Greetings, pawsome human minions!
Forrest Wisewhiskers coming your way again with answers to your most burning cat questions.
For our chat today, I want to address the questions my parents ask me all the time. I’m sure they know the answers to their regular queries, but they still think me a strange creature anyhow. Fair enough, I think the same of them and am often left wondering why they do what they do.
But, unlike them, I don’t always inquire about their reasoning. But parents are nosy, and they ask these same flea-bitten questions nearly every time I do certain things. So to all you nosy cat parents, here are the answers you seek!
The Questions My Mom and Dad Love to Ask
#1 – Why do cats put their butt in your face?
Cats put their butts in faces when they trust you. Feel honored when presented with this view! Felines get to know each other by sniffing each other out. If I trust you enough to let you have a whiff of the fluffy keister, you should be happy I’m allowing you to learn so much about me.
And on the subject of cat butts…
#2 – Why do cats go crazy when you scratch the base of their tail?
Oh, just thinking about a good tail scritch makes me want to get silly. With the big grouping of nerves right there where tail and back meet, we can’t help throwing up the tail and surrendering to the feels when petted there. But all that good nerve stimulation can quickly become too much, causing a happy cat to quickly turn moods and bite you if she’s had enough. There’s a fine line between feeling nice and overstimulated when it comes to the rubbing of nerve centers.
#3 – Why do cats meow at closed doors?
We want to know what you’re hiding from us. Why close a door if you’re not trying to keep secrets? Cats don’t like secrets, at least not human secrets. We may hold all the feline mysteries to ourselves, but the minions are not allowed to withhold info from their cats. We are nosy and need to see what’s behind that door! The meowing is our demand for satisfaction. Or because we’re bored. Either way, entertain thy feline, good human!
#4 – Why do cats stare at nothing?
For the record, we never stare at nothing. But to confirm your worst fears, we’re staring at the ghosts haunting the house. Just kidding. Or am I?
@chuck_norris_themainecoon/Instagram
It is true felines can see what humans cannot, but more than likely, we aren’t communing with a poltergeist. A mote of dust on the breeze, it’s like a dance of fascination. Slanting rays of sunshine moving ever so slightly across the floor, poetry in motion. So, the nothing you see is a wonderland of entertainment to the feline eye.
#5 – Why do cats go crazy for shoes?
Excuse my crassness, but your feet stink so good!
Human feet are heavy with scent thanks to thousands of sweat glands. From those glands emanates not only the foot smell but a complex miasma containing pheromones. This bouquet of foot aroma produces a stronger version of the scent your cat knows as you. So, in sniffing socks, shoes, and your feet, we are reveling in the stink that is you, your kitty’s most beloved minion.
#6 – Why do cats get the zoomies after pooping?
The easy answer? Pooping feels good! But the scientific answer behind poop zoomies is stimulation of the vagus nerve. Running from the brain and down the spine, the vagus nerve sometimes sends a shot of poo-phoria through the feline body while we’re filling the litter pan. One just feels so good after unloading; what better way to celebrate than galloping thunder paws style through the house?!
@drool_by_drchrisbrown/Instagram
#7 – Why does canned cat food turn grey at the edges?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard mom open a can of cat food and ask, “Why is the meat dark on the outside of the pate loaf?” Get ready for science, folks, because here it comes. Canned meats are sealed against the elements, but sometimes air remains trapped inside the can, and this can cause oxidation in meat. This chemical change to the pigments which make meat pink and red causes the food to take on a gray or brownish tinge.
Don’t worry, though; this is not an indication of spoilage. Spoiled food will offend the nostrils with its rancidity. Plus, spoiled canned food typically causes a swelling in the can. So, if the cat food is gray at the edges of a freshly opened can but still pink in the center with no yucky smells, it’s most likely good to go. Chances are your kitty won’t even notice the discolored edges.
While kitty dear might not care about a little oxidation, he will take notice of an empty food bowl, so with that…
Don’t forget to feed the cat.
Feature Image: @drool_by_drchrisbrown/Instagram & @baskeycat/Instagram