Linda Lou, avid Dog Blogger, reporting for duty! Today’s blog is more of a story… I had such an interesting encounter, and I had to share it with you all!
So I met my neighbor yesterday. His name is Donnie, and he is a cat. We got to chatting and he did the weirdest things! First off, he kept licking his hands while we were talking and his tongue looked strange so I asked about it. Donnie told me that cat tongues are barbed, meaning that there are little spikes on them that point backwards. Apparently it is designed that way to help them groom and keep themselves in “purr-stine” condition. His words, not mine. It also helps them lick every scrap of meat from a bone, if that’s your thing. I Googled it and cats are not the only animals that have these barbs on their tongues! Apparently cows do too. So weird.
The other thing Donnie did – and you are NOT going to believe this – was make his claws pop out and retract! It was the wildest thing EVER! It blew my mind. I mean, claws, no claws…. I had to look further into this phenomenon for myself.
What I learned was that cats use their claws for climbing trees, catching prey (or toys) and self-defense. It is easier to achieve the “grip” when your claws actually grab what you want. Second-best to opposable thumbs, I guess! Donnie then showed me how he sharpens his toenails on stuff. Apparently his mom gets mad when he scratches on her couch and door frame. He said that his nails are layered, so when he scratches on things the outside older layers come off. Kind of like an onion. His claws were very sharp and pointy! Donnie said that it is nice, but sometimes they get too sharp and he snags on everything even when they are retracted. That’s when he gets his toenails cut.
Our chit-chat got cut short when my mom called me in for dinner, but before I left Donnie told me that next time he would tell me about how cats always land on their feet. I don’t know if he is telling me the truth or pulling the wool over my eyes! If it’s true, I really do think cats are from outer space…
Later,
Linda Lou the Blog Dog
So I met my neighbor yesterday. His name is Donnie, and he is a cat. We got to chatting and he did the weirdest things! First off, he kept licking his hands while we were talking and his tongue looked strange so I asked about it. Donnie told me that cat tongues are barbed, meaning that there are little spikes on them that point backwards. Apparently it is designed that way to help them groom and keep themselves in “purr-stine” condition. His words, not mine. It also helps them lick every scrap of meat from a bone, if that’s your thing. I Googled it and cats are not the only animals that have these barbs on their tongues! Apparently cows do too. So weird.
The other thing Donnie did – and you are NOT going to believe this – was make his claws pop out and retract! It was the wildest thing EVER! It blew my mind. I mean, claws, no claws…. I had to look further into this phenomenon for myself.
What I learned was that cats use their claws for climbing trees, catching prey (or toys) and self-defense. It is easier to achieve the “grip” when your claws actually grab what you want. Second-best to opposable thumbs, I guess! Donnie then showed me how he sharpens his toenails on stuff. Apparently his mom gets mad when he scratches on her couch and door frame. He said that his nails are layered, so when he scratches on things the outside older layers come off. Kind of like an onion. His claws were very sharp and pointy! Donnie said that it is nice, but sometimes they get too sharp and he snags on everything even when they are retracted. That’s when he gets his toenails cut.
Our chit-chat got cut short when my mom called me in for dinner, but before I left Donnie told me that next time he would tell me about how cats always land on their feet. I don’t know if he is telling me the truth or pulling the wool over my eyes! If it’s true, I really do think cats are from outer space…
Later,
Linda Lou the Blog Dog
