Why does a cat have a tail

“Do you know why cats have long tails?”
“Isn’t the tail used to keep the cat’s body balanced?”
“So…who did you hear say this?”
“I forgot, but I remember that when I was very young, someone told me that a cat’s tail can help kittens maintain balance… It seems to be what my mother said.”
However, cats have long tails, which seem to have little to do with maintaining balance!
How long have you been fooled by this beautiful explanation?
If the tail is used for balance, then why does a tailless cat stand?
Tailless cat? You haven’t heard of it?
By the way, you know that Corgis have their tails artificially docked as soon as they are born!
But…it seems like they’re walking…quite steadily.

Then let’s go back to the tailless cat – the Manx cat.
The Manx cat, also known as the Manx cat, is a cat that lives on the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom.
The biggest feature of the Isle of Man cat is its short tail. How short is its tail? It is short enough that one can classify it by the length of its tail.
According to the length of their tails, Manx cats are divided into “Lunby tailless cats”, “Lunby tailed cats”, “Stonby tailed cats” and “Geelong tailed cats”.
As for how these names were obtained, it doesn’t matter. Foreigners don’t know much about naming names anyway.
All you need to know is that the tailless cat is a cat with no tail at all, no trace at all. Several other varieties have more or less tails.
Although their tails vary in length, there is no difference in their balancing power. The walking is smooth, and the posture after jumping is also very relaxed, so… the tail is really not used to maintain balance!
So why do cats have such long tails? What is it used for?
In fact, cats have long tails just because of their genes. It’s like someone asking you why you are so short or why you are so fat.
“What’s the use of being so short and fat?”
“I don’t know what it’s for! My parents gave it to me!”
Yes, the reason for the existence of long-tailed cats is also very simple, that is, genetically determined.
And scientists have also discovered that short-tailed cats are mostly caused by a gene that causes cats to have short tails.
The length of a cat’s tail is actually only related to bloodline.

The tail is a cat’s weak point.

The ancestors of cats acquired excellent ears and dexterous movement abilities during the evolution process.
Cats are masters of sneak attack and concealment. Especially when there is an animal behind them, cats can quickly know and avoid it. This means that cats will continue to weaken the “defensive capabilities” of their tails during their evolution.
Because for cats, they can detect enemies approaching from behind in advance and avoid them quickly.
But the fragile tail is not a useless decoration for cats.

The tail has 5 key functions for cats:

A cat’s tail is part of a cat’s environmental perception:

It was not until the 21st century that humans discovered that a cat’s tail can not only sense temperature, but also changes in airflow. What’s even more subtle is that a cat’s tail can capture “vibration signals” very well.

The cat’s tail is the “regulator” of the cat’s movement state:

There will be some “imbalance” in the movement signals sent by the brain when executed by the limbs, and the cat’s tail can adjust this problem. When a cat jumps, the cat’s tail will always move slightly in the air to create the best aerial posture for the cat.

Cat tails are important for cats to supplement vitamin D:

One of the reasons why cats lick their tails every day is that their tails can secrete a nutrient that “allows cats to indirectly obtain vitamin D.” After research, scientists found that only the tail of cats is most likely to secrete this substance.

The tail is a tool used by cats to “communicate”:

Cats will touch their tails when they meet other cats. Some cats that are closely related will also develop tail-twisting behavior. Cats can carry out nearly 46 kinds of “cat-to-cat language communication” through their tails.

Cats show their strength through their tails:

In the cat world, cats with thick tails are more likely to gain dominance. Cats with thick tails like to show off their tails to other cats.

Who has the longest tail?

Now you know how the length of a cat’s tail comes from, right? And I also learned that a cat’s tail actually has little to do with balance.
Next, let’s talk about an interesting topic – who has the longest tail?
After extensive measurements and summaries, zoologists found that the average length of male cat tails is about 27 centimeters, while the average length of female cat tails is about 25 centimeters.
According to Guinness World Records, the current record for the longest tail among domestic cats is about 44.6 centimeters, which is a Maine Coon cat.

Cats with long tails

American shorthair cat

The American Shorthair cat’s tail is thickest at the base and gradually tapers toward the tail.
Like most cat breeds, the length of their tails is proportional to their body size.
Because American Shorthair cats are much larger than many other cat breeds, their tails tend to be longer.

Balinese cat

Balinese cats look a lot like Siamese cats, right? That’s right! Because Siamese cats are the ancestors of Balinese cats, Balinese cats are actually a variant of Siamese cats that appeared after a certain genetic mutation.
The tail of this cat is usually very long and covered with a lot of hair.

Cornish Rex Cat

Cornish Rex cats originate from the United Kingdom and are very intelligent cats. So…what do you think your cat’s intelligence is?
This kind of cat loves to play and has an outgoing personality. If you find it too noisy, don’t keep it.
However, since we mentioned it here, it means that its tail is also very long!

Egyptian cat

Egyptian cats are also called small leopards because they look like leopards.
The most distinctive feature of Egyptian cats is their spots, which cover them almost from head to tail.
Egyptian cats also have long tails, and they have black rings on their tails that turn completely black at the tip.

Maine coon cat

Finally, let’s talk about the Maine Coon cat. This breed is also the current holder of the longest tail length.
It’s a mystery why they have long tails, because Maine Coon cats are so big! They are unique in the cat world for their gigantic size.
The body length of an adult male cat can reach 100~120 cm, and the body length of a female cat can also reach 80~110 cm. So I would like to ask, how much taller are you than him?

End

“Hey, is the cat’s tail for balance?” If someone asks me again.
“Yes, the tail is used to maintain balance!” I think I will still answer this way.
Although I know the real answer is not like this, it is the answer my mother said!