Mystery of how cats lap is revealed

12.11.2010 [13:46]
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Baku, November 12 (AZERTAC). It is a mystery that has long puzzled cat lovers: exactly how do their feline companions lap up liquids so elegantly?

Now, with the help of high-speed cameras and a pet cat, a team of researchers think they have the answer.

They found that cats use their tongues to delicately draw up water without breaking the surface of the liquid.

The scientists, who published their study in the journal Science, say this differs from dogs, who employ a messy scooping action to quench their thirst.

Dr Roman Stocker, a biophysicist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, was inspired to investigate the physics of cat laps after watching his own pet Cutta Cutta as it drank.

"I realised there was an interesting biomechanics problem hidden behind that very simple action. The project then snowballed from there," he said.

Working with researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Princeton University, Dr Stocker trained a high-speed camera on his cat.

Mystery of how cats lap is revealed

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