I’ve got so many posts lined up, but work keeps me busy these days. Speaking of work – so I’m sitting here, working, and all of a sudden I smell one of the worst smells I’ve ever encountered. It smelled like the most intense burning you can imagine. Burning mixed with dirt. It gave me an intense headache, which, I’m sorry to report (sorry to myself, mostly), is probably here to stay for the rest of the day. It’s 10am. Suffice it to say I’m in for a long day. Speaking of long days, let’s talk about cat tails.
- I found this answer on WikiAnswers. It’s not what I’m looking for, but I absolutely hate it and think it’s such a dumb answer: “[cats have tails] because they are so soft and snuggly that they love to rub it around the things they love, like their human pets.”
- Tails are composed of vertebrae, muscle, ligaments, tendon and love. Is it an extension of the backbone, you ask? “Yes,” I say. Yes, I believe that to be true. I’m not going to go so far as to say it’s an extension of the spinal cord, but I will say it’s part of the backbone.
- Cats use their tails for balance, for maintaining their center of gravity and as a counterweight during sudden shifts of direction while moving at high speeds (on highways and such).
- Tails can also be an indicator of temperament. Some refer to this as being a cat’s way of “talking.” I don’t subscribe to the use of that word in this instance.
- Damage to the tail results in damage to the nerves, as nerves extend through the tail from the spinal cord.
- Some Manx cats have no tails, which is probably just a result of a “small “gene pool”” on the island on which the cats bred (Isle of Man).
