True/False : All About Cats Trivia Quiz

Answer: true

Nocturnal refers to animals that are usually more active during the night than the day. They also have special adaptations that help them survive in the dark. For example, many nocturnal animals (including cats) have special eyes that see well in the dark. Also, good hearing can be very helpful for night animals, and cats happen to be creatures with excellent hearing. So, with excellent eyesight and hearing, cats get along pretty well in the dark hours of the night.

I have reviewed some information that states cats as being "crepuscular" rather than "nocturnal". For those interested in reading further about this, please visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat

http://en.wikipediaorg/wiki/Crepuscular


Note however, that most resources do state cats as being "nocturnal", and therefore that's why I have left the question statement as being true.

Answer: false

From the research I've done, I found that most experts on this subject do believe cats see in color. Cats seem to respond to the colors purple, blue, green, and yellow with blue and green being the strongest colors they perceive. Red, orange, and brown colors appear to fall outside a cat's color range and are believed to be seen as shades of gray or purple.

Answer: true

"A carnivore means a true meat-eating animal, and our feline friends are classified as true carnivores because they MUST consume meat in order to survive. The cat cannot sustain its life unless it consumes meat in some form. This is for several major reasons. First, the essential amino acid taurine and the essential fatty acid arachidonic acid are only present in animal tissue. Taurine is important for healthy functioning of the heart, retina, bile fluid and certain aspects of reproduction. Cats must eat preformed Taurine and since Taurine is not found in plant tissues, cats MUST consume meat to obtain Taurine. Arachidonic acid is another essential fatty acid that plays a role in fat utilization and energy production, and cats cannot make their own Arachidonic acid. The reason cats can't make this is because the cat's chemical factory (liver) contains no delta-6-desaturase enzyme to convert linoleic to Arachidonic. Another reason cats are classified as true carnivores is that of the vitamins. Cats cannot convert betacarotene from plants into vitamin A, nor can they convert biotin into the B vitamin called niacin; therefore, both of these vitamins must come from animal tissue. Cats, unlike dogs, require some of their energy to come from protein; they also have higher requirements for some specific amino acids and vitamins. For all these reasons, CATS SHOULD NOT BE FED DIETS FORMULATED FOR DOGS OR VEGETARIAN DIETS."

This quoted information can be found at:
www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/howto9.html and www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/catsaredif.html

Answer: true

Yes, they do. They're not too far above the paw pads and they're shorter than the ones found around the face. Whiskers are twice as thick as a cat's ordinary hair and have deep roots that are surrounded by nerves and blood vessels. A cat's whiskers are very sensitive and should never be trimmed.

Answer: true

The cat's sense of smell is its primary source for identifying the individuals and objects in its environment. They have 200 million odor-sensitive cells in their noses compared to only 5 million for humans. Cats live in a sensory world completely apart from ours.

A cat's sense of smell plays a very significant role in their relationships with humans and their responses to the environment, which sometimes may result in some puzzling and disturbing behaviors. For example, a cat may refuse to use the litterbox because its owner filled it with a perfume scented litter, and the perfume is actually a repellent for cats.

Answer: false

"Despite the name, ringworm is not a worm but a fungal disease. One of the most common skin problems of cats, ringworm invades the hair follicle. The name, ringworm, comes from the appearance of the skin lesion. A red ring outlines a circular patch of scaly skin and broken-off hairs."
Source: "Think Like A Cat", a book by Pam Johnson-Bennett

Answer: false

Cats do sometimes breathe through their mouths. For example, if they've been running around playing or chasing something, they may need a minute to catch their breath. Also, (I experienced this with my own cat) they may breathe through their mouth if they have an upper respiratory infection. Most of the time, however, cats only breathe through their noses when breathing normally.

Answer: true

"At lower-pitched sounds, there is little difference between humans and cats (and dogs). At the higher sounds, humans can hear up to approximately 20,000 cycles per second. Dogs can hear sounds of frequencies of up to 35,000 to 45,000 cycles. Cats can hear sounds of an amazingly high pitch--sounds up to 100,000 cycles per second! Interestingly, the highest pitched squeak that a mouse can make is approximately the same frequency--100,000 cycles per second. That is no coincidence. Cats' hearing evolved to enable them to be better hunters. Cats hunt by lurking in ambush and listening very closely for the slightest squeak or rustle of their prey.

Their incredibly sensitive hearing allows them to be very effective at this task." Source: www.crazyforkitties.com/fow/fow6.shtml

Answer: true

"Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine that is very toxic to cats which can affect four areas of the cat's body. It can increase the cat's heartrate, it can act as a diuretic causing the cat to lose body fluids, it can affect the gastrointestinal system causing vomiting and diarrhea and could also cause stomach ulcers. And, it can act on the nervous system causing convulsions, seizures and sometimes even death."
(Source: www.lovingchocolate.com/html/pets.html)

Answer: true

Cats can use their whiskers for several things and one of them is to detect sizes of openings. A cat's whiskers grow accordingly to accommodate the cat in perceiving whether or not it can easily pass through something such as a passageway, or if it may become stuck. Other uses of the whiskers are a cat's way to indicate their mood and for the catching of prey.

Answer: false

No, because there is potential harm that can affect a cat being restrained by the scruff. Based on the research I've done, I've found that picking cats up by the scruff can cut off their oxygen supply and put strain on their neck muscles when their hind quarters are in a dangling-like position, and they're carried in this manner for substantial distances.
A veterinary nurse did inform me, however, that picking cats up by the scruff is considered common practice as long as the cat isn't carried that way for too long of a distance. Also, if you're able to support the hind quarters of the cat while holding it by the scruff, this is considered a safe way of handling a cat by its scruff.
Furthermore, a fellow trivia player shared with me that they had learned in a veterinary assistant course that scruffing of the brachiocephalic or pug face classification of cats (such as persians and himalayans; or any breed of cats with very flat faces) can cause retinal damage. Whereas, back again to the opposite side of things, another fellow trivia player has also shared with me that gentle pinching of the scruff helps to release endorphins of which can help calm nervous and/or agitated cats. So, as for my own personal thought on scruffing, I think it's probably best for me not to handle my cats that way and to just leave it to those in the veterinary profession who know more of what they're doing. I would also like to say thank you here to those who shared their info with me to share with others concerning this issue on cat scruffing.

Answer: true

"Cats do not have enough necessary enzymes in the liver to allow normal metobolization of aspirin; therefore, resulting in a very slow break down process of the aspirin which can lead to toxicity levels and possibly even death when given more frequently than once every 48 hours at a dosage of more than 81 mg."
Sources: www.vetinfo.com/catmed.html and www.petcare.umn.edu

Answer: false

"Stud tail is an infection on a cat's tail caused from overproducing sebacceous glands. It's seen more often in unaltered males and the tail appears dirty and greasy and gives off an odor. Treatment for this condition can include washing the tail in a medically prescribed shampoo on a regular basis. Also, antibiotics or even surgery may be required if there's inflammation, and neutering of the intact cat is recommended."
Source: "Think Like A Cat" by Pam Johnson-Bennett

Answer: true

Yes, this is true. Feline acne is most commonly found on the cat's chin appearing as blackheads or pimples. There seem to be many beliefs about the causes of feline acne which vary from food allergies, contact allergies, and some experts even believe stress may play a part.

This condition is also believed to be caused by lack of grooming to the chin where dirt and oil can accumulate and cause the hair follicles to become clogged. The most common belief, however, is that cats who eat and drink out of plastic bowls may be more prone to this condition simply because plastic is supposedly more difficult to keep clean. For me, my cats have always been given their food and water in plastic bowls for which I have had no problems keeping clean. And so far, they've never had any problems with feline acne either, thank goodness.

Answer: false

Feline AIDS, also known as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), has similarities to that of the human AIDS virus but is not the same virus. From my research, I found that most viruses are species specific, meaning that the AIDS virus only affects humans and the FIV only affects cats. Well, I hope you liked the quiz and possibly learned some new facts concerning cats, I know that I sure did when creating it.