Q: I have two cats, 6-month-old brothers. One is a tabby, the other an all black. I have had them since they were 8 weeks old when I adopted them from the town shelter. I leave out dry food and fresh water daily and feed them each a half can of kitten food once in the morning and again at night. The black cat loves running water. He dunks his head and uses his paws to drink the water as well as drinking directly from the faucet. The tabby uses his paws to eat from the wet cat food. He actually scoops the food in his paw and feeds himself. If he had a thumb he could hold a spoon. The cats are adorable doing these things, but why do they do them?
A. I have seen many cats that will use their paws like a bear or raccoon and always wondered if the trait was learned or genetic. I always assumed it was learned. However, the fact that you have a sibling pair that both started to do it from a very early age indicates to me that this is actually a genetic trait in the same manner that many animals favor the use of their right leg or left one. Even birds show this characteristic. When a genetic trait like this one occurs in a wild animal, it allows the animal to do something others of its species cannot, and that trait allows the animal to survive better than the others. Then that particular animal will live longer and have more offspring, and those offspring will also be able to carry on that particular trait.
If the genetic variation does not allow the animal to survive better, then it dies out with the animal that it occurred in.
When domesticated animals that are in our care spontaneously pop up with a genetic variation and we like it, then we allow that particular animal to survive and breed in hopes that the trait will be passed on. That is how we create many different breeds out of one particular species of animal. So if a scientist or a person who is an expert in genetics wanted to breed a cat that was able to consistently use its paws as a raccoon does, then your two cats would be the founding stock of that particular breed. However, in my humble opinion, we have enough breeds of dogs and cats now, so just enjoy your pets as they are. The answer to your question is that your cats do this just because they can.
Q. We want to get a guinea pig for my son and he wants to keep it in his room, but we are afraid that it may bother his asthma at night. We have a very busy house with a lot of comings and going all the time. If we keep it downstairs, then I am also worried that it may get stressed out from all our family drama.
A. Guinea pigs are in the rodent family, and like most rodents, they are shy and always worried about getting eaten. When a guinea pig is kept as a pet it quickly bonds with the humans that live with it, and when it has totally lost its fear and worry that something bad will happen to it, it will relax and allow its personality to develop. It will become clever and curious about the creatures that it shares its life with, and it is going to want to be where the action is.
A guinea pig kept in a kitchen, for example, will quickly learn that when the refrigerator opens, fresh veggies are forthcoming and will squeal loudly in protest if it does not get any. The guinea pig will actually have a better and more interactive life if it is part of a family unit and not shut up in a bedroom all day. Since they are social animals and it is just as easy to care for two as one, I would advise you to get a same-sex pair. That way they can enjoy your drama together and compare notes about it afterward.
Q. We just bought a new house and have a backyard for the first time. We installed two bird feeders, one mounted on a pole with sunflower seeds and the other hanging with thistle seeds in it. They are both about 50 feet from the house. It has been 10 days now and nary a bird has visited the feeders at all. Should we just be more patient or should we move the feeders to another spot in the yard?
A. I doubt that it is the location of the feeders. If birds are hungry and they see food on a windowsill of a house, they will eat right off it. And your feeders are 50 feet from the house so that would cater to even the shyest of birds. Most likely there are very few bird feeders set up in your neighborhood so the resident birds just have not yet learned that food can be easily obtained.
It is only a matter of time before a bird discovers the bounty you presented, and as soon as that happens, the word will spread and your feeders will be frequented by more birds than you can count.
