Research library
🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries
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12 summaries matching “domestic cat” in Sensory Biology on domestic cat
Hearing range of the domestic cat
PaperThis influential study measured the audible frequency range of the domestic cat using behavioral methods, establishing that cats hear across an exceptionally broad span of frequencies. The work docume…
Rickye S. Heffner, Henry E. Heffner · Hearing Research · 1985
Inheritance of the catnip response in domestic cats
PaperThis early genetic study examined the familiar but variable reaction of cats to catnip and proposed that responsiveness is an inherited trait. By observing the catnip response across cats and consider…
Neil B. Todd · Journal of Heredity · 1962
Research overview: bitter taste receptors in the domestic cat
OverviewCats retain the ability to taste bitter compounds, supported by a family of bitter taste receptor genes. This overview surveys what is known about the feline bitter receptor repertoire and its likely…
Research overview: hunting by sound in the domestic cat
OverviewCats frequently locate and strike at prey they cannot see, relying on hearing to guide the attack. This overview surveys how acute sound localization and broad, high-reaching hearing enable cats to hu…
Research overview: iridoid responses in big cats and wild felids
OverviewThe response to catnip and related iridoids is not unique to domestic cats; various wild felids also react. This overview surveys reports that some big cats, such as lions and others, show interest in…
Research overview: linking the slit pupil to ambush hunting ecology
OverviewThe correlation between vertical-slit pupils and ambush predation has become a touchstone example of how anatomy reflects ecology. This overview surveys the broader argument that slit pupils benefit p…
Research overview: sound localization acuity in the domestic cat
OverviewPinpointing the direction of a sound is essential for a predator that hunts partly by ear, and cats are skilled localizers. This overview surveys studies of feline sound localization acuity, which com…
Research overview: the wide pupil area range in domestic cats
OverviewCats are often noted for an exceptionally large ratio between their fully constricted and fully dilated pupil areas, a consequence of the slit geometry. This overview surveys measurements and discussi…
Research overview: why big cats have round pupils and small cats have slits
OverviewAlthough domestic cats have vertical-slit pupils, large felids such as lions and tigers have round pupils, a contrast that has attracted scientific attention. This overview surveys the explanation tie…
Responsiveness of cats to silver vine, Tatarian honeysuckle, valerian and catnip
PaperThis study tested how domestic cats respond to four plant materials known to elicit olfactory-driven reactions: silver vine, Tatarian honeysuckle, valerian root, and catnip. By presenting these materi…
Sebastiaan Bol, Jana Caspers, Lauren Buckingham, et al. · BMC Veterinary Research · 2017
The characteristic response of domestic cats to plant iridoids provides chemical defense against mosquitoes
PaperThis landmark study investigated why cats rub and roll on silver vine and catnip, and uncovered a surprising functional benefit beyond apparent pleasure. The researchers identified nepetalactol as a p…
Reiko Uenoyama, Tamako Miyazaki, Jane L. Hurst, Robert J. Beynon, et al. · Science Advances · 2021
Why animal eyes have pupils of different shapes
PaperThis widely cited study tested why pupil shape varies so systematically across animals, finding a strong link between vertical-slit pupils and a terrestrial, ambush-predator lifestyle, exemplified by…
Martin S. Banks, William W. Sprague, Jurgen Schmoll, Jared A. Q. Parnell, Gordon D. Love · Science Advances · 2015