cats and colors

I thought cats were supposed to be color blind. However, I have a green and white afghan blanket, and my cat always takes it in his mouth and twists it around. This also happened a few other times when he was on a green and white Michigan State University blanket (The family is all MSU fans). We have dubbed the blanket "his girlfriend". What is Ambre doing, and why is it considered inappropriate? He is fixed, but what's going on in his mind?

welcome..it sounds like your cat is suckling....you can google the subject but here is one link I found. It is very common in cats!

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/cats-who-suckle-and-lick-people

I thought cats were supposed to be color blind....

Hi smg680 !

Well....you thought right!

Some reading, if you'd like:


http://www.wisegeek.org/do-animals-see-in-color.htm

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/colorblindness2.htm

http://www.beercolor.com/color_challenged_per.htm

Now.......so far as the behaviour goes, Winston has given you an excellent article explaining that......one of my cats has a Teddy Bear that's his security blanket.....he's really attached to it and suckling it.

Thanks for the articles, but I didn't tell the complete story. Ambre's not a newborn; he's six years old. Is he sexually aroused by something even though he's fixed?

Its pretty normal not just for kittens....

...Is he sexually aroused by something.....

There lies the problem.......this has nothing to do with sexual arousal!!!

I know that reading is challenging for many people these days.......this is from the link that Winston gave you:Why Does Your Cat Do That?

There are many reasons why cats suckle or lick people excessively. Some experts believe that cats who do these things may have been orphaned or weaned too early. Ideally, kittens should stay with their mother and littermates until they’re at least six weeks old. Some studies suggest that it’s even better if kittens stay until seven to twelve weeks of age. If they’re taken from their mother and litter too early, kittens may show infantile behaviors as adults. Both suckling and licking fall into this category. Suckling and licking can also occur in response to stress, anxiety, illness or just plain boredom. For some cats, these habits simply serve as comfort behaviors to enjoy during periods of relaxation.

Hi!!! :D

Your cat is not sexually aroused is content and loving the blankie.
It's fairly common no matter the age. Also they're not color blind as they were believed to be. They can certainly see some colors better than others but they're not color blind.
I've had some cases of suckling cats kittens and adults I just get a piece of blanket of their liking to be their sucking blanket <3 if it makes them happy :cloud9:

Here's my dinosaur. She did it since kitten and still as an adult!
Here she is sucking on her blanket :lovestruck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gC0GxsD3L0

My neutered cat Ziglet used to do the same. It wasn't sexual.

...They can certainly see some colors better than others

TRUE.


but they're not color blind.

NOT TRUE.........based on the accepted definition of "colour blind"

Color blindness, or color vision deficiency, is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under normal lighting conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_blindness

Here's a great way to understand our cats' colour vision: Protanopia - Simulator of Color Blindness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZLABgekBfI&feature=player_embedded)

.

My sons cat will suck on the tip of his tail for hours if they don't stop him. Then he walks around with a wet, pointy tail.

If you're interested in knowing how your cat sees anything in particular.......such as his/her toys, AND if you have a picture of it, here's a tool you can use: Vischeck simulates colorblind vision (http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckImage.php)

While we're talking vision, Marko posted this a while back: See The World Through The Eyes Of A Cat (http://pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=84758)

Also, what are the blankets made of? I find our cats love wool. Seems logical, it's warmer. But fleece is pretty warm too and they prefer wool.

Originally Posted by Koteburo View Post
...They can certainly see some colors better than others

TRUE.


but they're not color blind.

NOT TRUE.........based on the accepted definition of "colour blind"[/COLOR][/B][/URL]

.

Well you are right. They are color blind in the same way some people are color blind. It was believed at some point they couldn't see colors but they can. They're just like my husband :D
He sees some shades of gray as pink, some greens as black, can't see well red or orange mixed with green... Because he's color blind :p
He recently discovered that Pusheen is actually gray and not pink :laughing:
BTW here's Pusheen (who looks almost exactly like Mulder one of my cats and that includes body shape)
http://data.pusheen.com/aboutpusheen.gif