needs. If that isn't weird I don't know what is.

But a website called Your Tango says that cats are weird and they list 15 facts to prove it. So what are these facts? I will touch on a few of them to illustrate my argument.

Perspiration

The first one they list is that "cats sweat through their paws". What is weird about that?! That's perfectly normal. Cats can't sweat through their bodies because they have a coat which is highly functional. And they keep their coat clean all by themselves without having to go into the shower! Far more practical than human behaviour. 

Also when they groom themselves it helps to cool them through the same scientific process which makes sweating effective: the latent heat of evaporation.

Tasting sweetness

And they add that "cats can't taste anything sweet". So what? Cats are obligate carnivores. They've evolved to eat meat. They don't need to be able to taste sweetness. 

Look, if humans couldn't take anything sweet just like cats there would be much less human obesity. Around 40% of Americans are obese. It is a similar percentage UK residents. This obesity is nearly always caused by overeating and eating the wrong foods including foods high in carbohydrate i.e. sugars. Sugars and salt are addictive to humans.

Ironically, the only reason why domestic cats can be obese (and there are too many obese domestic cats thanks to poor human caregiving) is because of the high carbohydrate content in the unnatural dry cat food that they are given so often. Humans have passed on their obesity to the domestic cat.

Grooming exaggeration

Then Your Tango begins to get things wrong. They add that "cats spend up to half their lives grooming themselves". Wrong! Completely wrong! Cats are fastidious groomers but they don't spend half their lives grooming themselves.

Sleeping exaggeration

And they say that cats spend 70% of their lives sleeping. This is incorrect as well because cats, particularly full-time indoor cats, spend a lot of their time perhaps even more than 70% sometimes of their lives not sleeping but snoozing. That's because they've nothing to do thanks to full-time indoor living and a sterile environment. They are not sleeping in the proper sense. We know this because they leap into action at the slightest activity near them.

DNA

The journalist also adds that domestic cats shed 95.6% of their DNA with tigers. That's probably correct and there is also nothing weird about it at all. It's what you would expect because thanks to millions of years of evolution both the tiger and the domestic cat stem from the same ancient cat-like animal. 

Their evolutionary paths split millions of years ago but their ancient origins are the same. Nothing strange about that. It is all nature, evolution and scientific.

I won't bother to go on because I'm wasting my time. I've made my point. Online journalists need to be more careful and stop using click bait words and tactics. I've seen too much of it; too much stupidity and carelessness.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

If your cat smells bad there is something wrong. Time to investigate.

Image: in public domain.

On the mumsnet.com website a lady asks if cats smell? She says that her cats don't smell which is normal she says if a cat is healthy. She is seeking reassurances from other mumsnet.com users.

Actually, domestic cats do smell slightly when they are healthy. It is a subtle, pleasant smell. Most cat caregivers have kissed their cat on various parts of their body and picked up the smell. It is a pleasant experience.

New cat owners

People who are new to cat ownership might be unsure about how domestic cats smell. This might be because they've read some misinformation on the Internet. Or, they might have a distorted idea about the normal body odour of domestic cats because they have a cat litter tray which is not cleaned enough or, perhaps, their cat is eliminating inappropriately. 

This means that they might be peeing outside the litter box or even defecating outside the litter box due to stress. That by the way will be due to an environmental problem which would be fully in the control of the cat caregiver and it would need to be investigated.

It may be that the entire house smells bad and their cat is picking up some of this odour. There are many possible reasons why their cat might not be smelling nice. Or they think their cat doesn't smell nice. There may be a subjective issue here: the owner's sense of smell might be dodgy or they don't like certain smells. 

It needs to be investigated because this short post has been published to tell people unequivocally that domestic cats don't smell bad. They smell nice.

Some possible reasons why a cat might smell bad

I will try and think of a few reasons why your cat might smell bad. These are some examples.

Oral health

Firstly, he or she might have very poor oral health. Bad teeth and gums are not uncommon in older cats. She might have bad breath. This might give the impression that she smells. This will need to be investigated because poor oral health is painful and it can stop a domestic cat feeding properly or at all if it is very bad.

Ear mites

Image: MikeB

A bad infestation of ear mites can result in a bad smell around the ears. This may give the impression to the owner that there cat smells bad. Ear mites are terrible parasites and they cause a lot of distress to the cat. Urgent medical treatment is required. The owner should not try to clean their cat's ears themselves unless they are very skilled at it. I have a page on that which you can read by clicking on the following link if you wish. Home treatment for cat ear mites.

Diarrhea

She may have diarrhoea and be unable to maintain a hygienic bottom. This may give the impression that she smells. If this is the case you need to investigate the underlying cause of diarrhoea which is a symptom of a range of ill health conditions.

Abscess

He might have an abscess which you've not spotted which is weeping pass which is smelly. That would be unusual for an indoor cat but possible as the most common cause of abscesses are fights. If an abscess is left unattended there will be a big buildup of pus under the skin. It will need to be attended to. It will need to be cleaned out and the cat given a course of antibiotics.

Chemical on coat

Another possibility would be that the coat has picked up some chemical or substance which you've not spotted which smells. Obviously, this should be removed from the coat because anything on a domestic cat's coat presents a health hazard to the cat as they are fastidious groomers normally and therefore will ingest that substance.

Skunk (America)

It is conceivable that an indoor/outdoor cat has met a skunk on their travels and they been left with the owner that that creature chucks and other creatures! Skunks spray to repel potential predators with a foul-smelling, oily secretion stored in their perianal glands.
Not grooming?

Cat fails to groom themselves

And this takes me to the last point and perhaps the most important point. If a domestic cat is not maintaining their own hygiene to a high standard as they normally do by which I mean they are not grooming themselves regularly on a daily basis, it is an indication that they are ill. 

It is an indication that they are not feeling themselves. It may result in the cat smelling not quite right. The usual pleasant nutty smell may no longer be there. This would be a warning sign and the cat caregiver should investigate carefully and it is likely that a veterinarian's visit is required.

Rolling in dirt

RELATED: Why do cats roll in dirt? 3 reasons.

Bathing

Cats don't normally need bathing and they should not be bathed regularly because it's not good for them. But bearing in mind that this page is about a cat smelling abnormally unpleasant it may be a moment to bathe your cat which of course should be done with care and respect.

RELATED: Do cats really need baths: If so, how often?

Do cats like the feel of tidy fur?

 This is a very esoteric, philosophical question but it came to my mind and I think it's quite important because it's tries to investigate how domestic cats feel. I want to know whether domestic cats like the feeling of their fur to be lined up and combed. The other side of the coin would ask whether domestic cats find it uncomfortable when their fur is not lined up as it is when it's been combed by their human caregiver. The issue is more relevant for longhaired cats because their fur is more likely to become matted if neglected. Do domestic cats hate the feeling of matted fur?

My cat loves to be combed because it feels nice and his fur feels in good nick, all lined up! Image: MikeB.

We know that domestic cats like to be combed and brushed or at least they normally do. So, they like the experience of being brushed. I suspect that this is because they like the feeling of the comb or brush on their skin in much the same way that people like their hair to be combed by somebody else. It has a calming experience.

But people also like to feel that their hair on their head is well-kept. They want it to feel right which means in alignment and tidy. A lot of people dislike the feeling of their hair being untidy and unkempt.

The philosophical question is: do cats feel the same way about their fur? We don't know is the answer! We should know and I would like to know. I'm going to guess. They like it. They like their fur to be in good order, all lined up and neat and tidy.

This is one reason why they are so fastidious about self-grooming. And you know what comes to mind when I think of domestic cats grooming themselves? It is seeing feral cats looking terribly untidy and dirty. You don't see it much but you do see the occasional feral cat looking a complete mess. It must be terribly disconcerting for them to feel like this.

It indicates to me that they have given up mentally and emotionally. They probably feel terrible because of illness and have totally lost motivation to maintain their own hygiene. The beginning of the end for an animal trying to survive in the urban jungle and surrounding environment.

Postscript: in the picture you can see me combing my cat with a flea comb. Another benefit of being combed and another reason why domestic cats like to be combed especially with a flea comb is because it removes any fleas which are an irritation to them. The domestic cat might equate combing with relief from irritation and itching. Another reason why they like it.

PPS: My cat hardly ever has fleas! I flea comb him because he likes it.

Long domestic cat fur mainly exists because people like it

Long fur on domestic cats is non-functional. They don't need it. The longhaired cats and cat breeds would be better off with short fur if functionality was the sole reason for their anatomy. Long fur needs human intervention to keep it in good condition, to prevent it becoming matted. Matted fur leads to infections and infestations of the skin. Domestic cats often can't maintain their own coat if the fur is too long. The decorative Persian comes to mind. There have been some horror stories of matted Persians over the years. Note: this is a cross-post because it is an interesting topic.

Shorthaired cats in a colony in a warm place. Photo: Pixabay.

The Maine Coon has a medium-longhaired coat because they were barn cats living outside. The coats served a purpose. When a wild cat species has a long coat it is for a reason: they live in cold places. I am thinking of Pallas's cat and the snow leopard for instance. That's natural selection.

The very long fur on Persians is due to artificial selection (selective breeding). Human intervention is the main reason why domestic cats have long coats. It is about human preferences. Many people like domestic cats with long coats. This sustains them when under different circumstances they'd fade away and stop existing especially in warm countries such as in South America where a study supported this concept.

ASSOCIATED: Feral cats will have less fur, longer legs and tails and larger ears due to climate change

They say you rarely see longhaired feral cats. It is true. You might see them from time to time if they are new to the feral cat scene and strays. But long term feral cats are nearly always shorthaired for functional reasons: they can maintain their coat themselves.

What is the best way to improve your cat's coat?

Charlie my cat with his shinny black coat

It is a waste of time writing copious pages of waffle in answering the question in the title because the answer is straightforward and common sense: ensure your cat is healthy by being observant and taking him to the vet when needed and not putting it off, providing the highest quality food you can afford which means high quality wet food or a properly prepared and stored home made raw diet and combing his coat regularly. That stimulates the oils. I comb my cat, who has a single coat, with a flea comb all over. This is a very fine comb (32 to the inch) and he likes it a lot as it massages his skin. I use it myself to scratch my head ;)

A contented cat too will be healthier through lowered stress. That is also down to us in providing an excellent environment.

Fats - essential fatty acids (EFAs) - are important for a cat's coat. Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids help to moisturise the skin. 20-25% fat on dry matter basis is fine (how to read a label on American cat food!). High quality cat food should contain this.

Cats keep their coat in good condition through grooming. Old cats neglect grooming sometimes. We have to step in and help. Fat cats can't get at some spots. Once again we have to help.

Petting Your Cat

Our cat guides us as to where we should pet him. It's a kind of reverse training. Cats do that quite a lot actually, if you think about it. A survey indicated that we enter into a sort of unwritten contract regarding social interaction. I think we can see that if we analyse our behavior with.....

Update July 13th 2015. The article has been moved to the main site. Sorry. Please see it here.

Cat grooming removing mats

A lot of us, who care for cats will at some stage be presented with a cat's coat that is matted to varying degrees. Single cat coats never mat. It is double coats, cats with an undercoat of fine downy fur, that get matted because the cat is too old to get to all of the coat or ill or too fat!

Some mats will be impossible to brush out and you should never brush so hard that it hurts the cat because your cat will learn not to like being groomed, making matters worse in the long run.

Cat lion cut - matting solved at a stroke (err..cut) - Photo by moohaha

We are therefore presented with the decision to ask a veterinarian or a professional cat groomer to deal with the problem or deal with it ourselves.

Scissors come to mind to cut out the matting. Common sense says that this is dangerous for the cat because of the likelihood of cutting the cat's skin.

Cutting out mats with scissors requires extreme care. This is because the cat's skin, not being attached to the muscle underneath will "tent up" (be pulled up with the fur) making it easy to cut.

If you try and slide the scissors between the skin and the matting to cut out all of the mat in one decisive action you are liable to cut the skin bearing in mind the lack of visibility and the cat's movement.

The advice given is to slide a comb beneath the mat to protect the skin from the scissors. You then hold the scissors perpendicular to the comb and body (this means at right angles to the skin) and snip at the matting with the end of the scissors. This breaks up the mat allowing you to tease the bits out with your fingers. When this part of the process is completed the bits of mat left can be combed out.

Very bad matting really has to be done professionally.

Should cats be bathed?

No. Why bathe your cat when he or she is bathing themselves for hours every day? Why wash off all the natural oils etc.? That is the obvious answer. However, there might be occasions when it is necessary, for medical or health reasons, to give your cat a bath.

Smell your cat! Mine cat smell gorgeous. The average domestic cat grooms himself fastidiously. The average healthy domestic cat that is not overweight grooms for up to several hours per day! They are clean, believe me and it is a natural cleanliness.

If however, a cat is overweight or ill or very old he or she might not groom properly. Certain areas might not be reached. I would groom these areas for your cat with a nice, gentle but efficient grooming brush. But I would not put her in a bath.

Three instances comes to mind when you might consider bathing your cat. The first is the dreaded flea. If a cat is infested, a bath in an insecticide or specialist shampoo, under a veterinarian's supervision might be useful. Don't forget that flea treatments are toxic. Use with caution and care. Read those damned instructions.

The second is when your cat has obviously got something toxic on his or her coat. She may have fallen into a paint pot. Mine did. She got a bath. Her brother did not recognize her afterward and hissed at her. She washed herself all over to get back to normal.

The third is when a good and experienced veterinarian suggests it; for whatever reason. Otherwise, "should cats be bathed?"...No, don't bother. Don't put your cat through it, please.