Cats love to scratch almost anything.
All kinds of cats, whether big or small, have claws that retract except for cheetahs that just have semi-retractable claws because of their habit of running. Aside from using their claws to hunt, they also use these to climb trees and gain traction so when these tools are stored when not in use, they remain sharp.
However, when lions scratch a tree trunk, this does not only allow them to condition their claws but also lets them mark their territory by means of their paws' sweat glands as earlier mentioned.
Members of the feline family smell with an open mouth.
Cats have a severely strong sense of smell due to the several millions of receptors that line their teeny weeny noses (in contrast to humans that just have 5 million olfactory receptors). In addition, they are among the animals with an organ that can detect other scents. Such is called Jacobson's organ, which is located at the nasal cavity base and is present in cats as well as dogs, pigs, cattle, snakes and lizards.
The Jacobson's organs provides cats with the ability to taste and smell substances. They use this organ to make use of a movement called Flehmen response, to open their mouth, cause their nose to wrinkle and pause breathing. It is easier to notice the "stink face" in bigger cats though cat lovers can easily see it in their pets.
They rub their bodies against surfaces.
Cats have scent glands on different parts of their body: front paws, base of the tail, sides of their face and the areas surrounding their mouth. Once a cat rubs against a surface (as well as you), it marks its territory using pheromones.
When big cats want to warn other animals that might enter their territory, they bump their head on the things within the environment to leave their scent behind.
They sleep most of the time.
Some cat owners think that their pet sleeps too much and when they search about this online, they get the answer that it is just natural for a cat to sleep for a long time, from 12 to 16 hours daily. This does not means that they are lazy though. Since cats are predators, they need to save energy to engage in high-intensity hunting.
Not all hunting activities lead to a tasty meal therefore it is typical for felines to go through the feed-rest-hunt cycle. The same is true for big cats like tigers and lions. They can sleep in the shade for as long as 20 hours. When they have a prized catch, they will not move until it is completely digested.
They love catnip.
Nepeta cataria plant, commonly known as catnip, affects domestic cats in the most profound way. Once a pet gets a sprig of catnip, they will lick, sniff and roll around a lot (with more of this, they will even jump around and later crash to sleep).
It is in their genes to enjoy nepetalactone, an active compound in catnip. Though 30% to 40% have no interest in it, many of their big relatives love it. Lions and jaguars have an intense reaction towards catnip but like domestic cats, this may vary between each one.
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