yawning cat and tiger
Apparently, all mammals yawn, including cats. And tigers. Like this yawning cat and tiger.
Domestic cats and wild cats are related, as we all know. Our cats at home innately behave like wild cats: just watch how they play – it’s about getting prey, even when they look so cute batting a flying feather wand or toy mouse. Likewise, wild cats behave like our own cats.
Both tigers and cats like to sleep, a lot. In fact cats average fifteen hours a day, while tigers average eighteen hours a day. So they do a fair amount of yawning.
Marnie starts to yawn
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017
Tiger, Thailand
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017
A theory about why we yawn
One reason why we yawn is that we may be trying to stay alert or vigilant during the transition between the wakefulness and sleep. This happens in nearly all animals and may in part be a sensory response to muscle contractions from the yawn.
Marnie yawns like a tiger
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017
Tiger yawning like cat
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017
another odd phenomenon about yawning, it’s contagious – for all of us.
The more people are susceptible to contagious yawning, the better their social competence and empathy,” Guggisberg says. “In humans it is clear that yawning has a social effect. It is probably an unconscious behavior. It is not clear what yawning communicates or what it achieves. But clearly it transmits some information that has some effect on brain networks or behavior.”
from webmd.com
So this social aspect may effect cats. I think it does.
