The kitten has shorter hind legs. Claw diseases in cats (symptoms, causes, treatment). Causes of claw disease in cats

Most often, x-shaped paws have Scottish cat- nothing more than a tribal marriage. However, in this case, the cat/cat needs to be neutered so that they do not pass on defective genes to children. In addition, honest breeders reduce the price of such kittens.

In a Scottish cat hind legs Xoms are quite common, because This breed, in principle, has problematic bone genes. Therefore, you can turn a blind eye to a slight curvature, if it does not interfere with anything, if you are not going to win titles at exhibitions and produce kittens. Minor deformations that are not accompanied by disease do not interfere with the cat’s life: it can run and jump perfectly without experiencing pain.

Often curvature of paws Scottish cats occurs during unclean mating, for example, of the Scottish Fold and the British, which is prohibited by felinological organizations. So when buying a kitten, you need to ask for documents from the parents or at least see them in person. But even if these are two Scots, crossed according to the safe fold + straight rule, there is no guarantee that this genetic deviation will not shoot out in one of the kittens. But it happens that people who bought a cat in order to make extra money on it do not bother themselves with studying genetics or do not want to lose money, and therefore do not exclude animals with defective genes from breeding. Therefore, it is so important to purchase a kitten from a reliable breeder who, first of all, cares about the purity of the breed and the health of its animals.

Here is what the expert of the MURKOTIKI website, felinologist Elena Shabaeva, says about this: “The breeder has knowledge, he strives to improve the breed, mostly at a loss for the family budget. Unlike a simple “breeder” who bought a cat for three rubles, phenotypically similar to a thoroughbred, and tries to make money by breeding those who are phenotypically similar."

Lack of microelements

If the curvature is severe or if the cat has problems with gait, you need to be examined.

The problem genetics of Scots can be aggravated by a lack of microelements and vitamins. And sometimes it happens that the genes are normal, but the Scottish cat still has crooked hind legs like a frog. This can be caused by a lack of microelements, primarily calcium and phosphorus. This is especially dangerous in childhood, When skeletal system is just being formed.

In case of curvature, an x-ray and a blood test to determine the content of calcium and phosphorus in the body are indicated. Based on these studies, you can draw conclusions and make a diagnosis, or conduct additional examinations.

If a problem is detected, chondroprotectors are prescribed, the diet is revised if necessary, and moderate exercise and massage are recommended.

Musculoskeletal disease

Crooked paws, paws with growths, lameness and a cat’s negative reaction to touching the limbs indicate joint dysplasia, to which Scots are genetically prone. Moreover, it is not necessary that all of the signs listed be present, because they develop over time, and some may be completely absent.

JOINT DYSPLASIA - congenital inferiority of the joint resulting from improper development.

“X-position of the legs indicates a tendency to dysplasia and discopathy (progressive wear and tear vertebral discs, - MURKOTIKI) or about him initial stage. Not necessarily in further development such an animal has thickening of the joints, etc. symptoms with deterioration to the point of disability. An animal can live with this for the rest of its life. Such anomalies occur in unsuitable couples, when choosing a partner incorrectly, etc. Or just bad luck. X-posture and osteochondrodysplasia often begin to appear only at one year of age. You may not see anything for up to a year. When choosing a kitten, it is advisable to look at the parents and other graduates of the nursery,” comments Elena Shabaeva, an expert on the MURKOTIKI website, felinologist and owner of the Kristal Rose*RU Scottish cattery.

As a rule, the disease worsens with age, and if nothing is done, the story will end in tears. Therefore, if you suspect a disease, you need to go to a veterinary clinic. A competent veterinarian will take an x-ray and do a blood test. If he does not prescribe this, but tries to make a diagnosis by eye only on the basis of an examination, you should contact another specialist.

The general impression of the Scottish Fold is that of a medium-sized cat with well-developed muscles, consisting entirely of rounded lines: a pretty round face, large round eyes, giving the look a touching, childish expression, small tightly pressed ears, emphasizing the softness, smoothness and roundness of the features. In the article general information about the breed it was already stated that the standard is a written description of a desirable representative of the breed, and it was also explained why it is needed. Our nursery is registered in the world's largest federation WCF, so we work according to the standards of this organization. In this material we will dwell in more detail directly on the Scots standard itself. But before you can evaluate a cat for compliance with a specific breed standard, you need to check it for defects that are common to all breeds. The presence of such defects does not allow the cat to compete for titles, that is, it makes it impossible, in principle, to be assessed for compliance with the standard of its breed. Some of these defects deprive the cat of this opportunity forever, and some only temporarily: for example, underweight or excess weight, which can be easily corrected (of course, if the cat does not have metabolic disorders), or pregnancy, in relation to which the term “defect” completely wrong. What can you do, translation difficulties - in English language Instead of "defects" the word "faults" is used, which has a slightly different semantic connotation.

Common Faults for All Breeds (WCF)

Among the tribal and show cats A scissor bite is considered normal when the lower canines fit tightly into the interdental space between the third upper incisor and the upper canine, and the upper incisors fit tightly onto the lower ones. The norm is a pincer bite, in which the incisors close together straight, and an underbite or overbite of no more than 2 mm is also allowed.

As a result of selective selection, it undergoes stronger changes. top part skull, as if overtaking the lower one, since it is more plastic and easier to shorten or lengthen. Therefore, breeds with a round skull and a short muzzle, which include Scots, are more prone to overbiting, and breeds with an elongated muzzle are more prone to underbiting

If no disqualifying defects are found, you can proceed to assessing compliance with the standard. All cats are assessed on a 100-point system. 100 points corresponds to an “ideal cat”; points are deducted for each deviation from the standard. The distribution of the maximum number of points on an animal's characteristics is different for all breeds, so what is a minor fault for one breed may be a very significant fault for another breed, and vice versa. For example, among the Scots the quality of coat texture and color can be rated at a maximum of 10 points, and among the British - at 35 points. Therefore, British breeders in their work pay great attention to the quality of the famous “British” plush coat and its color, while for Scottish breeders the lack of texture or color of the coat is just a minor nuisance compared to the tightness of the ears to the head, their shape, size and setness . Indeed, in the Scottish Fold standard, the ears “weigh” 30 points out of 100 possible!

This is what happens if you don’t selectively select animals with incorrect bites

Now directly about the standard for the Scots. Things are very difficult with this issue in WCF. To fully understand the complexity of the situation, it is necessary to compare the standards of European and American type organizations, and also compare them with the European standard of the British breed. We've already touched on this briefly. important nuance When we talked about the breed, we will explain in more detail.

Felinological organizations are divided into two types: European and American. They differ mainly in the rules of judging, but now something else is important - differences in standards. The largest European-style federations are the WCF and FIFe, the latter of which does not recognize the Scots as a breed and does not have a breed standard. The largest American federations are CFA and TICA, whose standards are almost identical. Therefore, for comparison we will use the WCF and CFA standards.

Scottish kitten of an overly massive type: a consequence of mating a Briton and a Fold. In this case, the goal was to obtain a rare, exclusive color - red ticked with white. There is no irreparable “brownness” of the type, the ears are well built, but excessive massiveness and stockiness are corrected by reasonable selection of pairs and further selection

When comparing, several surprises await us, the reason for which is as follows. Not so long ago, Scottish cats in Russia, and in Europe in general, were intensively crossed with British shorthairs. Moreover, straight-eared descendants from these matings were registered by the British. Naturally, with this approach to breeding, the Scottish Fold became similar to a British cat with floppy ears, and it was precisely this Scotsman that was described by the WCF standard. Subsequently, this breeding strategy revealed a number of problems. Moreover, problems began to appear both in British cats that have Scottish Folds in their family, and in fold-eared descendants. The former often began to give way at exhibitions in competition to the British purebred breeding lines, since they were less massive, had a different ear set, head shape, and coat type. For lop-eared individuals, the consequences of such breeding turned out to be more severe. On massive, large-boned, square-format individuals, the negative impact of the Fd mutation was manifested in all its glory. Animals began to develop health problems as they grew older. The mobility of the joints was impaired, fusion of the vertebrae was observed, all this ultimately turned the animal into a disabled person. The general appearance of the animal did not improve either. Therefore, it was decided to stop mass matings of Scottish Folds with the British. In 2003, the WCF decided that only matings between Scottish Folds and Scottish Straights, that is, straight-eared offspring from Scottish Fold cats, are allowed. That is, the American version of breeding was taken as a model, in which straights have long served as the main partners for folds. But if the straight-eared descendants of Folds were categorically prohibited from being registered as British, matings of Folds with the British still remained acceptable - by decision of the breeding commissions of the clubs.

On the left in the photo - British cat puppy, on the right is a straight-eared Scot, Scottish Straight. It will be difficult for a non-specialist to distinguish a British kitten from a Scottish one

Therefore, unfortunately, in Europe, and in some Russian nurseries, this process is still ongoing. Sometimes the progress of a breed requires an influx of blood from other breeds to achieve some breeding goal, but when no specific goal is pursued, and a Fold is bred to a Briton only because there is a knitting British cat at hand... Then one can only sympathize with the buyers of such kittens.

In 2006, WCF accepted Straights for participation in exhibitions as an independent breed with the award of titles. The American type of Scottish cat was taken as the basis for creating the breed standard. A temporary standard was created, but the work on its adoption was not completed. The temporary standard has sunk into oblivion, and at the moment WCF does not have its own standard for straights. Therefore, as befits a member organization of the WCC (World Cat Congress) in such a situation, the WCF uses the standards for the straights of other WCC members. If we are not mistaken, WCF uses the ACF - Australian Cat Federation standard, which is close to the unfinished WCF standard and also describes the American type of Scottish cat.

As the kittens grow up, the difference will be more visible. On the left in the photo are the British, on the right are the Straights. The British have a pronounced cobby type: heavy bones, short and powerful legs, a massive head with wide-set ears, thick cheeks. Scots should be of the average type: lighter boned, longer legs, round head with slightly less pronounced cheeks than the British, high set ears and a sweet facial expression

Thus, a paradox emerged. The current WCF standard for Fold still describes a European-style Scotsman, more like a Brit with floppy ears. And straights, who must be matched to folds, are judged by a standard that describes a completely different type of Scotsman, an American! We don’t know how the judges solve this problem, but today at shows, including European ones, Scottish Fold cats of the American type are leading, that is, of average body type, slightly (but not excessively) stretched, and always with a long and agile tail. Scots with this type not only look more harmonious, but also have better health.

Below you can familiarize yourself with all the mentioned breed standards, summarized in general table. Unfortunately, neither the WCF website, nor especially the CFA and AFC websites, are presented in Russian versions, and the breed standard translated into Russian, adopted by the same felinological organization and published on various unofficial Russian-language Internet resources, may differ significantly from site to site. In order not to guess whose translation is more correct, and not to mislead readers, we did it simpler: we took the standards from the official websites of felinological organizations and translated them into Russian ourselves, since the profession of a linguist-translator allows such freedom. The translation of the standards is followed by comments explaining some of the terms used in describing the standards, and a few more comments on the differences between the Scottish and British breeds, which are important in light of the above.

Comparison of breed standards

*Coat is the only difference in the standards of Shorthaired and Longhaired Scots. According to the standard, the Highland coat should be of medium length, very dense, with a thick undercoat, and not lying flat.

Grading scale

*Evaluation of the “body” article includes the evaluation of the “tail” article
**Evaluation of the “head” article includes evaluation of the “ears” and “eyes” articles

The Briton (left) has a large heavy body, on short powerful limbs, a short thick tail, rounded at the end. In height from the withers to the floor, the body occupies 2/3 and the legs 1/3. The Scotsman (right) has a lighter constitution, longer limbs and a long, tapering tail. In height from the withers to the floor, the body and legs occupy 1/2 each

Cobby (from the English cobby - stocky) is the physique of a massive, squat, compact animal with a wide chest and a short thick tail. Characteristic of British, Persian and some other breeds. When it is said that the Scotsman is lighter and more stretched out, this is meant in comparison with the Coby-type British cat. This is important to understand because in absolute terms a Scotsman should not be easy. The Scottish is a strong cat that stands firmly on its limbs, a farmer cat, don’t forget where it comes from. The type characteristic of the Scottish cat is called medium. Lighter cats are of a type called intermediate. It is characteristic, for example, of the European Shorthair, Angora and many other breeds. The lightest cats are of a type that is called light, or oriental, for example, a Siamese cat.

From the table of distribution of evaluation points on the cat's statistics, it can be seen that greatest number possible disadvantages focused on the head, since the standards allocate for its assessment among the Scots from 45 (straight) to 60 (fold) points out of 100 possible. Therefore, pay close attention to the head, and not to the color, as most novice amateurs do.

The British have a low-set head on the neck, while the Scots have a higher-set head on the neck.

In addition to the general correct form there is a standard for cheeks, nose, eyes, ears, forehead. Although in the standard these parameters are considered separately, in fact, the correct placement of the eyes is directly related to the length and width of the nose, as well as the shape of the muzzle, they are interrelated, and they should be considered as a whole. If you look at the animals in profile, the first thing you need to pay attention to is that the British have a head set lower on the neck, which creates the impression of a powerful scruff. This enhances the impression of massiveness and compactness of the body. Among the Scots, the head is set higher on the neck, which makes the transition of the head to the neck slightly noticeable (but not pronounced).

In profile you can also see that the head shape of a Scot is more rounded than that of a Briton. In the standards, this difference is expressed by the definitions “well rounded” for a Scot and simply “rounded” for a British person. The transition from forehead to nose in both breeds is smooth, outlined, but without a stop. A stop is a sharp, deep transition from the forehead to the nose; such a transition is required by the standard for Persians and exotics. Moreover, please note that even if the Scottish people still have a slight hint of a stop, for the British even this will be considered a gross deviation from the standard. The muzzle of Folds and Straights is slightly shorter than that of the British, but not as short as that of Persians or Exotics. Still, the Scottish profile would be too extreme for a Brit.

Compared to the Scots, the British have a flatter forehead and a longer muzzle; a sharp transition (“stop”) from the forehead to the nose is considered a gross violation of the standard

Compared to the Scots, Persians and exotics have a convex forehead and a shorter, “snub-nosed” muzzle, an upturned nose with a sharp transition (“stop”) from forehead to nose

The muzzle of folds and straights is slightly shorter than that of the British, but not as short as that of Persians or exotics; a pronounced “stop” is penalized. The head of the Scots is more rounded

The British have fuller cheeks, the full face of the head does not fit into the circle. The Scotsman's cheeks are less full, and here we will also be dealing with an almost ideal circumference, which in the Fold is emphasized by the ears pressed to the head. If you mentally fit a Briton’s face into an oval, then a strong, regularly shaped chin will create a single smooth line with the pads of his mustache, without disturbing it. The pads of a Scot's mustache, like everything else, are more rounded; for a Briton this shape would be pinched. A pinch is a form of muzzle when the whisker pads (whisker pads) are too pronounced and do not form a single smooth shape with the cheekbones.

1 – normal, strong chin; 2 – chin is too prominent (possible overshot); 3 – weak chin (possible underbite)

The eyes should also be round, wide open, giving the muzzle a touching childish expression, the so-called “baby face”. Correct placement of the eyes implies, firstly, that the eyes should not be slanted, that is, the inner corners of the eyes should not be pulled down, and secondly, the eyes should be set wide enough. To do this, the distance between the eyes should be from one to one and a half eye diameters. Such a wide set of eyes implies the presence of a wide nose that separates them. The nose should not have a hump and should not noticeably taper towards the lobe. A narrowing nose not only disrupts overall harmony, but can also cause difficulty breathing.

Comparative diagram of the structure of the muzzle and ear set of a British (left) and Scottish (right) shorthair cat

A lot has already been said about fold ears, and they are described in detail in the standard. We can only add that the tightness of the ears to the head is immeasurably more important than their size, that is, large, but tightly fitting ears are much better than small, but distant from the skull. Ideally, the ears should not extend beyond the round contour of the head, or, as stated in the original CFA standard, they should lie “in a caplike fashion” - like a cap.

Straight ears are small or medium in size, wide at the base. Should be high (higher than the British), but set wide. When viewed from the front, the outer edge of the Straight's ear is almost vertical, with the tips of the ears slightly apart. Ears that are set too high and set too straight are considered a fault for both breeds, but what is “too much” for a Brit will be the norm for a Straight. Large, excessively high and straight ears are called “bunny” ears in professional slang (another typical fault is “rabbit” ears, which are turned back and give the impression that the cat is always listening to something).

The quality of each color or group of colors has its own special requirements, since each of them has its own specifics; colors are a broad topic of discussion. What we have outlined in the article about, with a big stretch, can only be called an “introduction to colors”; this is just the tip of the iceberg! However, never forget that the quality of the color for the Scots does not play as significant a role as the type; significantly fewer points are allocated to evaluate the color. For example, according to the WCF standard, 5 points are awarded for color, and the same number for assessing the quality and texture of the coat. And one more interesting point: the quality of the type can differ significantly in different color groups. A good type in relatively new color groups, in which breeding work has been carried out not so long ago (for example, golden colors), will be considered mediocre in the “classic” colors, which breeders have been working on for many decades (for example, black, blue and red colors with white ).

This is how tail length is measured in the field: a medium-length tail should reach the cat’s shoulders. Significant deviations in one direction or another mean that the tail is short or long

Sources

In preparing the article, materials were used from the official websites of WCF (www.wcf-online.de), AFC (www.acf.asn.au), CFA (www.cfainc.org), as well as materials from the websites of the British cattery "Softcat" (www.softcat.ru) and the Scottish cattery "Sweet Dream" (

The anatomical features of the Maine Coon are the result of aboriginal origin. The long body, weight and living conditions in the natural habitat suggest the presence of strong limbs.

Read in the article:

Dimensions and structure of paws

The paws of this breed are considered the largest compared to other cats. Such cats hunted all their lives, often chasing prey through the snow, jumping over obstacles. Therefore, their muscles are developed, and their hind limbs are longer than their front ones, which allows them to push off when jumping to great heights.

The Maine Coon is characterized by wide feet with tufts of hair. This helps them when moving in the snow and in other situations. However, similar hair on the paws occurs in many breeds of cats with long or medium hair. For example, the Norwegian forest cat or the Siberian.

The shape of each paw is round. The girth of the Maine Coon's pastern should be more than 7 cm. To take this measurement, you need to fix the cat, take a sewing centimeter and smooth the fur very tightly to the pastern. Only then will the data on paw sizes be reliable.

In the breed standards of various felinological organizations, the description of the anatomy of the Maine Coon is almost the same. They all agree that the animal’s bones should be strong, the body elongated, and the overall format – square. Therefore, the lighter version of the coon will not be recognized as the ideal of the breed and will not receive high marks at exhibitions. By the way, most of the cat’s mass is the mass of the skeleton with tendons, cartilage and ligaments.

Paws are also noted in official documents. These animals have moderately expressed muscles, but are strong and developed. Adult animals differ in appearance from young animals. This is due to the rather late maturation of large cats. Because of this, the formation of the skeleton goes through several stages. By the time of full maturity, the coon’s limbs become stronger, because the ligaments and cartilage of kittens are usually weaker than those of their parents. This is especially noticeable when considering the position of the hind legs.

Functional Features

The dimensions of such a cat fit perfectly with high level intelligence. Maine Coons are able to stand for a long time without leaning on their front limbs. They get into the “bunny” pose if they are very interested in something.

Most Maine Coons have increased mobility of the lower limbs. They can bend their metacarpus to pick up an item and hold it on wide, furry pads.

In conditions similar to wildlife, aboriginal Maine Coons successfully caught mice and rats, the sizes of which sometimes exceeded the dimensions ordinary cat. Strong paws were certainly a powerful weapon in the fight against rodents.

Genetic abnormalities

A large number of legends are associated with the history of the origin and spread of the Maine Coon breed. Many of them talk about cats and cats with polydactyly. It appears in the form of additional fingers. Previously, polydactyly was explained by magic and intrigues evil spirits. However, the sailors considered the “multi-fingered” Maine Coons lucky mascot. Farmers treated the “polydacts” favorably because the extra fingers with claws supposedly helped in exterminating pests.

Up to a certain point, every second coon had polydactyly. Today, standards stipulate the presence of extra toes, and multi-toed cats participate in zootechnical activities. But championship titles are not in their sights. There are breeders who use exclusively Maine Coons with polydactyly in their breeding activities. Kennel owners are seeking recognition of a separate breed group. One of the organizations met them halfway.

It should be noted that polydactyly is a mutation and is inherited. A Coon kitten with extra toes must have at least one parent with a similar anomaly. Otherwise, the polydactyly gene will not be passed on. Extra fingers don't hurt in life full life animal, Maine Coons move freely. Also, mutations do not affect the skeleton or nervous system.

What does a coon's limb look like? specified feature? Polydactyly manifests itself in different ways. In some, the fingers grow on the sides, forming additional pads with full-fledged claws. Others are distinguished by enlarged middle fingers. The cat's foot always becomes wider. There can be from 1 to 3 of these toes, while the standard set of Maine Coons is 4 on the hind legs and 5 on the front legs. There is a dewclaw; its claw does not retract inward, but grows a little higher than the rest. In general, polydactyly in cats is a common phenomenon.

It is easy to determine the carrier of the gene for this anomaly. It is enough to identify the presence of extra fingers on a coon. Such a cat has a 50/50 chance of having offspring with the mutation. The location of extra fingers and their number are not fixed at the genetic level. Kittens grow differently than their parents. On appearance Kuna-carrier influences environment, random factors.

Polydactyly gave American aboriginal cats nicknames - “snowmobiles”, “polis”. Perhaps gene carriers have stronger bones than their relatives. Some sources claim that certain Maine Coon populations have excellent health, which is consistently passed on to offspring.

Almost all of Hemingway's cats were "polydacts." There are breeds in which this anomaly is considered an acceptable characteristic according to the standard, unlike any coon. These are pixie bobs. The record-breaking “polydacts” of the cat world could boast of 26 fingers in total.

Maine Coon Paw Health

Maine Coons can suffer from many diseases common to the feline family. Tall and massive animals are more likely to develop hip dysplasia, which is also observed in giant and large dogs. The disease is hereditary, there are several degrees. Animals free from THD periodically give birth to offspring with a severe form, and vice versa.

Dysplasia hip joints Coons are diagnosed using X-rays. Experienced and Certified veterinarian determines the presence and indicates the degree. Symptoms of THD appear mainly when the Maine Coon moves. You can also see them in the paws. The hind limbs are usually affected. The animal protects the joint if it hurts, which leads to lameness and other visible manifestations. It is difficult for the animal to tolerate extreme degrees of the disease.

It is not advisable to breed a Maine Coon with this diagnosis. A breeding pet is more likely to pass on problems to the kittens. The development of the disease is influenced by growth rates and conditions of detention. Injuries can lead to aggravation of the situation and undermine the health of the Maine Coon. It is important not to overfeed the animal, conduct a thorough examination, and provide moderate physical exercise. Sometimes there is only one way to prolong life - to have surgery. More than 15% of coons are diagnosed with THD.

In a teenage coon, you can sometimes observe discoloration of the limbs. For cats whose growth occurs spasmodically, slight deviations are considered normal. If necessary, they take tests in clinics, take x-rays, adjust their diet, and limit violent games. If it is not possible to correct the positioning of a Maine Coon before a certain age, then the markings will most likely remain for the rest of his life.

Incorrect positioning of the forelimbs sometimes indicates rickets suffered in the first months of a cat’s life. Adjusted as prescribed by the doctor. Many people heavily feed the Maine Coon with calcium and other microelements, which is not entirely correct. The consequences of an excess of calcium are much worse than its lack in the body. The norms and the need for special complementary feeding are discussed only with veterinarians. Also, for the coon, like other cats, it is useful to stay in the sun. This is how they get vitamin D.

Paws can “go” along various reasons. Slippery floors are often the determining factor when other causes have been ruled out. During the period of skeleton formation, it is advisable to cover smooth and varnished areas of the floor with carpets so that the coon’s limbs do not move apart.

The cat's body is so perfect that it is rightfully considered one of the wonders of living nature. This superpowered animal can lengthen and shorten at will. A cat can shrink, spread out, bend in an arch, or curl up into a ball to sleep. Every movement shows extreme flexibility. A cat's skeleton has more bones than a human's (288 versus 206). In addition, like us, she has more than six hundred muscles to turn in all directions with precision and confidence.

While falling, the cat keeps its eyes open. In her inner ear there are small pressure-sensitive tubules that constantly indicate her position own body. In 9 cases out of 10, the cat manages to find the right position and land on its paws. But the fall should not be very long: with increasing speed, the weight increases, and a height of more than 5 floors can be fatal for a cat.

An unsurpassed acrobat!

• The cat's chest is narrow, and the shortened collarbones allow the front legs to be brought very close together in order to squeeze into the tightest places.
• The paws touch the ground only with the tips of the toes so that the cat can walk silently and softly.
• The front legs can also spread widely: this is very useful for grasping objects or striking prey.
• The hind legs are more powerful and longer than the front legs. By pushing off with its hind legs, a cat can jump far.
• To turn over in the air, a cat turns its hind end.
• A cat has more than 20 bones in its tail alone. The tail, curving like a snake, serves as an excellent balancer.

Cat in numbers
When an adult male is stretched to its full length, the distance from the front to the rear tips of the paws is approximately 50 cm, and the length of the tail is 25-30 cm. The average weight of cats ranges between 3.2 and 4 kg, but the largest known individual weighed 19.5 kg!

Born Huntress

Your cat has spotted its prey. She begins to quietly creep up, presses herself to the ground, compresses herself into a spring and makes a jump, extending her claws out. Ay! It was your finger sticking out from under the blanket! Just don't punish her. Even when a cat is playing, its hunting instinct is the main “key” of its nature.

Hiding in a shelter or on a branch, a cat can wait motionless for hours. And suddenly, deftly and accurately, she jumps and falls simultaneously on her hind and front outstretched legs in order to grab and, if possible, strangle the victim.

When a cat is hungry, it kills its prey immediately by biting the back of the head. When she wants to play, on the contrary, she is content with lightly biting the victim, and then pretends to let her go. But this is just a game, if the victim tries to run away, they catch up with him in one jump. Sometimes the cat even licks the wounds of its victim. But let's not be fooled: her rough tongue only causes more bleeding. An attack does not always lead to success. On average, a cat manages to catch one bird out of five and one mouse out of two. She is a predator and loves the taste of blood. In nature, cats' favorite prey is small mammals and birds. Insects and frogs will also not slip past her claws. But fish is an object of adoration. Sometimes a cat manages to catch a fish in the water with a powerful blow of its paw!

Click - click - click! What the strange noises? It is, sitting on the windowsill, that your cat begins to chatter its teeth, imagining how it would bite its prey, which it sees through the window. With such clattering she satisfies her imagination.

Cat weapon

• The cutest cat can turn into a machine of destruction at any moment.
• The cat's large, sharp teeth are fangs. They are curved inward and therefore hold prey well.
• The premolar and molar teeth serve the cat to quickly tear and chew the body of the victim.
• The cat's claws retract inward. Protected by the paw, they are released thanks to tendons and ligaments. Throughout a cat's life, a cat's claws constantly grow and remain sharp!

What does the cat see?

The cat's eye is an amazing creation of nature! People have long noted the acute vision of cats and their ability to see in almost darkness. It is no coincidence that the ancient Egyptians called cats “mau”, which translated means “sighted”. Cats often have to hunt at dusk, or even at night. It is not surprising that their eyes are adapted to work perfectly in such very low light.

RECORD SIZE

Cats do not have the largest eyes compared to large animals. However, if you calculate their relative sizes, it turns out that cats have the largest eyes of all mammals! In the dark, a cat's iris opens wide. The diameter of the pupil opening through which weak light passes reaches almost 1.5 centimeters. By the way, a person’s pupil diameter does not exceed 8 millimeters, so don’t stare your eyes in the dark. Consequently, in twilight, a cat perceives several times more light than a person does.

In cats, there is a layer of cells behind the retina in the eye that acts as a reflector. It helps to perceive those crumbs of light that enter the cat's eye in almost complete darkness. It is thanks to this layer that the cat's eyes seem to glow in the twilight. In fact, a person sees light that first hit the cat's eye and then reflected from its bottom.

It was previously believed that cats see the world in black and white, perfectly distinguishing all kinds of shades of gray. It has now been proven that cats can still distinguish some colors, although they are far from the richness of human color perception.

Two eyes in one

At night the pupil is dilated to catch maximum light. A thin reflective film located behind the retina reflects light rays and increases the sensitivity of the eye in low light.
A cat can detect light that is 6 times weaker than the weakest light visible to humans. But in complete darkness, contrary to the misconception of some people, the cat's eye does not see anything at all!

During the day her pupil shrinks and becomes as thin as a ray of sunshine to protect her eye from too much light. Now it is a narrow, vertical, barely noticeable crack.
The constricted pupil allows the cat to endure light 5 times brighter than the human eye can withstand without harm.

BLUE EYES

All kittens have blue eyes at birth. And only by the age of three months their color is finally determined: blue, orange, green (or “hazelnut”) and amber.

Cats often have different colored eyes (2 different colors). But this does not create any interference with vision. Attention! Some breeds of white cats have an ear on the side blue eye, sometimes affected by deafness!

Panoramic vision
Binocular vision cats cover 130° (dogs - 83°). But the cat is also able to observe everything that happens on the sides! Her visual field is 287° compared to our 200°. The extremely flexible head rotates in all directions and allows you to keep your gaze straight at all times.

What does the cat hear?

Was there a noise on the street? They immediately begin to move and stretch out like little antennas. They're so flexible and delicate that you can almost see them picking up sound... For many hard-of-hearing people, one look at their little companion's ears is worth it all hearing aids peace.

When a cat hunts, its hearing is amazing! She hears the rustling of a mouse several meters away. The predator is able to distinguish this sound among many others and detect it with an accuracy of a few centimeters! The same thing happens and at home she hears before anyone else how my brother goes up the stairs, or how the elevator makes noise, in which our guest is riding. It is useless to call her over at such moments. Attracted by an interesting sound, the cat remains completely deaf to everything else: like a dog, it obeys its “sentinel” instinct.

Do ears speak?

• When the ears are straight and motionless, they are resting, but are ready to move at the slightest suspicious noise.
• A cat reacts to an unexpected sound 10 times faster than a dog.
• The flattened ears are protected from the blows of the enemy's claws. The cat's intentions are clear: she is preparing for battle.
• Ears stretched back indicate that the animal is afraid. But beware, his actions are unpredictable!
• The ears can be directed independently to two different sound sources. Your pet expresses its feelings by moving its ears, and you yourself should carefully study this language.

Typically, a cat will flatten its ears when it is about to attack another, but representatives of the Scottish Fold breed are born with curled ears. When such a cat meets another, he may think that an attack is being prepared on him and will begin to behave aggressively. It’s not easy for us to be extraordinary!

Superantennas
The ears, which are very large in relation to the head, are equipped with a dozen muscles that are able to orient them in all possible directions. Human ear picks up 10,000 vibrations per second, and the cat's - up to 30,000, which allows it to hear ultrasounds.

Touch everything!

The world is full of movements and fluctuations. It is filled with strange objects, hard and soft, smooth and rough. The cat is interested in everything, so it tries to touch any unusual object.

AT THE TIP OF THE PAW

Unlike a dog, which is in a hurry to sniff everything that is nearby, a cat is more distrustful. Seeing an unknown thing, she will first touch it, scratch it, thus receiving the first information, and only then, if everything goes as it should, this great adventurer will risk sniffing the object of her curiosity, then touch it with her nose.

REAL ANTENNAS

The most sensitive parts of a cat are the eyebrows and the famous whiskers - vibrissae. Never trim your cat's whiskers! You will make her helpless for a long time and unable to sense nearby objects. Compared to other hair, it is longer and coarser. The vibrissae are located above the eyes and lips and respond to the slightest contact or pressure. When a cat moves at night, these hairs also protect its eyes, which automatically close as soon as the whiskers touch an obstacle.

THICK FUR

If you have a cat, look carefully: there are probably cat hairs left on your clothes. There are 200 of them per square centimeter on the animal’s body! A cat's coat consists of a delicate soft undercoat and tougher guard hairs. Well-groomed and clean fur provides good protection from cold and heat and, together with the skin, which has a thickness of 1 to 3 mm, forms a very good barrier that protects against temperature changes.

Very developed sense organs

A cat's sense of smell is 10 times more sensitive than ours. An important role in the perception of odors is played by the so-called Jacobson's organ - two thin tubes located at the base of the nasal septum and equipped with 200 million sensitive cells.

Advertising does not deceive: the cat is a real gourmet. She distinguishes four tastes and will resolutely refuse to eat something that does not taste good to her. Usually pussies like salty and sour more than sweet and bitter. But there are exceptions; some pets will eat anything.

SOMETIMES "HIGH"

The cat cannot stand the smell of alcohol. But some smells drive her crazy. For example, when inhaling the strong aroma of catnip, a cat becomes motionless, while its gaze is directed into emptiness, as if it had swallowed drugs. The chemical equivalent of this smell is often applied to cat toys: the effect is 100% guaranteed!

HOW MANY FEELINGS ARE THERE?

A cat has at least nine senses! In addition to the five normal senses (sight, taste, smell, touch, hearing), she also has a sense of orientation and atmospheric pressure! A cat can sense an earthquake and find its way to a house hundreds of kilometers away.

Cat ID

By excreting urine in strategic places, rubbing against tree trunks or rocks, the cat leaves its own clearly defined “signature” that other cats recognize. The label reflects gender, age, condition You have already noticed that your cat always stubbornly strives for a source of heat. She can feel a difference of 3-4 degrees a few meters away! health and degree of readiness for reproduction.

STRANGE SMELL

Anal glands cats emit a strong odor that is not perceptible to humans. When animals meet, they sniff each other's anal area to get to know each other. Scientists noticed that cats deprived of their sense of smell due to a virus could hardly distinguish a cat from a tom!

"METEO CAT"

No, it doesn't rain every time your cat scratches behind its ear! But it does have greater barometric sensitivity. Before a rainstorm, even if nothing indicates it, she becomes restless and instinctively seeks shelter.

Today it is not a particular problem to find useful and relevant information about any breed of cats, kittens and cats, so this project has collected all the best that may be in demand by those who like cats and who want to learn as much interesting things as possible about them.

What is the name of the new breed of cats with short legs, price

The Munchkin cat is a new breed of cat. The peculiarity of this breed: with a normal physique, short legs.

Price in Russia from 15 thousand rubles.

A large cat with relatively short but strong legs, large eyes

The unusual Munchkin cat cannot be confused with another breed. The cat is quite large with short and strong legs.

The eyes are so large that they resemble walnuts.

The Munchkin is the cutest breed of cat with unusually short legs.

Munchkin cats cannot help but evoke affection. A cute animal with short legs looks like a plush toy.

What is the name of the breed of cats with short legs and curled ears?

Cats with short legs and curved ears of the Munchkin breed conquer their owners not only with their appearance, but also with their character.

Balanced, inquisitive, kind, patient, they always radiate positive energy.

British, Japanese short-legged cat how long does it live, cost

The British and Japanese short-legged cat lives about 15 years. The cost of the cat is 20 thousand.

A breed of cat with long hind legs and paws of different lengths

A cat of an unusual breed called the Kuril Bobtail has hind legs that are significantly longer than the front ones, so the gait of these cats resembles jumping.
Another owner of paws different lengths— A Welsh cat whose front legs are shorter than the back legs, so the cat moves in leaps.

A breed of cats with white, small paws

A cat breed with the beautiful name Snow Shoe. The peculiarity of this cat is its white paws. The cat's feet seem to be wearing white snow slippers.
The Munchkin is the owner of the smallest paws among the cat family.

Breed of cats with rabbit paws

You look at this cat and see a rabbit in front of you, its gait, due to the different lengths of its paws, resembles a rabbit's jumps. This is a cat of the Kurilian Bobtail or Cymrik breed.

A cat with lion paws living in Alaska

Life in the north dictates its own conditions. That's why cats living among the snow have unusual paws. They are so massive that they resemble huge lion paws. This feature of the paws helps the Canadian lynx to move easily and silently through deep snow.

Breed of cats with tassels on their paws

Siberian cat breed. An unusual feature of this cat that distinguishes it from other breeds is the tassels on its paws.