Analysis of the Hair Coat of Domestic Cats with Special Focus on Histological Structure
March 2017
in “
Roczniki Naukowe Polskiego Towarzystwa Zootechnicznego
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TLDR Domestic cat hair varies in thickness and length, with guard hairs being longest and thickest, and all hair types mainly contain keratin.
The study analyzed the hair coat of domestic cats, focusing on underhair, bristle hair, and guard hair collected from female cats in winter. It evaluated the thickness, length, stress at break, and elongation of these hair types. Using scanning electron microscopy, the researchers observed that underhairs were the thinnest and shortest with regular scales, while guard hairs were the longest and thickest with irregular scales. The chemical composition analysis revealed that carbon, oxygen, and sulfur ions, components of keratin, were predominant in all hair types.
