Food grade diatomaceous earth

Food grade diatomaceous earth is useful for people who keep cats, especially cat breeders who have a larger number of cats. The picture (credit at base of post) above is of the processed version (see below for the rock). You can buy it on the internet. Here is an example: Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth Powder 8 Oz.

Diatomaceous earth is a chalky rock. It can be processed (broken down) into a fine white powder. The powder is very porous (water absorbent) and is abrasive (each particle has sharp edges).

This type of rock was formed millions of years ago from the fossilized remains of a water borne algae with a hard shell called diatoms (one celled phytoplankton). The rock is mined from areas that were once under water or I presume still under water. This algae is the equivalent of grass for creatures living in water.

Once mined it has a wide range of uses once processed (milled). As long ago a 1866 it was used in the making of dynamite. When it is mixed with nitroglycerin it makes it more stable and the inventor called the resulting product dynamite.

The most common usage (over 2/3rds of production apparently) is for filtration, especially in swimming pools. This form of diatomaceous earth is pool filter grade, which has been chemically treated for that purpose and which is poisonous to animals and therefore unsuitable for use by people who keep animals.

Food grade diatomaceous earth is processed in such as way to make it safe for animals both externally and if eaten. In fact it is used to control mealworm (the larvae of mealworm beetle) and other insects that can be present in animal feed (grains). It is also used as a wormer for livestock.

It is EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) approved for use in grains and for the control of insects inside and outside the home. It is also FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approved for internal (inside the body) and external (outside the body) use. Its quality is also controlled by FCC (Food Chemical Codex), a method of ensuring standards in food ingredients.


Food grade diatomaceous earth - Used to kill ants and it seems to have killed some bees as well. Photo by This Year's Love (under a creative commons license).

One of its uses is as an insecticide but a special one. Although (it seems to me) it is not completely clear as to how it works to kill insects and parasites, what is clear is that it works in a purely "physical" manner (i.e. in contrast to chemical insecticides which can cause environmental damage). This also means that the parasites can't adapt to it as they can in respect of chemical insecticides.

The sharp edges of the very fine particles cut (the external skeleton) and desiccate (drys out) the parasite. Some scientists think that Food grade diatomaceous earth de-ionizes or de-energizes the parasite. One thing is for sure, it is well established that it effective controls parasites and insects and this is borne out by the experiences of some cat breeders who us it to control fleas.

[note: I am not sure how the product is made safe for ingestion by animals if it is made up of sharp edged particles. There is probably a simple explanation to this but I would have thought it would abraze the digestive tract of animals]

Cat fleas are extremely common so a natural method of control is highly desirable. For flea control it can be sprinkled on the ground (or even on the cat, but I definitely wouldn't do this as a cat will simply lick it off and ingest too much of it) in powder form or mixed with water to form a sludge. It can of course be sprinkled on the carpet but it will then be hovered up in due course.

[Note: When sprinkling the powder care must be taken to protect the eyes]

Food grade diatomaceous earth will control fleas that jump on an off a cat (cat fleas don't just stay on the cat but jump off for laying of eggs) and kill them when they are on the ground. It will also control other insect pests such as cockroaches.

It can be bought over the counter or on the internet. That said I have rarely seen it until recently and only as a result of my research for this website. It would seem to be underused as a method of flea control.

Food grade diatomaceous earth to cat anatomy

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com

Photo top of page:

• by This Year's Love (under a creative commons license). The photo credit is at the base of this post as Google reads the top lines for a post description, which needs to be completely relevant.

Photo second down:

• Wikimedia commons credit: Slovenčina: slovak: diatomit

Blood in cat urine

Here are the causes of Blood in cat urine. The scientific term for this condition is, "haematuria". This post mainly presents well researched information but there is no substitute to seeing a veterinarian, which should really go without saying.

However, this post is not written exclusively on the basis of cold research as I have had first hand experience of caring for a cat with blood in her urine.

Cystitis

Some time ago, my cat suffered an infection in her bladder causing it to become inflamed. The infection/condition is called Cystitis. Cystitis is simplest of the feline lower urinary tract diseases (FLUTD).

It is not that uncommon in women as well (a lot of the diseases that can be contracted by cats are also found in humans) and certainly quite common in cats.

You can tell when your cat has it because she/he will urinate small spots of dark urine or bloody urine in and outside the cat litter. When my cat had Cystitis she would pass small drops of urine in corners of the room and in the bath and shower (that was nice of her). This "inappropriate elimination" as it is called wasn't due to poor litter training but an extreme urge to go to the toilet, a symptom of Cystitis.

In my cat's case it was due to one of two things. At the time she was on a mainly dry food diet as recommended by the veterinarian. She is a nervous and passive girl so gets overweight easily. She was eating Hills LD (light dry food). This food I believe exacerbated her condition as it can cause the urine to flow less freely (less of it unless your cat compensates with increased water drinking). Less free flowing urine is more static which presents a good and fertile material inside the cat for a bacterial infection which in turn causes inflammation and then bleeding in a more extreme case.

To prevent this I feed her fish with added water sometimes and now I feed her much more wet food. Dry food, due to the nature of its manufacture has too high a level of carbohydrates in it which is unnatural for a cat and it encourages over eating and can be a factor in becoming overweight and causing diabetes. She still eats dry food but much less. She is healthier and more active I believe. Overweight cats and older cats seem to be more prone to getting Cystitis. It could be argued that a carefully controlled raw food diet with supplements is best for your cat (some breeders feed their cats raw food). I have posted an article about urinary tract cat food on this website.


This is a nice picture of a cat at the vets. Photo by jilbean3 under a creative commons license.

Another reason for the Cystitis was stress brought about by her nervous demeanor. She is nervous because of an early difficult life as a stray cat. The vet gave some de-stressing medication but the best cure was plenty of wet food and love from me. I would certainly look carefully at the stress issue. It can be hard to tell if your cat is stressed. Rather than trying to figure out what might cause stress the best thing to do it to create and environment that you know will not be stressful. This will entail creating an environment that is as natural as possible for the cat.

Things which come to mind from experience are, your company (provided it is loving, gentle and interactive), quiet, routines, space to explore, stimulation through watching and playing, the possibility to go out (provided it is secure - a good compromise is a cat enclosure).


One of the best "cat-at-a-vet-pictures". photo by Chuckumentary. The other best picture (and the best, I think, can be seen at the top of the Cat Health Problems page of this website)

Tumours

These are more commonly encountered in young middle-aged cats and old cats and can cause blood in cat urine. The symptoms could be a history of blood in the urine. X rays are used to diagnose the presence of tumours. Surgery is possible but if the tumour is too advanced the only answer if euthanasia sadly.

Trauma

Another cause of blood in cat urine is trauma or injury. If the bladder ruptures (broken and torn releasing urine into the abdominal cavity) it is to be expected that there will be blood in cat urine.

Leakage of urine into the body will naturally cause the cat to become sick. Symptoms are depression, vomiting, lack of appetite and poor production of urine, straining to urinate, blood in urine. (src: http://www.petplace.com/). This may, it seems to me, give the appearance of urinary tract disease so a vet's diagnosis is obviously vital.

Rupture may also be a result of severe inflammation referred to above.

Trauma can occur in many ways, for example, being hit by a car or falling from a height. Cats will find a quiet spot when feeling unwell. This would be another sign of illness.

Urinary Tract Obstruction

This may cause bladder rupture due to the cat straining to urinate beyond the tensile capacity of the bladder wall. The underlying cause will be the obstruction. One cause of obstruction is the formation of crystals (stones) in the tract. Answer: see a vet.

Blood in cat urine to Cat Health Problems

Blood in cat urine - Sources:

• Myself
• Veterinarian Notes for Cat Owners by Trevor Turner and Jean Turner
• The Veterinarian's Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms
• Petplace (Dr. Jon)

Cat Urine Smell Outside

This cat moved home (the person keeping her thinks), because she was uncomfortable living with a dog and her bullying mother. This is just a nice photo and not that relevant to the post. Photo by by CaptPiper - creative commons license.

Cat Urine Smell Outside is a search term, a keyword, although a modest one, but why is it a term that is searched for? I am honestly not sure why Google is being employed to search for this term.

If you have a cat urine smell outside, you've got cat urine outside or something that smells very much like it.

We'll assume that a person who smells cat urine has got it right and that it is urine. I'll also assume that it is outside the house or apartment/flat and quite close to the house or apartment.

So, we have cat urine smell just outside the home. If the person who has smelt it has a cat it could be that the cat has gone to the toilet just outside the home. This is quite likely to happen in an outdoor cat but it can be hard to smell cat urine on the ground and covered up.

So, it is more likely to be an uneutered tom cat that is spraying to mark his territory. He may have smelled the person's cat and is leaving a "marker" in reaction for the cat to say that this is his territory.

Tom cats (male cats) mark their territory by spraying urine backwards onto vertical objects that mark the area of their territory. They are particularly inclined to jet the urine against these objects if another cat has has sprayed his urine there beforehand.

A cat smelling the urine will learn from it. He can tell which cat has passed this way before and how long ago. It is a very efficient form of communication based on the efficient nose of the domestic cat. From the smell the cat can tell a lot about the cat who did the spraying.

In short, spraying is a form of cat communication. Smell is a form of communication for the cat. cat urine smell outside is probably due to this. It is best to simply accept it. The smell will fade and the "problem" go away.

You might like to think about the outside movements of your cat if she/he goes outside as there may (although unlikely) be a cat fight in which he is involved.

Cat Urine Smell Outside to Home page

My cat smells bad

Cat at a veterinarian's surgery. Photo by McBeth

If you say, "My cat smells bad", it is certainly not the cat's fault. If a human smells bad it is probably because the person is not clean and therefore the person's fault. Cats instinctively keep clean through very regular grooming.

A cat that smells bad is 99% certain to be ill. The illness may be a viral infection that has become a secondary infection (bacterial infection). It may be bad breath caused by gum disease. Or for the Bengal cat there is a condition called Bengal cat smelly poo! Yes, their poop can be smelly which can make the cat smell a bit.

Bengal cat can have smelly poo! Photo: Helmi Flick

There are a number of possibilities and only a qualified person (a veterinarian at first call) is able to diagnose the reason.

All the cats I have known and all the cats I have loved and lived with have smelled lovely. Cats groom themselves frequently using their saliva and versatile tongue. As a result they are clean, unlike some (few) humans. If a cat cannot groom her/him self it will be due to illness (if there is no grooming) or overweight (if there is partial grooming). If she is grooming most of her body that she can get to but not those parts she cannot get to because of her size she will still smell nice.

There are other possibilities if you think "my cat smells bad". Smell is subjective. A person may not like the smell of a cat. This is unlikely because it is a nice neutral type of smell but definitely pleasant.

Another possibility is that she is giving off pheromones (a scent from her glands) if she is on heat (in an estrus cycle - see cat heat behavior or cat pregnancy). This smell is designed to attract a male for mating. The smell is musk-like. Your cat should be spayed (altered) if she is not a breeding cat as there are too many domestic cats in the world and very many millions in the USA are euthanized by shelters every year because of lack of space to house them or find suitable homes. Although I would be surprised if she smelled "bad" (the smell is not actually bad) for this reason as most responsible people ensure their cat is neutered/spayed. Breeders nearly always neuter/spay before selling a cat.

I am not a vet but I would favor the likelihood of bad breath as being the most obvious reason for a cat smelling bad. The most common causes of bad breath are:

---kidney disease can lead to mouth ulcers, which in turn lead to infections and bad breath

---diabetes

---tooth disease and gum disease (Gingivitis, periodontal disease, stomatitis - quite common)

This is a must do if you are thinking, "my cat smells bad" - see a veterinarian as soon as possible. This is not normal and is almost certainly due to ill health.

Sources:

• http://www.cathealth.com (for bad breath)

Cat Anatomy

Cat Anatomy - Photo by Curious Expeditions.

The picture above was taken at Wax Anatomical Models at La Specola in Florence, Italy. The photograph is published under a creative commons license kindly granted by the photographer. I am sorry if it is a bit gruesome. It is pretty well all I could find as an illustration that was licensed for publication.

Cat Anatomy is a very wide ranging subject. The anatomy of a cat is very similar to human anatomy.

If you were writing a biology book for students of biology you would go through every part of the a cat's anatomy in some detail. It would be similar to writing a book about the human anatomy. It would be a thick book and pretty boring for your average internet surfer. So, how do you limit such a big subject and make this post meaningful? The answer I think lies in doing two things:

1. Having a quick general look at cat anatomy - an overview and;
2. Focusing on the areas of cat anatomy that are particular to the cat and of particular interest making appropriate comparisons to human anatomy. This is what I have done here. Most of the differences concern the advanced senses and sensory organs of the cat.

There are links to lots more information within each section.

Overview

Cat Anatomy

Cat Skeleton - photo by Sophie.

The major organs of a cat are very similar if not identical to human organs. The above image is reproduced under a published under Wikimedia® creative commons license license = Attribution-ShareAlike License, kindly granted by the copyright holder Surachit. This is a cropped image as allowed under the creative commons license. Here is a better image of the cat skeleton added later:

Cat Skeleton - photo copyright Michael @ PoC

See the above image in large format.

You can read lots more on the cat's skeleton and see the above image in large format by clicking on the following link: CAT SKELETON.

The first thing I think about when I think of cat anatomy is that it must be very similar to ours because a lot of testing for a range of reasons takes place, sadly, on cats. These are tests to see reactions to products that are designed for human use for example animal testing for cosmetics. That tells us a lot about cat anatomy and about us! 

Cat anatomy consists of all the organs found in a human as the diagram above indicates. Of course the cat walks on all fours and the cat walks on his or her toes - they are digitigrades.  This is one reason why it is cruel to chop parts of their toes off for our convenience. I am talking about cat declawing.

Some humans also walk permanently on all fours. There is a family or two in Turkey that walk this way for example. This may be due to a mutated gene rather than simple preference or habit.

A cats skeleton has 244 bones (humans: 206) and 506 muscles apparently. The major difference is accounted for in the cat's tail where there are 19-28 bones.

Although the organs found in the head are the same as ours that part of the cat's anatomy that deals with the senses are more highly developed or specialized throughout the range of senses. The cat's ear flaps (pinnae) are much more mobile, for example (see CAT EARS). The cat's sense of smell is more sensitive and is a major part of the way of life of a cat (see CAT'S NOSE for lots of information on that). They even have a special organ that boosts odor reception (see below). Their eyes are both worse (less good at registering color) and better, being better adapted for night vision (see below) as they are crepuscular (dawn and dusk) hunters. Their eyes, indeed all of cat anatomy, is designed for efficient survival.

Things that cats lack, and which we have, are sweat glands and eyelashes. Eyelashes are designed to keep liquids and objects from the eyes. Cats have less need for them it would seem as the fur protects the eye from liquids. They also have a full inner eyelid which you can see sometimes pulled half over the eye when a cat is about to go to sleep. It can cover all the eye.

Cats do have sweat glands in their paw pads, however (see below for reason).

Cats Jaw and Teeth - Photo montage by Michael @ PoC

Jaw and Teeth

Perhaps a good place to start with cat anatomy is at the front!! Seriously though the cat has a strong bite as some of us will be aware. The two large and strong muscles in the head that operate the jaw are the Masseter and Temporalis. The same muscles are present in a human. Both muscles are for mastication (chewing). The purebred cat's head shape has been altered through selective cat breeding. The modern Siamese has a long head, some say rat-like and the contemporary Persian's head is flattened at the front.

Recent research findings indicate that the smaller the animals brain the stronger the bite as a generality as there is more room for larger muscles. This probably explains why the domestic cat has a stronger bite than the human. But I am not saying that the cat is more stupid. Less ability in terms of reasoning, yes, but more in other forms of intelligence such as spacial intelligence and senses - cat intelligence.

The now extinct saber tooth tiger had a weaker bite than modern big wild cats as it probably used its large canine teeth to severe arteries. Modern lions and tigers such as the Bengal tiger and White Siberian tiger suffocate large prey by strangulation clamping their jaws around the preys windpipe. Click on this link to see a comparison of the bite strengths of the domestic cat to other animals including wild cats.

Adult cats have 16 teeth on the top jaw and 14 on the bottom. Click on the following link to read more about cat teeth: CAT TEETH.

Cat Anatomy - Cat Muscles - photo montage by Michael @ PoC

Muscles

The cat has three types of muscles some of which are fast twitch. These fast acting muscles combined with it's flexible skeleton provide the cat with superior athletic abilities. We are all aware these abilities.

Read lots more on this page: CAT MUSCLES.

Paws and Claws

Cats have 5 toes on the front paws and 4 toes on the back paws. This is written into cat association breed standards as cats can sometimes have more toes (up to 7 but the Guinness Book of Records records a cat with 27 toes!) than the regulation number. These are called Polydactyl cats or Hemingway cats after the cats kept by Ernest Hemingway whose cats were all of this kind. See American Polydactyl Cat.

Polydactyl cat photo by JP Puerta (Flickr)

Hemingway's home in Florida is a museum and the descendants of his cats still roam the grounds. There are apparently 60 cats, 30 of which are Polydactyl.

These are not a special breed of cat just cats with more toes than normal due to a congenital physical abnormality. Humans can have more than five fingers or toes so this condition cuts across species. See also Polydactyl Cats and Tootsie a Maine Coon with many toes!

There are 6 separate pads on each paw. Cats paw pads contain sweat glands. The primary reason for a cat to secrete sweat from her/his paw is to improve traction (adhesive friction) between the paw pad and the surface. It helps prevent the pads from slipping on certain surfaces. When a cat is nervous (for example at a veterinarians) she'll sweat from her paw pads. You'll see the paw prints on the vet's table. This happens as the cat is preparing to run! We sweat when we are nervous too (clammy hands waiting for an interview, for example).

Cheetah speed is enhanced by semi-retractable claws, which provide added traction.

Photo by almostlindy

Objects can get stuck in between pads, which can cause irritation. Fur grows in between pads. For long haired cats like the Maine Coon (semi-long) or the Persian the fur between the pads can be long and stick out (see above). The fur is there to keep the feet warm (no shoes).

Cat claws - photo by •Ronnie 

Many animals have claws, which are used for digging, climbing and added traction when running (like spikes on an athlete's shoes). In cats claws have added value helping the cat to catch and hold on to prey. Claws also are weapons in self defense. They are sickle shaped and very sharp at the tip. They renew themselves to help keep them effective and can be withdrawn into a pouch to protect them when not required (i.e. give them a longer life).

A new claw grows under the old and the old sheath eventually falls off encouraged by scratching (see above). Many animal behaviorists and experts say cat claws should be trimmed but it seems this cat interrupt the shedding of the old claw husk in the renewal cycle and lead to problems such as infection. It is best to leave well alone and make provision in another way for damaged furniture (simply accept it is the best way). See declawing alternatives, please.

If they are trimmed for the sake of children the claws should be checked for health regularly. The children should also be trained to interact with a domestic cat on the cat's terms. The same goes to adults. Obviously declawing is a complete no-no. That said many millions of cats are declawed in the States (completely wrong and shameful I am afraid to say).

Click on the following link to read lots more: CAT PAWS.

Cat anatomy - The impressive cat tongue

Cat anatomy - The impressive cat tongue with the velcro (photographer's term, which I like) like surface of spines facing backwards. Photo above by Figuromo This photo won a prize in the Digital Camera Magazine Photographer of The Year competition. It is published here under a creative commons license.

Cat Tongue

A cat's tongue (see above) is an essential piece of cat anatomy. When you see a cat scoop up water from a cup with her/his tongue it is impressive. It is an essential grooming tool as well.

Read and see lots more by clicking on the following link: CAT'S TONGUE.

Cat anatomy - Cat eyes - photo by parl (Flickr)

Cat anatomy - Cat eye showing slit aperture
photo by EnKayTee

Eyes

Cat eyes are less good than ours in respect of color reception, it is thought. But it is known that a cat's eyes are much better for seeing in the dark. This is due to a reflective layer at the back of the eye which reflects light back onto the retina magnifying the reception. They also have that slit of an aperture for a reason.  The special science behind cat eyes has been utilized in helping whales. See feline eye disease. The cat eye is adapted for crepuscular (dusk and dawn) hunting.

Click on the following link to read and see more: CAT EYES.

Cat Ears

A cat's ears are very mobile. The outer ear (the bit you see) called the eat flap or more technically Pinna (the two flaps are called Pinnae) can swivel to pick up sound more effectively than humans.

The ear is very expressive as a result as they are a means of communication. There are folds in the ear flap called Henry's Pocket. I speculate that this oddity of anatomy is a way of enhancing hearing.

Cat anatomy - Pronounced cat ears on these kittens in Burma
Photo by phitar

There are apparently 5 basic ear signals.

• relaxed....ears point forward and slightly outward (subject to cat breeding as some breeds have rather extreme appearances). The cat listens. 
• alert mode....ears point to source of sound, which will be ahead as cat faces source of interest. Ears may swivel to side for short time if another sound occurs. 
• agitated mode....ears twitch nervously. If the cat has ear tufts (Maine Coon cats have ear tufts to name one breed - you'll see some great tufts on the linked page) this twitching is more noticeable. 
• defensive mode....ears become flattened for protection. This doesn't apply to the Scottish Fold!! 
• aggressive mode....ears are rotated to show the back of the ear ready to be flattened. This is a signal to beware to other animals. In the wild cat and in some wild cat hybrids you'll see markings on the back of the ear to reinforce this signal. See the Serval for example.

Cat anatomy - Feral cat trimmed ear (see left ear)
photo by ♥ he@rt ♥

Feral cat ears become damaged in fights despite the flattening of the ear and humans nip a piece of the ear of a feral cat when the cat has been spayed/neutered and returned (TNR). Click on the link to see damaged car ears. Cat ears can suffer infestation with mites and parasites, which should be watched for (click the link for a post on cat ear mites). My cats have never suffered this condition, however. I would have thought that it is more likely to occur in feral cats and neglected cats living in neglected human surroundings. There may be a natural cure for cats ear infection. I made an earlier post about cat anatomy focusing on the ears, which might be of interest. Read lots more by clicking on the following link: CAT'S EARS.

Cat anatomy - cat nose - photo by red_a_27

Cat's Nose  A cat's sense of smell is 14 times better than a human's sense of smell because the organ sensing odor particles is larger. If one watches cats it is apparent that the cat will rely on her/his heightened sense of smell very frequently. Smell is much more an integral part of a cat's life than for us. A cat's world is often centered around her sense of smell.  A cat decides what to eat by how attractive the food smells. A cat checks out whether there have been other animals and cats in their territory by his/her sense of smell. She will leave her odor on you by head butting and rubbing up against you to create a friendly smelling environment for herself and as a greeting. Head butting is a friendly exchange of body odors. A male cat will smell a female cat on heat. (see cats mating). A cat establishes territory by depositing urine and pheromones (from glands in the cats feet and facial area). These are readily picked up by other cats' acute sense of smell. The age of the smell will tell the cat smelling the odor if the territory is still occupied. Male cat spraying is a useful form of communication. In addition to the usual sensory receptors in the nose the cat has another organ that gives a boost to her sense of smell. You can see a cat use this organ because she/he will open her mouth slightly (a little like an odd smile) and breath in to suck in air to pass over the organ, which is inside the mouth. It is called Jacobson's Organ (scientific name is vomeronasal organ). The bit of nose we see, the nose leather is quite tough to allow it to absorb rather rough treatment sometimes. The color varies according to the genotype (genetic makeup) of the cat. Cat's skin has the same color as the fur but the color of the nose leather is probably dictated by a dedicated gene. Cats with white fur have skin susceptible to damage by ultra violet light that may cause cancer. Extra care is required when she/he goes outside in hot sun. Some people think a dry cat nose signifies and illness or is an illness. Read about Cat Dry Nose Illness. Click on the link to read lots more: CAT'S NOSE. Cat Fur Cat fur is cat anatomy that is the most obvious to cat keepers. Combined with the cat's head shape and body conformation it is the most important aspect of cat for the cat breeder. The color of cat fur and the patterns are governed by genes that are well known to cat breeders. Some cats have single coats, some double or treble coats. See CAT HAIR for more on this. The most commonly encountered cat coat is the tabby cat coat. Another common and well loved coat is the tortoiseshell and white or Calico as this color/pattern combination is called in the USA. I have made a series on posts on a range of cat coat types. Click on the links to see them:

Cat Anatomy - Plenty of cat fur
photo by champagne.chic

Cat Coats Black | Tabby | Solid and White | Black Tortoiseshell | Torbie | Dilution | Tuxedo | Tabby and White | Torbie/Tortie and White | Pointed | Pointed and White | White | Hairless | Curly | Glitter | Calico Cats | A cat's fur coat is most commonly a double coat. There is a top coat made up of guard hairs and an undercoat made up of fine downy hair. It is this hair that mats. Hair loss in cats can be a health issue. Some cats only have one coat. The Turkish Angora is a cat with no undercoat. Fur is a nice home for some parasites - see some cat and dog parasite pictures. A regular inspection of your cat for fleas and parasites generally is pretty essential. It is easy to let this drift and forget about it. Cats get fleas easily. They will need treatment either mechanically (combing) or chemical (drops). I would be cautious with chemical treatments as they can affect a cat adversely. Cat whiskers are many times longer and stiffer than cat fur. They are called vibrissae. They serve a purpose well beyond the measurement of the size of a gap. The area around the base of the whiskers contains highly sensitive nerve cells that transmit information back to the brain. They are so sensitive that they can detect small changes in air currents. Click on the link to read about CAT WHISKERS.

Cat Anatomy - Photo by Curious Expedition

This picture was taken at Wax Anatomical Models at La Specola in Florence, Italy. Other cat anatomy subjects:

• CAT GENETICS
• CAT'S TAIL
• CAT SOUNDS
• CAT TEMPERATURE

Sources:

• http://www.pets.ca/
• http://www.felinefuture.com
• Catwatching - Desmond Morris
• http://cats.about.com