Are our dogs and cats nocturnal animals?

1. 87

   Faith Reaperposted 10 years ago

   Are our dogs and cats nocturnal animals?
   
   My husband keeps telling me our pets are nocturnal animals, but I am not so sure that is true. Are our dogs and cats nocturnal animals?  Thank you for answering.
   
   

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2. 86

   Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years ago

   Hi Faith. None of the dogs I had were nocturnal. They all loved bed time. I have a little Pom now and when I say "night night" he runs to the bedroom and fluffs up his blankets in his box bed, curls up and waits for me to get in bed so he can sleep. Then he is snoring before prayers are finished.
   
   Now every cat I had was nocturnal and had no respect for anyone else who was asleep. LOL  They loved to prowl around at night, all over the house, jump on the bed and get in my face, chase their toys all over, and snooped in every corner and space they could get into. During the day they lazed around in whatever sunny spot they could find.

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   1. 87

      Faith Reaperposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hahaha so cute, Phyllis. Our cat does the same thing at night. He wants to go out prowling and if we don't let him out he will start all kinds of noise until we give in.

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      Sandaruwan99posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Unlike humans, many animals see in ultraviolet, and a study now suggests that cats, dogs and other mammals can, too. for more visit:http://adf.ly/wuqOP

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   3. 87

      Faith Reaperposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Sandaruwan, oh, that is so fascinating. Thank you for the added interesting information.

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3. 60

   Zelkiiroposted 10 years ago

   Dogs are not typically nocturnal. The only reason you see wolves prowling around at night is because most wolves live in arctic or sub-arctic regions where nighttime can last quite a while. Gotta eat sometime.
   
   Cats, however, are predominately nocturnal. They stalk prey in silence all alone, and the darkness of night is the perfect cover. Our kitty cats come from lynxes and ocelots, which are both nocturnal, so naturally our kitty cats are nocturnal, too.

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   1. 87

      Faith Reaperposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hello Zelkiiro, Wow, thank you for the interesting answer here. That makes a lot of sense. I appreciate you taking the time to answer.

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4. 0

   Bob Bambergposted 10 years ago

   Hi Faith, dogs are diurnal and cats are nocturnal.  Cats are particularly adapted for nocturnal life, with excellent night vision and ears that can rotate individually to detect pray scampering along the ground.  Their whiskers and guard hairs enable them to navigate woods and grasslands effectively in pursuit of prey.  Their prey, mainly rodents, are also nocturnal for the most part.  Dogs can see better than we can in low light conditions, but not as well as cats.

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   1. 87

      Faith Reaperposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Bob, Thank you do much. That explains it so well, especially the differences. Plus, the main thing I was actually wondering about is the night vision.

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