We know that cats prey on mice is their nature. This is the common sense that teachers taught us in books or in classrooms. When we have rat diseases at home, we can also let cats catch mice. Have we ever thought about why cats like to eat mice? Explain why cats eat mice from a scientific point of view!
If a cat wants to prey on mice, it must first start with the cat's eyes. When we observe a cat, we will find that its eyes are particularly bright, like a gem, and its eyes can also change its shape with the change of day and night. In the dark night, its shiny eyes add a mysterious color to the quiet night. But in fact, cats have much worse vision during the day than humans. Because cat eyes have unusual light collection ability, coupled with its high-performance hearing and amazing concentration, cats can also see things in the dark. It can even be said that the darker the light, the clearer the cat can see. The reason why cats have good vision in the dark is that they have developed corneas, and their curved lenses are much larger than those of humans. Therefore, the corneal position of the lens is closer to the retina than that. In order to accurately focus the light, the curvature of the two increases, and of course more light can be collected.
In recent years, scientists have discovered that cats have a type of taurine. Taurine is a white or colorless oblique crystal that is mainly distributed in the nerves, muscles and glands of animals. Taurine is a chemical substance that improves cats' vision at night. Experiments have shown that cats lacking taurine have an electroretinogram that shows extensive degeneration of rod cells and cones. Since cats themselves cannot synthesize oxalic acid, only by preying on mice in large quantities can they maintain enough oxalic acid in their bodies, thereby maintaining a sharp vision at night and allowing themselves to survive in the fierce competition in nature. Therefore, they have always had the nature of preying on mice.
So on the other hand, why can cats become experts in mouse catching? Just because they have good eyesight? Scientists have found that there is a parasite in the cat's body, which can cause abnormal behavior in mice. This parasite is parasitic in the cat's intestines and excretes it through feces. The infected mice change their behavior to the cat, and the cat then eats the mouse, thus ending the life cycle of the parasite. The scientists also say that this parasite is a very strange thing, and if they can increase their chances of completing their own life cycle, they will undoubtedly do so. This parasite has two-level life cycles, which means they have at least two hosts, and mice are just one of their mediating parasites. Cats are also their parasites, and this parasite can actually change the movement of mice and make them eat by their main parasite cats.
This parasite in mice and cats is harmful. Studies have shown that they invade nerves or brains, and they can even have an impact on the human brain. Although cats can catch mice, eating mice is very terrible. There are a lot of bacteria and viruses in the mice, and it will cause infection if they are not careful. So, usually, for our pet cats, it is better to keep them away from the mice.