The reason why some stray cats can survive is inseparable from their defense skills. Cats’ sharp claws are enough to protect themselves when they encounter threats, and cats escape by climbing high. Many people Everyone will have questions, why can't dogs climb high when they have claws, but cats can climb high? Let's take a look at why cats can climb high?

1. Cats walk on tiptoes

Cats and dogs are both animals that walk on tiptoe. Many people probably don’t know this and don’t believe it. If you don’t believe it, you can go to Baidu to find a picture of a cat’s skeleton and compare it with your own skeleton. Let’s start with the cat’s hind limbs. The thickest bone of the hind limb is called the femur. This part is equivalent to the human thigh. The femur is connected to the tibia. This part is equivalent to the human calf. The calf is connected to the foot. The front part of the foot is the forefoot, which cats and dogs use to walk. There are fleshy pads on the cat's front paws, and the claws are usually contracted, so the cat walks quietly. After some calculations, most animals on all fours should walk on tiptoes. Artiodactyl and perisyndactyl animals such as pigs and horses should also walk on tiptoes, but the toes and forefoot are fused into two or into one. I have seen people drawing horses, but they are always unable to draw the dynamics of the ankle and wrist joints. In fact, if you touch your ankles and wrists and think about the horse running on tiptoes, it will be easy to solve the problem. Animals that can stand, such as rabbits, kangaroos, squirrels, etc., including humans, all stand on their feet, with their heels touching the ground. Of course you can stand on tiptoe, but it won't last long.

2. Why can cats climb high

Cats’ ability to climb high is second to none among domestic animals. "Jumping across the ridge" is an easy task for cats, and sometimes they can even climb high trees. When a cat is being chased, it always climbs to a high place quickly and waits until its opponent leaves helplessly before coming down. The reason why cats are good at climbing high and low is related to its whole body structure. We often see cats falling from very high places without any physical damage, while dogs will either die or be injured if they fall from the same height.

The reason cats can jump and crawl better than dogs is that dogs are too heavy. I have held puppies, teenage dogs, and adult dogs, as well as kittens, teenage cats, and adult cats. Overall, I feel that dogs are much heavier than cats, and their bodies are much denser than cats. In other words, if the jumping ability is consistent, cats can jump, but dogs cannot.

Cats have sharp front claws. Cats have a habitual hobby, which is known to all cat owners as claw training. Cats have sharp claws with a curvature of nearly 90 degrees. They are usually contracted and not easy to wear. They will be extended when they are climbing, fearful, angry, or fighting. Dogs also have claws, but they cannot be retracted. They are often worn out and of course they cannot climb trees. A cat's hind paws and front paws should be the same, but because the hind limbs are the main limbs,The claws are also badly worn. They are mainly responsible for support when climbing trees, and the front claws are responsible for climbing and grabbing. There was an experiment where a cat faced a tree trunk with rough bark. The cat would immediately stretch out its claws and hug the trunk tightly. However, when faced with a concrete wall, the cat would not scratch it. Even if it was a 90-degree cement corner, the cat did not seem to be able to scratch it. I planned to stretch out my claws, because the cement wall was not rough enough and there was nowhere to scratch.

This is related to cats’ well-developed balance system and perfect body protection mechanism. When a cat falls from the air, no matter whether it starts with its back down and its feet in the air, the cat can always turn around quickly during the fall, and when it approaches the ground, its forelimbs are ready for landing. The thick fat meat pads on a cat’s toes can greatly reduce the vibration of the ground against the recoil of the cat’s body. It can effectively prevent vibration from damaging various organs. The cat's tail is also a balance organ, just like the tail of an airplane, which can keep the body balanced. In addition, cats have well-developed limbs, with short forelimbs and long hind limbs, which are conducive to jumping. Its motor nerves are well developed, its body is soft, its muscles and ligaments are strong, and its balance ability is perfect. Therefore, despite a large gap when climbing and jumping, it will not fall to death due to loss of balance.

After reading the above content, everyone should have a certain understanding of why cats can climb high. Although cats can climb high, it cannot be ruled out that cats may be injured due to climbing. Therefore, if you find a cat climbing high at home, you should stop it. , to ensure the safety of cats.