Which do you think is the coldest month of the year? Hi, this is Smokey, and I can tell you that I think it's January. I've been around for a long time and I remember flowers blooming sometimes in February, so I vote January. And that is why, I think, we at StreetCats had so many adoptions in December . . . because people needed mammals with fur to help keep them warm when January got here!!
You know it's not just our fur that enables us kitties to help keep our humans warm. We're just naturally warm critters. Our body temperature is 102 degrees so we're very useful in helping humans stay warm . . . that is if we're lap cats. And think about this . . . we kitties have to use a lot of our energy (metabolism) to keep that high body temperature. So maybe, just maybe, when we sit on your lap, it's not ONLY because we love you. Maybe, just maybe, were using you!! Oh my, could it be?!
Yep, we kitties, being the incredibly smart creatures that we are, know how to use fuel to help us heat our bodies! That's why you might see us not only on a human's lap, but by a fireplace, on the hood of a car, or lying in the sun (our favorite!). When we conserve our energy in this way then we have more energy for being the super hunters that we are!
I wonder why we have such high body temperatures. Perhaps it's because our origins are in the deserts of the Middle East and we had to adjust to high temps. I don't know the answers to all these hard questions, but here's one little thing I do know. Newborn kittens have heat receptors on their faces. Since they are born blind, with closed eyes, this enables them to locate their nearby mom and their food! Smartness from the very beginning!
CAUTION! Kitties, we don't actually feel pain from heat until it reaches 126 degrees! So please be careful when you're lying close to that fireplace! You could get burned before you even know what's happening! That human lap or following the sun rays across the rug or bed might be a safer way to conserve energy!
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