I have been rescuing and housing cats for over 30 years. With no education or degree in cat care, I had to learn the behaviors and needs of this unique breed of animal the hard way. The intelligence of cats never ceases to amaze me. I have a medical background that helps me compare cats to humans regarding moods, behaviors, likes, dislikes, illness, and disease processes that often can answer my questions that come up when caring for these unique animals.
Cats are highly perceptive of their surroundings. Thus, not too much happens, but what a cat sees and senses. I believe that the longer a pet is with you, the more attuned the pet is to other animals in the household and its human parents. A cat has five known senses, the same as human beings.
- Sight
- Hearing
- Smell
- Taste
- Touch
The difference between a human and a cat’s senses is that the cat’s senses are more heightened and acutely sharper than a human’s. What we may not be able to hear, see, or feel a cat can pick up. For example, a cat’s sense of smell is used to help them identify people and other household animals. A cat’s sense of smell identifies an illness or disease process before the doctor has ever placed a diagnosis.
While you have about five million sensors in your nose, your cat has 200 million sensors in its nose. A cat’s sense of smell is well over ten times yours.
Cats can also sense how their humans feel, such as if they are in pain, sad, depressed, happy, excited, angry, or happy. Cats can sense when another animal or human is ill or is dying. Cats can sense these emotions before a human can begin to verbalize or express how they feel at that moment.
Can A Cat Sense A Dog In Heat?
Pet researchers say that a cat is likely to notice some hormonal changes in your dog when it is in heat. A cat is perceptive enough to know that your dog acts differently and something is different about your dog’s normal behavior.
Unneutered male cats can smell the odor of your female dog in heat from quite a distance away. Some cat professionals say up to one mile away. That is quite a good sense of smell, and I am unsure whether I believe that. However, a spayed female cat does not possess the sensory smell of a female dog in heat.
The Sensitivity Senses of Cats
We had a cat for 19 years, Papa Pudge Bear. Papa was sitting on our desk one day when my husband got a call from the hospital that his dad had died. This was a shock to my husband and me. But, before my husband could utter too much to the caller or me, I noticed that Papa Pudge was crying. His tears were falling on the desk where he sat and he had his big gold eyes glued on my hubby’s face.
I believe that this cat could sense my husband’s sadness in his facial expression and voice. This cat knew that something upset my husband. We have had many other instances throughout the years that lead me to believe that what the professionals say about the high level of cat senses is uniquely and undoubtedly true.
How Do Cats React To Dogs In Heat?
Research says cats and dogs can detect female cats and dogs in heat. Male cats can smell a specific odor and hormonal level in a female dog in heat. However, the neutering process significantly decreases a dog or cat’s ability to respond as they would if they were not neutered.
Will A Cat Try To Mate with A Dog?
Researchers say that dogs and cats have entirely different mating processes, making it highly unlikely for a mating process between a cat and dog to take place and have offspring develop. Cats and dogs are entirely different animal species. Dogs and cats would never mate together because they cannot become fertile together.
Unneutered and unspayed dogs and cats in your care mean you are at risk of puppies and kittens of the same species that you may not want. This is why vets tell you to get your pets spayed or neutered if you are not a registered breeder. Cats and dogs are happier when they are fixed.
The surprising question that many devoted pet owners ask is,
“Is there a risk of my dog or cat mating together?
The answer is a definitive no. Cats and dogs cannot mate with each other to produce a litter. This is not possible, so there is no reason to worry about this ever happening. However, if you are not a breeder, there is no reason not to get your pets to the vet for spaying or neutering. Your pets will live a happier, healthier life.
You may sometimes notice your dog or cat humping one another; however, this action does not necessarily mean that they are trying to mate. This usual sexual action can mean other things besides your pets trying to mate.
One animal in multi-pet homes often tries to get it across to other pets in the house that they are the dominating force. The possible show of domination of one pet in the household over the other pets is not the only reason pets may do this action. Stress, excitement, and the urge to play with one another can cause a dog or cat to look as if one is humping the other. This may lead you to believe that there is a sexual connotation behind their actions when there is not.
If mating did happen to occur, which it never would, the offspring would not likely survive because a cat and dog do not share similar DNA. For example, cats have 38 chromosomes or 19 pairs. Dogs have 78 chromosomes or 39 pairs. Because of these different chromosomes, having viable offspring between a dog and a cat is not possible. Dogs and cats are not closely matched like some other animal species.
One example is a mule, an offspring of a horse and a donkey who share similar DNA and resemble each other. Another example is the mating of dogs and wolves together. Lions and tigers can breed with each other. Even if dogs and cats could mate, they could not produce offspring even with scientific help. While it is not unusual for different animal species to mate, it is highly rare and next to impossible for this to happen in dogs and cats.
When a dog or cat decides to mate with their own species, each has differing mating signals that are not recognized between dogs and cats. Scientists say that dogs and cats show no interest in mating together. Additionally, the reproductive organs in cats and dogs are entirely different and would not accommodate each other.
Puppies and Kittens
You already know that cats cannot have puppies, and dogs cannot have kittens. However, it is a proven fact that a dog or a cat has accepted the offspring of each other. Such as, female dogs have accepted and cared for kittens, and female cats have accepted and cared for puppies.
Cat professionals believe that this is due to the mothering instinct of female dogs and cats. However, a mother cat may not produce the milk needed to sufficiently feed a puppy.
Can Cats Tell The Gender Of Dogs?
Cat professionals say that the body language between a dog and a cat is not compatible. However, for example, if kittens and puppies grow up in the same home, they learn how to communicate and know the other’s gender. A dog and cat can understand the body language of each other. However, it was found that the gender of each is of no problem with a cat. Researchers say that cats do not consider the gender of a dog.
According to cat professionals and researchers, cats do not stop to think about the gender of a dog they share space with, nor does a dog consider the gender of the cat living in the same household.