Nature Provides
Calvert County’s feral cat sanctuary is home to many cats who would otherwise have been destroyed, yet there is not a scruffy one among them. All have beautiful thick coats in the winter, and I wondered how each cat would manage the transition to summer.
Turns out, nature provides fallen tree limbs. Branches and still-pliable twigs serve as stationary cat-combs.
A cat’s coat is made up of three types of hair. The underfur, curved or crimped hair called down or wool, keeps the cat warm. Guard and awn hairs are straight and taper to a point; they form a protective, insulating layer. By the time the May apples are in bloom, branches along forest paths are decorated with tufts of underfur, and the cats are trim and sleek.