Curiosities of the Cat: An Infographic
For this project, I was asked to create an infographic for a poster. I chose to create a mandala out of cat bones and research folklore and superstitions about cats.
I found a photo of an entire cat skeleton and then drew each bone in Illustrator. In order to ensure the bones remained in proportion, I drew them to full scale. Using a custom pattern to imitate crosshatching for the shading and then placing each piece around concentric circular guides.
After creating the artwork
This really became a practice of layout and typesetting.
Here are the tidbits
Skeleton
Cats have 230 individual bones, humans only have 206. The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae provide cats spinal mobility and flexibility. The shoulders are attached by free-floating clavicle bones which allow them to pass through any space they can fit their head.
Skull
The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very large eye sockets and a powerful specialized jaw. Within the jaw, cats have teeth adapted for killing prey and tearing meat.
Vision
Cats have excellent night vision and as result of having slit pupils, can focus bright light. Throughout China it is believed that cats can see ghosts and provide protection from evil spirits and ancient Celts believed a cat’s eyes are the doorway to another world.
Hearing
They can hear ultrasound, which enables them to detect sounds made by rodent prey. Cats are terrible gossips so the Dutch do not allow them in rooms while private matters are being discussed.
Ambulation & Claws
Cats walk on their toes, and have protractable claws. When relaxed, the claws are sheathed by the skin and fur around the paw’s toe pads. This keeps the claws sharp and allows for the silent stalking of prey. In Asia, a polydactyl cat (having extra toes) brings good fortune.
Whiskers
To aid with navigation and sensation, cats have dozens of movable whiskers (vibrissae) over their body, especially their faces. These provide information about the width of gaps and the location of objects in the dark.
Communication
Cats use a range of communication modalities including vocal, visual, tactile and olfactory. Cats have intricate feelings that many people believe they can sense due to their strong connections with their individual cats. The mechanism by which cats purr is elusive. The cat has no unique anatomical feature that is clearly responsible for the sound.
Superstitions
Many cultures have negative superstitions about cats. An example would be the belief that a black cat “crossing one’s path” leads to bad luck, or that cats are witches’ familiars used to augment a witch’s powers and skills. Many cultures believe cats have multiple lives. The myth is attributed to the natural suppleness and swiftness cats exhibit to escape life-threatening situations. Also lending credence to this myth is the fact that falling cats often land on their feet. There have even been reports of cat’s with the ability to predict death, one such cat lives in a New England nursing home and will sit with patients until they pass.