Cat

To aid with navigation and sensation, cats have dozens of movable over their body, especially their faces. These provide information on the width of gaps and on the location of objects in the dark, both by touching objects directly and by sensing air currents; they also trigger protective to protect the eyes from damage.[60]:47

Balance

Most breeds of cat have a noted fondness for sitting in high places, or perching. A higher place may serve as a concealed site from which to hunt; domestic cats strike prey by pouncing from a perch such as a tree branch. Another possible explanation is that height gives the cat a better observation point, allowing it to survey its territory. A cat falling from heights of up to 3 meters can right itself and land on its paws.[89]
During a fall from a high place, a cat reflexively twists its body and rights itself to land on its feet using its acute sense of balance and flexibility. This reflex is known as the .[90]
An individual cat always rights itself in the same way during a fall, provided it has sufficient time to do so. The height required for this to occur is around 90 cm (3.0 ft).[91]
Cats without a tail also have this reflex.[92]
Several explanations have been proposed for this phenomenon since the late 19th century:

Outdoor cats are active both day and night, although they tend to be slightly more active at night. that vary considerably in size, in one study ranging from 7 to 28 hectares (17–69 acres)., as a response to greater human activity at these times. often accompanied by muscle twitches, which suggests they are dreaming.[99]

Sociability

The social behavior of the domestic cat ranges from widely dispersed individuals to that gather around a food source, based on groups of co-operating females. Within such groups, one cat is usually dominant over the others., by rubbing objects at head height with secretions from facial glands, and by defecation. and, if that does not work, by short but noisy and violent attacks. Despite some cats cohabiting in colonies, they do not have a social survival strategy, or a and always hunt alone.

Life in proximity to humans and other domestic animals has led to a symbiotic social adaptation in cats, and cats may express great affection toward humans or other animals. , the human keeper of a cat functions as a sort of surrogate for the cat's mother.. Their high-pitched sounds may mimic the cries of a hungry human infant, making them particularly difficult for humans to ignore. behavior towards humans or other cats is thought to be a feline means for social bonding.[107]

Communication

Domestic cats use many for communication, including purring, , hissing, growling/snarling, grunting, and several different forms of meowing., including position of ears and tail, relaxation of the whole body, and kneading of the paws, are all indicators of mood. The tail and ears are particularly important social signal mechanisms in cats. A raised tail indicates a friendly greeting, and flattened ears indicates hostility. Tail-raising also indicates the cat's position in the group's , with dominant individuals raising their tails less often than subordinate ones.:208 Nose-to-nose touching is also a common greeting and may be followed by , which is solicited by one of the cats raising and tilting its head. kittens. Post-nursing cats often purr as a sign of contentment: when being petted, becoming relaxed, or eating. The mechanism by which cats purr is elusive. The cat has no unique anatomical feature that is clearly responsible for the sound.[112]

Grooming

Cats are known for spending considerable amounts of time licking their coats to keep them clean. long, which are called . These contain which makes them rigid of fur that have collected in their stomachs from grooming. These clumps of fur are usually sausage-shaped and about 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) long. Hairballs can be prevented with remedies that ease elimination of the hair through the , as well as regular grooming of the coat with a comb or stiff brush.[113]

Fighting

Among domestic cats, males are more likely to fight than females. is competition between two males to mate with a female. In such cases, most fights are won by the heavier male. Female cats also fight over territory or to defend their kittens. Neutering will decrease or eliminate this behavior in many cases, suggesting that the behavior is linked to . Often, the ears are pointed down and back to avoid damage to the inner ear and potentially listen for any changes behind them while focused forward. They may also vocalize loudly and bare their teeth in an effort to further intimidate their opponent. Fights usually consist of grappling and delivering powerful slaps to the face and body with the forepaws as well as bites. Cats also throw themselves to the ground in a defensive posture to rake their opponent's belly with their powerful hind legs..

Hunting and feeding

The shape and structure of cats' cheeks is insufficient to suck. They lap with the tongue to draw liquid upwards into their mouths. Lapping at a rate of four times a second, the cat touches the smooth tip of its tongue to the surface of the water, and quickly retracts it like a corkscrew, drawing water upwards.

Free-fed feral cats and house cats consume several small meals in a day. The frequency and size of meals varies between individuals. They select food based on its temperature, smell and texture; they dislike chilled foods and respond most strongly to moist foods rich in amino acids, which are similar to meat. Cats reject novel flavors (a response termed ) and learn quickly to in the past. They also avoid sweet food and milk. Most adult cats are ; the sugar in milk is not easily digested and may cause soft stools or ., can threaten their health, depending on the amount and toxicity of the items eaten. and are often used as a form of pest control. Cats use two hunting strategies, either stalking prey actively, or until an animal comes close enough to be captured.:153 Domestic cats are a major in the United States, killing an estimated 1.4 to 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 to 20.7 billion mammals annually.[132]
Certain species appear more susceptible than others; for example, 30% of house sparrow mortality is linked to the domestic cat.) and dunnocks (), 31% of deaths were a result of cat predation. which prey on cats and other small predators reduces the effect of predation by cats and other small predators such as and on bird numbers and variety.[135]

Perhaps the best-known element of cats' hunting behavior, which is commonly misunderstood and often appalls cat owners because it looks like torture, is that cats often appear to "play" with prey by releasing it after capture. This behavior is due to an instinctive imperative to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat.[136]
Another poorly understood element of cat hunting behavior is the presentation of prey to human guardians. One explanation is that cats adopt humans into their social group and share excess kill with others in the group according to the , in which humans are reacted to as if they are at, or near, the top. This hypothesis is inconsistent with the fact that male cats also bring home prey, despite males having negligible involvement in raising kittens.[131]:153