They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, well here at MedicAnimal we like to celebrate pets of all shapes and sizes, including the FUGLY ones - that’s fabulously ugly! Owning a pet isn’t always cuddles and kisses, so this week we thought we would bring you 5 fascinating FUGLY facts!
1) Hot dogs (and cats)! When the hot weather comes along during summer, us humans will tend to sweat; this is how our body tries to regulate its temperature. While dogs and cats do have a small number of sweat glands, primarily in their paws, it’s nowhere near as many as humans. So your dog’s primary method to reduce heat is by panting. This circulates air to help cool their bodies. Cats have developed a number of ways to regulate their heat. They will seek out shade and you may have noticed they don’t over exert themselves if the weather is hot. That’s why cats always look like such cool customers.
2) Hair ‘em scare ‘em. Cats have about 130,000 hairs per square inch! That’s a whole lot of hair and goes some way to explaining why we are forever hoovering the stuff up. Did you know that cats have small muscles called arrector pili attached to the follicles? It’s these muscles contracting that cause a cat’s hair to stand up. You will find that cats allowed to roam outside will shed more hair in spring and autumn, while indoor cats will shed hair all year round.
3) Smelly cats and dogs. Interestingly, cats have a far greater sense of smell than their owners. This is due to the fact they have many more odour sensitive cells than their owners. They use this sense of smell to seek out food, mates and to identify their territory. It is our canine friends that really have a phenomenal sense of smell. Dogs can smell between 10,000 and 100,000 times better than us, therefore is it any wonder they have been used for thousands of years and are still used to this day, by humans for this incredible ability? Finally, there is a good reason a dog’s nose is always wet. The moisture helps dogs to capture and hold onto scents and is caused by special glands inside the nose.
4) Many people believe that our canine companions only see in black and white, however this is a common myth. Recent studies have suggested dogs see with a limited colour range and not the full spectrum. Where we see the seven colours of the spectrum, from red to violet, a dog’s limited vision only allows them to see in various shades of blue, yellow and grey. So that fun, brightly coloured collar you bought him might seem very boring to Fido.
5) You dirty dog! Regular brushing is great for your dog, but remember when starting out they may not like to be brushed. To get them use to it, it’s best to start off with short sessions and then build up the length of time. As most cat owners will know all too well, cats can be very attentive when it comes to grooming themselves, spending hours each day licking their fur. However as your cat begins to age they might need a helping hand from you. Longer haired breeds will need more care and attention than shorter haired cats.