Heidi Fiedler - 50 Wacky Things Pets Do: Weird & Amazing Things Pets Do

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First Published in 2018 by Walter Foster Jr., an imprint of The Quarto Group.

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Digital edition: 978-1-63322-521-3
Hardcover edition: 978-1-63322-520-6

Digital edition published in 2018

Written by Heidi Fiedler

Illustrated by Marta Sorte

Millions of cats, dogs, rodents, birds, reptiles, and other beloved creatures share our homes. They curl up for cuddles, play games, and keep us company on adventures. For many people, life just wouldnt be as much fun without their furry friends.

Humans have been keeping pets for thousands of years. Our lives have changed a lot since the first pets joined our families, but animals behave the way they always have. We see dogs chasing their own tails, horses sleeping standing up, and cats kneading our legs. These behaviors may look pretty silly, but they make perfect sense in the wild. Since they cant talk, our pets cant explain why they do the odd things they do. But scientists are busy figuring it out!

Some of the animals in this book are more exotic than others, but all have been kept as pets and loved by humans. It doesnt matter if a pet is scaly or furryor even if it has fangs. These animals love us and make us laugh with all their wacky ways.

Cats dont really have nine lives. Theyve just mastered the art of flipping in midair to land on their feet and survive falls from dramatic heights. Rather than panic when they enter free fall, kitties gain control and take advantage of physics. First they rotate the top half of their bodies and then fling their bottom halves in the opposite direction. The result is a stunning success rate with all four paws safe and sound on the ground!

MORE ABOUT CATS

Purring sounds peaceful, but cats also purr when theyre at the vet or injured. So what is the real purpose of this noise? Cats purr by rapidly contracting and relaxing the muscles in their voice boxes. New studies suggest that purring vibrations might help strengthen their muscles and bones. Clever kitty!

NO. 2
POOP SOUP

Eating poop is normal. Totally normal. At least for mans best friend it is. Dogs are natural scavengers. They eat whatever they can findincluding poop! Canines in the wild dont know where and when theyll eat next, so they eat whatever they can get. And that includes poop soup.

MORE ABOUT DOGS

Dogs rely on their sense of smell to understand the world. Their noses have about 4 times as many scent cells as cats and 14 times more than humans. Thats why dogs are often used to find missing people.

NO. 3
DREAMLAND

Pass the pillow, please! Horses can doze standing up (although they do need to lie down for a deep sleep). Want to spot a standing horse snoozing? Look for a lowered head and drooping lips. Standing while they catch some shut eye allows horses to run from danger faster than if they were lying down. To make sure they dont fall down on the job, they lock the bones and ligaments in their legs into place. If you want to help your horse get a good nights sleep, keep the barn quiet and calm so it will feel safe enough to lie down.

MORE ABOUT HORSES

Horses make a lot of saliva. Adult horses can produce 35 to 40 liters a day! The amount varies depending on if theyre eating dry hay or moist grass. But whatever theyre eating, the saliva helps horses digest their food.

NO. 4
FREEZE!

Dont move a muscle! Thats how reasonable rabbits respond to fear. They might look silly sitting frozen in the middle of the living room, but in the wild, this trick keeps them safe. Many predators attack whatever is moving, so if youre a rascally little rabbit who can stand as still as a statue until the threat passes, you just might escape becoming dinner. Hop on!

MORE ABOUT RABBITS

Excited rabbits race through the house, leap through the air, and kick their feet out. When theyre simply happy, theyll flop down and roll onto their sides. Feel free to add your own sigh of contentment!

NO. 5
SSSLIP OF THE TONGUE

Flick! A forked tongue darts out. But what is it doing? Its not being used to tell hissterical jokes. Its a sssly sort of nose! What slithery snakes lack in the ability to see or hear, they make up for with their keen sense of smell. A single flick of the tongue can bring odors from the air into the snakes mouth, where the scent is detected. If the right side of the tongue has more food scent chemicals on it, the snake knows dinner is to the right. If the left side of the tongue detects the scent more strongly, the snake will slide on over to the left for a bite to eat. Pretty