51
votes
Accepted
Does purring tire cats?
Purring is a sign of wellbeing for the house cat. She certainly purrs because you are petting her, but if she would be sleeping on you then chances are she would probably also be purring without you ...
- 676
37
votes
Why do groomers tell you not to shear a long-haired dog in warm weather?
The main question is this: Is your dog
Single coated with hairs that grow endlessly at a constant speed?
Or double coated with hairs that grow to a predefined length and are shed?
Single coated ...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
32
votes
Accepted
Does picking up an adult cat by neck cause them to be paralyzed like kittens?
Cats can be temporarily paralyzed by pinching the skin on the back of their neck. This is called "pinch-induced behavioral inhibition" (PIBI) or "scruffing" or "clipnosis"...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
13
votes
Is it safe to get my cat on X-ray machine?
Yes, taking an X-ray is perfectly safe, the output (radiation) is far too low to cause cancer or other dangerous changes in the body.
Radiation is everywhere: the Sun, the Earth, even from natural ...
- 12.6k
11
votes
Accepted
What causes rabbits to spontaneously change gender?
As stated here, they don't change gender. Rabbits are one of those species whose gender is difficult to tell, especially in young animals, and therefore are regularly misidentified.
- 16.2k
11
votes
Does purring tire cats?
There's no good reason to assume that purring is tiring for cats. Whilst the exact mechanism by which cats purr is not fully understood, it seems to be an almost passive part of breathing to them. ...
- 211
11
votes
Does purring tire cats?
I knew a cat who literally purred the entire time he was awake. His vet liked to say that he "didn't know how to turn his engine off". It didn't appear to tire him at all, he had just as ...
- 491
10
votes
Accepted
Is whisker layout in a dog a constant?
I've looked around in scientific publications and found no indication that whisker patterns are used anywhere to identify canines (neither lost dogs nor wild animals or those living in zoos).
There ...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
9
votes
Motion-induced dizziness in cats
No thanks to our friend, our cat rapidly chased a laser light in tight circles for one minute. The result when she stopped was that she looked dazed and wobbled when trying to walk and then fell over--...
- 91
9
votes
Accepted
Do rabbits feel pain?
Yes rabbits feel pain, I'm the anesthesiologist for our exotic pet surgeries and I can guarantee they feel pain. A part of monitoring their anesthetic depth you do a pain response by squeezing their ...
- 12.6k
9
votes
Accepted
Does a pet boa/python measure the owner by lying straight?
No, snakes don't do any kind of measuring their prey before attacking like that.
Typically they can see whether they can eat what they see. Similarly to how you don't have to bring out a tape ...
- 1,793
8
votes
Iris of my cat's left eye is discoloring on the edge
The area does probably have more blood vessels than the rest of the iris of the eye, so it is nothing to worry about; it does not look inflamed or anything.
I once had a cat with a birthmark on her ...
- 19.5k
7
votes
Accepted
Inbred kitten -- What are the risks?
Take the kitten to the vet. As soon as you acquire any new pet, you should take it for a vet visit as soon as you can, so you can make sure it's properly vaccinated and so forth.
As for your concerns ...
- 16.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Can big cats retract their claws?
Yes, all cats have retractable claws, though a Cheetah's claws are only semi-retractable. The claws on the front legs of a cat are fully retractable as they need to be sharp for holding onto prey, for ...
- 19.5k
6
votes
Gourami breathing at water's surface
Don't panic!
This is entirely normal behaviour for Gouramis (within moderation). Gouramis are part of a group of fish called 'Labyrinth Fish' (Sometimes also known as 'Anabantoids'). These fish have a ...
- 5,135
6
votes
Accepted
How frequently do cats lose their whiskers?
Continuously (if slowly) shed and replaced; nothing to worry about.
I'm always amused by finding a whisker; I forget just how long they are compared to the cat until I have one without the cat ...
- 11.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Hens and no rooster: what happens to hens and their unfertilized eggs?
Each hen is unique (just like people)
Each hen has a number or volume of eggs that will make her start sitting. It could be anything from 1 to a dozen.
Hens cannot count, there is one and more then ...
- 29.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Do rabbits see well at night?
To be completely technical, no animal can see in complete darkness, although many animals see much better than us in low light levels such as the level of natural darkness that occurs at night.
...
- 16.2k
6
votes
Do cats benefit from human probiotics?
Cats and humans have very different digestive systems, and it's generally not advised to administer human medication to pets; I would extend this caution to supplements, which are not only geared ...
- 6,139
6
votes
Inhaling or ingesting cat's hairs
That sounds like made up panic. Now, I will freely admit this anecdotal, but having grown around cats, with several friends who also grew up with cats, this "ingesting cats hair is dangerous"...
- 491
6
votes
Why do groomers tell you not to shear a long-haired dog in warm weather?
I agree 100% with Elmy
Sometimes when groomers are trained, they may not be told or may not absorb the true reason for doing certain tasks in certain ways. They may simply be told, "Don't do this&...
6
votes
Accepted
Can a cat cut its tongue on an open food can's edge?
A cats tongue can get cut on a can. It’s not any more or less tough than your own tongue.
The “toughness” you may feel is just their hairs for grooming and cleaning meat of bones. But cans aren’t ...
- 2,723
6
votes
Accepted
I really want a guinea pig, but I think I am allergic to rabbits
kratzallergy.com says:
If the rabbit also causes an allergy, you might consider a smaller pet. A guinea pig is a fairly safe bet for most people with allergies. If you find that a regular guinea pig ...
- 1,528
6
votes
Accepted
Does eating garlic repel fleas?
Not sure about fleas, but it could well repel other humans – which might also be a good thing...
In all seriousness, I would consider it unlikely for this to be effective on the basis that cat and dog ...
- 6,078
5
votes
Is my guppy pregnant? How could I tell whether a guppy is pregnant?
Yes definitely pregnant. As Dalton says, you may want a birthing chamber to put her into.
From experience I would also look into sexing guppies if you want to keep your tank population in check. ...
- 151
5
votes
At what age do ginger cats start having black whiskers?
Color of whiskers isn't set in stone, nor is their transition.
Some cats start black, other cats start white (one of our current cats has black whiskers at age 1, the others have white whiskers at age ...
- 5,616
5
votes
Can a pug be trained for extended hiking?
If you keep the pug fit and healthy, it could likely last on a decent hike, but 15km would be pushing it. Remember that pugs are small and don't breath well. Plus, the pug will be taking, like, 10x ...
- 2,723
5
votes
Accepted
Can a cat know you came thanks to his sense of smell?
No
Unlike ants and bees, cats do not use scent as their primary sense when they move. Cat olfactory senses are quite strong, especially when we compare them with those of humans, but it will not help ...
- 4,744
5
votes
Does purring tire cats?
I'm pretty sure your cat is perfectly fine. My cat also likes to come lie in my lap to get cuddled, and she purrs loudly for most of it. Then she suddenly stops and I look down to see that she has ...
- 191
5
votes
Accepted
Has anyone touched a male lion? Is the lion's mane just like stringy human hair?
According to Jacob Markow, a supposed "zookeeper who specializes in the care of tigers and other big cats", and an "animal handler and trainer", who answered the Quora question: ...
- 1,528
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible