Post by Thornpelt on Jan 27, 2008 16:30:06 GMT -5
Hunting
Cats have evolved to be carnivores and are highly specialized for hunting. Their style of hunting uses short bursts of intense exercise punctuating long periods of rest. Much like their big cat relatives, domestic and feral cats are very effective predators. Domestic felines ambush, or pounce, and immobilize vertebrate prey using tactics similar to those of leopards and tigers. After attacking prey, cats deliver a lethal neck bite with their long canine teeth. This severs the prey's spinal cord, causes fatal bleeding by puncturing the carotid artery or the jugular vein, or asphyxiates the prey by crushing its trachea.
One poorly-understood element of cat hunting behaviour is the presentation of killed prey to human owners. Ethologist Paul Leyhausen proposed that cats adopt humans into their social group, and share excess kill with others in the group according to the local pecking order, in which humans place at or near the top. Another possibility is that presenting the kill might be a relic of a kitten's behavior of demonstrating for its mother's approval that it has developed the necessary skill for hunting. Indoor cats will often retain their hunting instinct and deliver small household items to their owners, such as watches, pens, pencils, and other objects they can carry in their mouths. After depositing the item, they will meow to gain the attention of their owners.
"Cat." Wikipedia. 27 Jan. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat>.
Cats have evolved to be carnivores and are highly specialized for hunting. Their style of hunting uses short bursts of intense exercise punctuating long periods of rest. Much like their big cat relatives, domestic and feral cats are very effective predators. Domestic felines ambush, or pounce, and immobilize vertebrate prey using tactics similar to those of leopards and tigers. After attacking prey, cats deliver a lethal neck bite with their long canine teeth. This severs the prey's spinal cord, causes fatal bleeding by puncturing the carotid artery or the jugular vein, or asphyxiates the prey by crushing its trachea.
One poorly-understood element of cat hunting behaviour is the presentation of killed prey to human owners. Ethologist Paul Leyhausen proposed that cats adopt humans into their social group, and share excess kill with others in the group according to the local pecking order, in which humans place at or near the top. Another possibility is that presenting the kill might be a relic of a kitten's behavior of demonstrating for its mother's approval that it has developed the necessary skill for hunting. Indoor cats will often retain their hunting instinct and deliver small household items to their owners, such as watches, pens, pencils, and other objects they can carry in their mouths. After depositing the item, they will meow to gain the attention of their owners.
"Cat." Wikipedia. 27 Jan. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat>.