The Hair of Your Cat

Cats seldom have our “bad hair” days.  Cat hairs bothering you?  Combing them gently every few days will help your cat not be bothered with furr balls, and you not to endure so much shedding!  Be gentle, so as not to scrap your pet’s skin.

Your Feline’s Fur Coat

Cats have three kinds of hair

1. Down hair, which is the undercoat and long  hairs
2. Guard hair, which the topcoat
3. Awn hair, which is the denser but shorter hair

Pointed breeds such as Siamese, Birman, Balinese and Himalayan have darker hair on their points such the nose, ears, paws and tail, thus the name “Pointed” breeds. 

When a cat arches its back, bares its teeth, and raises its hair, called piloerection, it is using a defensive thechnique to scare away an opponent.  This tactic works well in most cases, causing some dogs to shrink at the mere site of even a small cat.

A cat’s whiskers, vibrissae, are usually as wide as its body and are instrumental in helping them navigate. The average cat has 24 whiskers, 12 on each side. 

And that, is probably more than you ever wanted to know, about a cat’s hair. 

-Sassy’s Mom, the cat’s meow