|
Ever wonder what your cat is
thinking?
Well, I truthfully cannot tell
you what your cat is thinking, but I can tell you just a little
about how it thinks.
Cats and humans share many
similarities when it comes to the brain. Granted our brain is
bigger (1,400 grams) and a cat’s brain is smaller (30 grams),
but much of the thinking process is quite similar.
For many years researchers
have been studying the thinking process of a cat and in the 1970’s
a study was under taken to see how cats processed visual information.
The visual cortex of the brain
is more highly developed in humans, but cats with the help of
their whiskers have fine sensory input, which allows them to
navigate quite well, especially in the dark.
A cats “nose brain”
(rhinencephalon) is much larger than a humans which makes them
far more sensitive to smell than we are. Many cats that have
naval cavity tumors or other problems with their nose will not
eat due to the fact a cat eats only what smells good to them.
It is known that dogs have
a great sense of smell and are used as “drug sniffing dogs”
and for search and rescue missions. If cats were more cooperative
their sense of smell would be a great asset to these programs
also.
The limbic system which controls
emotional behavior is a function of the brain shared both by
cats and humans. Many people think cats are not emotional, but
if the truth were known cats probably have the same emotions
of anger, likes and dislikes that we do.
Cats also have memory and like
humans and other mammals have two “seahorse shaped hippocampi
situated on either side of the brain. The hippocampus may be
smaller in size than a humans, but trust me a cat remembers well
and they do associate memories with people, places and things
just like humans do.
Cats can also have addictions
just as humans do. While people tend to overindulge in food,
drugs or alcohol, cats can become addicted to catnip and stress
related activities such as hair pulling (psychogenic alopecia.)
Cats can also suffer from some
of the same diseases of the brain as humans do. The most common
of tumors are meningiomas (usually benign) and lymphoma, epilepsy
(usually caused by a tumor) and a form of dementia found in elderly
cats or cats that have experienced a severe head injury.
It is said that cats are not
very smart because they do not do tricks as dogs do or try to
please their owners. As a cat parent I have to disagree, having
lived with cats most of my life I find them extremely smart and
truly believe we could learn a lot from them, if we only followed
their examples.
Just think how much simpler
your life would be if you followed your cat’s lifestyle.
If this article has been of
benefit, please visit my web site and blog at http://www.cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com
|