Posted on 11/13/2010 3:34:15 AM PST by SonOfDarkSkies
It has taken four highly qualified engineers and a bunch of integral equations to figure it out, but we now know how cats drink. The answer is: very elegantly, and not at all the way you might suppose.
Cats lap water so fast that the human eye cannot follow what is happening, which is why the trick had apparently escaped attention until now. With the use of high-speed photography, the neatness of the feline solution has been captured.
...
Writing in the Thursday issue of Science, the four engineers report that the cat’s lapping method depends on its instinctive ability to calculate the point at which gravitational force would overcome inertia and cause the water to fall.
What happens is that the cat darts its tongue, curving the upper side downward so that the tip lightly touches the surface of the water.
The tongue is then pulled upward at high speed, drawing a column of water behind it.
Just at the moment that gravity finally overcomes the rush of the water and starts to pull the column down — snap! The cat’s jaws have closed over the jet of water and swallowed it.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
We had a cat that ran to the nearest flushing toilet all day long and looked intently. Nothing made him happier than to flush it as he stood on the edge. Husband said he was a born plumber.
You would, you're a female.
Daddy is right.
Mine likes her water cold so she gets it from the refrigerator dispenser. This is done by sitting in front of us and meowing and whacking us with her paw until we get her what she wants.
The New York Times continues to bring us news of great importance!
Wonder what’s really going on.
Two of our cats, who have since gone to kitty heaven, would jump on the toilet seat, straddle it, lower their head and drink the toilet water. We had a very long and slinky Siamese cat that could put his front paws on the toilet seat and reach his head in to drink the water. That one wouldn’t drink from his water bowl. We think he wanted the water to be cold.
One of the above would also drink water from a running faucet.
Cats are so weird. If I put lotion on my legs, one of our cats would methodically lick the lotion off if I would permit it. That’s a very weird feeling - like sandpaper rubbing over your leg.
I have one that cleans out baby food jars like that.
Would you want to walk in your own feces to use the bathroom? Think porta potty with no hole or seat...just the floor.
We had a pond on one edge of the property with woods on the far side, that our cat liked to hunt in.
When winter came the cat discovered a short cut that he continued to use past spring thaw...one morning while having breakfast I saw our cat go through the ice halfway across and then he simply levitated and flew the rest of the way to the woods, whoosh!
My tom came out from under the bed meowing at me; ‘come and see what I caught!’
Under my bed was a coral snake and a woodpecker in a nice colorful arrangment.
I had a heart attack or two until I saw the coral snake was dead.
The main reason I clean the boxes daily is because my mini daschund and his mini poodle buddy fix their own breakfast if I don't do so. It is not the turd eating behavior that disturbs, it is the pieces they hide under pillows on the couch.
Stepping in crap is no big deal for me, I do it all the time. Here and at home.
We have close to 60 animals here and about.
The wife wants to get some ferrets.
I may need a new wife soon.
I have two cats who I love dearly. But they also have a utilitarian purpose....they are here to alert me if a snake ever gets inside my house.
Both of my cats play fetch better than most dogs. The youngest one will play as long as my arm holds out. Brings it right back to me every time.
Funny. Our cat is just the opposite. She has a dish in the kitchen with filtered water - only drinks from in at night, when she’s blocked from the end of the house with her other bowl. The bowl next to the sink in the bathroom is unfiltered - and she begs for that second thing in the morning. (First thing is more food, of course.)
Sounds like a Maine Coon Cat. The study also apparently says that cats don’t get their chins wet when they drink. Our current two MC’s and previous usually have a very wet chin.
Ummm yeah, the dog finding his own snacks is kind of gross. I never have figured out why that tastes good to them?
I may need a new wife soon.
It might be cheaper!! :P /s
Dang! Beat me to it.
Sorry. Didn’t notice your post.
Just in case you haven’t seen it, here is a good article on Maine Coons:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/10/21/2010-10-21_guinness_world_record_goes_to_stewie_the_cat_of_reno_nevada_for_worlds_longest_a.html
We have a short one. Only 42”.
He makes my Calico look like a tiny, mini cat. All four of her paws equal the size of just one of his paws. She dominates him, though. He's the gentle giant.
And you read it, and even posted about it.
My wife gets the credit. She sent me the link yesterday while I was at work.
I gotta tell ya that all my cackling caused a lot of prairie-doggin' in the cubicle farm (people poking their heads up just above the top edge of the cubie walls) just to see what was wrong with me.
It's a good thing my lovely wife sent her note at lunchtime on a Friday....
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