Mud Bay Information

I was reading through an almanac that a local pet store, Mud Bay sent out last week. I learned a few things about cats and dogs and thought I'd share.
-Whiskers : Most people know that a cat's whiskers help them sense shifting air currents and the distance of objects but cats also have sensitive carpal hairs on the backs of their front wrists, which help with the reflex that allows them to land on their feet. Dogs have vibrissae too, but it is believed that they do not provide information in the same way that cat whiskers do.
-When a domestic cat goes after mice, about one in three gets results.
- Dogs and cats have a special anatomical feature immediately behind the retina. Composed of a layer of reflective cells, it's called the tapetum lucidum. It collects scattered light and focuses it back to the photoreceptive cells of the retina, thus increasing the dog's light gathering ability by 40%. When light hits the dog or cat's eyes at night and you see red, what you're actually seeing is the tapetum lucidum.
- Taking care of dogs' and cat's teeth and gums can actually contribute to extending their lifespans. When plaque and tartar cause infection and bleeding gums, harmful bacteria enter the bloodstream and can gradually damage the heart, kidneys and liver.
- Dogs smile, but only to people, never to other dogs, because they're copying our human smile. Some breeds, like the Samoyed, are predisposed to smile, and are referred to as "smiley dogs".
- Over 10 different government agencies regulate the pet food industry, but none guarantees that what's on the label is actually what's in the bag (or can) of food. Ultimately, the quality of the food depends upon the integrity of the manufacturer.
- Have a dog who rolls around in the mud? Dogs try to mask their scent with something completely non threatening like a cow pie or a dead fish. As they sneak up on unsuspecting prey, they may imagine a the deer thinking, "Oh, it's just a rotten pile of poo getting closer and closer." Alternatively, a subordinate dog temporarily gains status in the pack when the other dogs stop what they're doing to give her attention, by sniffing her stinky necklace. Dogs in human families are also subordinate, and when they roll in stinkiness, we give them the extended attention of a bath. Finally, dogs get a lot of information from scent. Rolling in smelly stuff may be a way for a dog to take notes, and bring news back to the pack, such as the location of potential food or types of prey.
- A recent Northwestern University study indicates that dogs and people can help each other lose weight. Three groups were compared: people-only, dogs-only, and dogs-with-their-people. Participants in each group were given diet and exercise plans based on body mass index. Results indicate that human-dog teams are more likely to stick with a weight-loss program. 80% of the dogs-and-people group completed the study. Completion rates for other groups were much lower. Participants said that it's simply more fun to exercise with their dogs.
- According to a 2001 study, single people who adopted dogs showed a significant reduction in their blood pressure.
- A 1995 study indicates that both cat and dog owners have less occasion to visit the doctor than people who do not own animals(8% less for dog owners and 12% less for those with cats).
- There's data to indicate that cat and dog owners are less depressed, more able to recover from serious illness, and more likely to have meaningful social relationships than those who have no animals in their lives.
- Children benefit from pets. They are less likely to develop allergies, and tend to be more meotionally stable.
- The average lifespan for an indoor cat is 15 years versus 5 years for a cat that goes outdoors.
- Cats have a Jacobson's organ, also called a vomeronasal organ, above the roof of their mouth, that helps in the detection of scents. Occasionally, you'll see a cat with a gaping mouth, looking like he's just smelled bad cheese. This behavior is called a Flehmen response, and is used to circulate air between the nose and mouth, stimulating the Jacobson's organ.
- When a cat rubs her face on you or other objects (an activity known as 'bunting'), she is leaving scent markers.
-An average dog is capable of distinguishing among more than 200 spoken words. So, even though dogs can't verbalize, it's perlects fair to say that they understand our language. Consider this: a human baby at 13 months can pick out about 100 words.
- Purring is generated by the buildup and sudden release of pressure as a cat's glottis opens and closes, resulting in a rapid separations of the vocal folds that generates the wonderful, soothing sound. The muscles that move the glottis are driven by a neural oscillator that cycles every 30-40 milliseconds.
- Dogs eye color can be either brown or blue while a cat can have shades of yellow, gold, green or blue.