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Paws & Claws

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas. She lives in Blacksburg now, and answers local pet owners' questions every week in The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com.

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I have a school paper due soon, and my dad suggested that I write about why cats are smarter than people. He also suggested that I write to you to get the information. So please can you help me?

Cats' senses are in most cases more acute than their human counterparts'. For example, your cat's ears are like little satellite dishes as they rotate to pick up sounds from all directions. Watch the ears as they move back and forth enabling the cat to pinpoint the sound source. Cats can also hear higher-pitched sounds than people can, so they can hear the ultrasonic calls of both their kittens and small rodent prey.

It is not true that cats can see in the dark, but they can see in very low light. When people consider the night to be pitch black, it is like moonlight to a cat, allowing them to hunt prey at night. Cats can also detect movement much faster than people do, again a great help in hunting.

Cats have a very superior sense of smell; they have about 40 times more odor-sensitive cells than do humans. Cats sniff their food before eating to ensure that it is to their liking. Cats can detect the presence of other cats outside the house and can identify what you have been doing all day, just by sniffing your clothes. This is one of the reasons cats will mark their territory if other cats have been around their house and yard.

Cats have special sensory whiskers that act as accurate detection devices and are very important for hunting and navigating in low light. Some cats like being touched and quickly start to purr and almost go into a trance, while other cats will allow only a little stroking before running off. When a cat rubs against you, he is not just being friendly, but is marking you to tell other cats that you belong to him.

Cats are not able to differentiate different tastes as well as people, who have twice the number of taste buds that a cat does. The smell of the food is more important to a cat than the taste. This is why cats do not like canned food straight from the fridge because it is cold and has no smell, or food that has been left out to get dry and hard. Cats' taste buds cannot detect sugars in the food and many cats cannot digest milk and suffer from diarrhea as a consequence. Cats that have been given cow's milk continuously from when they were kittens can usually tolerate milk.

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My granddaughter's 10-month-old yellow Lab has frequent and foul-smelling gas. Is there anything she can give the puppy to cure this problem?

All dogs can have a touch of excessive wind occasionally. Some common causes are related to their diet or eating habits. It can be due to eating food too quickly, or being fed poor-quality dog foods. Feed high-quality dog food, especially those containing rice and lamb, rather than cheaper foods with large amounts of corn. Older dogs have more digestive problems than puppies. Certain breeds, boxers and the other bull breeds in particular, tend to have more gas problems. Bigger dogs tend to have more flatulence than the smaller breeds. Charcoal biscuits may be added to the food to help. A teaspoon of yogurt daily may help, and being a Lab I am sure he will eat it.

Avoid giving him leftovers, especially those containing beans, cabbage or broccoli, as well as cheese and other very fatty items.

Try taking him for an energetic walk about 30 to 60 minutes after feeding so his gut is stimulated and he has a chance to empty his bowels. Two smaller meals per day are better than one large one.

If the condition persists after trying various remedies, consult your veterinarian in case a medical problem is present.

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas and has taught at Texas A&M University. She lives with her veterinarian husband and two cats in Blacksburg. If you have a question, please write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, VA 24068, or send an e-mail to bowen508@verizon.net.