Cats Wear Winter Coats Too!
Dear Cat and Dog Loving Friends,
Did you know that cats wear winter coats too? Even cats who live indoors 100% of the time wear a winter coat. And they make our lives a little easier since they don’t need us to take them shopping for their winter wardrobe -- our house cats grow their own warmer coats. Even though it’s warm and cozy inside our homes where house cats spend all their time, cat’s brains are hard-wired to grow a denser coat in the winter months.
So, one is likely to wonder, if it isn’t colder temperatures that cause this extra growth, what triggers the denser coat growth? The answer is sunlight. The shorter daylight hours have a direct effect on a cat’s brain. Despite artificial lighting in our homes, a cat’s brain recognizes the shorter number of daylight hours in the winter, and the lesser amount of daylight triggers a series of neurological and chemical events in their brains.
The process goes like this. Fewer daylight hours are recognized by a specific part of the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Once the suprachiasmatic nucleus is stimulated, it causes another part of the brain, called the pineal gland, to secrete the hormone melatonin. One of melatonin’s functions is to modulate hair growth. Melatonin does this by suppressing a hormone called prolactin, and that suppression stimulates hair follicles. So, the shortened day length ultimately increases melatonin which then decreases prolactin, that then stimulates hair follicles, ultimately resulting in the growth of a denser winter coat. Complicated but effective!
Domestic cats have three different types of hairs. The longest and thickest are called ‘guard’ hairs. Guard hairs make up the protective outer coat and retard water. They also contain melanin which gives the coat its color. The intermediate hairs are called ‘awn’ hairs, and awn hairs are shorter and help with insulation.
Under the awn hairs are the down hairs, which are the soft and silky undercoat that are stimulated to grow during the shortened daylight season. You may notice that your cat even looks fluffier in the winter months, and there is also a slight graying of your cat’s coat color due to the presence of these down hairs. When the daylight hours start to increase once again, your cat will shed this new fur layer. Daily grooming will help (Help?? It will be absolutely necessary!) to eliminate the excess shedding that inevitably occurs when this coat is no longer needed. It will also help with hairballs.
Just some insights into the secret lives of cats. Now, please go give yours a good brushing.
Chow, chow, chow for now.
Dr. Amy