10/09/2019
Fun Fact Friday!
Do you know why many cats have a saggy belly?
Below is the technical explanation, and we'd like to send a huge thank you to "Melody" for modeling for us what the Primordial Pouch looks like and to her Mom Julia Wilson for her purrrfect picture. Thank you!
https://www.cat-world.com.au/
The technical term for this flap of skin and fat, which often feels like a half-full water balloon, is the “primordial pouch,” and you can also observe this feature on some big cats like lions and tigers. This bit of loose skin and padding at the belly provides extra protection and insulation to your cat during fights when a cat’s practice of “bunny kicking” with the rear paws could result in severe abdominal injury to their opponent. In fact, cats have excess skin covering the entire body which helps them squirm out of the grasp of other predators.
Another function of the abdominal flap is to allow the cat freedom of movement to fully stretch and extend the back legs when in full stride. It’s also theorized that in our cats’ wild ancestors, the flap allowed the stomach to stretch to hold extra food when necessary, such as when gorging after a large kill in the wild.
While this pouch is part of your cats anatomy, you still want to make sure your fur baby maintains a healthy weight. 😉
https://news.petmeds.com/news/common-pet-conditions/why-do-many-cats-have-a-saggy-belly/
