Like all carnivores, the last upper premolar and first lower molar are the canines. This allows the cats to tear the food, thanks to powerful muscles attached to the side walls from the skull. They swallow without chewing. The jaw of the cat is constructed in a way that, while allowing only vertical chewing, has the advantage of a scissor effect. The bone allows the cat to purr but not to roar. Unlike humans, the cat chews little and the process of digestion begins in the stomach and not in the mouth.
A cat’s stomach is small (about 300 milliliters) but it has a very high acidity, which is also useful as a means of preventing infections. The intestines are rather short (about one meter) in the small intestine and 20 to 40cm for the colon is typical of the hunters of small prey.
These dimensions explain why the cat has to eat frequently but in small amounts (between 10 and 16 meals). The digestive system of the cat is also less suitable for dietary variety, which can cause diarrhoea and vomiting. Finally, the transit of food in the digestive system of cats is rapid: between 12 and 14 hours.
The colour of the fur is very varied depending on the breeds, ranging from long-haired breeds to almost hairless breeds such as the sphinx. Originally the hair was a gray-brown tabby, suited for camouflage while hunting. The fur of the cat is composed of long hairs that cover the outer surface and short hairs below.
This allows a good thermal insulation. The mantle of a cat is composed of multiple colours for several reasons. Some individuals have large spots or streaks while others have smaller spots. The colour of the fur of a cat can have multiple colours (black, white, blue, red etc) and be more or less diluted or dark.
The male, for genetic reasons, can only take one or two colours at a time, with rare exceptions. In principle only females have three colours. The cat takes a long time to clean their hair because this is very important to regulate its body temperature.
The tongue is covered with small buds which make it very rough, and allow them to loosen the hair during grooming (except in special cases, the cats will “wash” every day). Having a high ratio of skin surface and weight, the risk of heat loss is great. If the hair was untidy or dirty, the insulating properties would be less effective. Also in summer, the fact that wet fur causes a cooling due to evaporation of saliva. Cats lose hair at the beginning of the summer season due to the suit.
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