HAIRS WITH A DIFFERENT PURPOSE

Research carried out at the Georgia Institute of Technology to better understand how animals are able to clean themselves, found that an animal’s surface area, which includes every location where dirt can be collected, is 100 times greater than its skin surface area. This means that a cat’s surface area is approximately 32ft2 (3m2), which is the size of a table tennis table, so little wonder it all takes so long to clean. The skin is made up of fur, oil and sweat glands, and the coat of two different types of hair, which varies between breeds. “Guard hairs are stiff, straight and smooth and make up the majority of the outer coat,” explains Daniella Dos Santos, of the British Veterinary Association. “Wool hairs are soft, fuzzy and wavy, making up part of the undercoat. These hairs help to keep the cat warm, so are found in higher numbers in winter.” Whiskers are also a type of hair, known as a tactile hair. They are stiff and thick and have many nerve endings at their bases, which makes them very sensitive to air pressure, touch and wind speed.

The grooming process usually follows a sequence, beginning at the head and ears, then moving on to the shoulders and forelegs, flanks and hind legs before finishing with the tail.

Whiskers can detect approaching debris, initiating a blink response to protect the cat’s eyes.