Let's Appreciate Some Cows!

It's Wild Out Whiskers Wednesday, people! 

And apparently today isn't Cow Appreciation Day... 

What I mean by that, is that I really thought it was today.  I was going by my usual, go to Pet and Animal holiday site, which had the holiday listed as today, July 12th.  But from what I'm seeing all over the internet, especially via Chick-Fil-A, it was yesterday.  No prob, bob.  We can still show the cows some love--even if we are a day late; and that's just what we're going to do.

In what ways do you appreciate cows, that have nothing to do with hamburgers or meatloaves?  In today's post, we explore all the wonderful and interesting qualities of cows, and why we should respect these sweet animals beyond being beef and milk providers.  Today's Cow Facts comes from two sites:

One Kind Planet:  https://onekindplanet.org/animal/cow/

And

Dairy Moos:  http://www.dairymoos.com/interesting-facts-about-cows/

Amazing Facts About the Cow

• Like humans, cows (cattle) form close friendships and choose to spend much of their time with 2-4 preferred individuals. They also hold grudges for years and may dislike particular individuals.
• Cows display emotions and have been shown to produce more milk when they are treated better and as individuals.
• Cattle get excited when they solve problems. When faced with the challenge of trying find out how to open a door to reach food, their heartbeats went up, their brainwaves showed excitement, and some even jumped into the air.
• Cows show their excitement when let out into a field after long periods confined indoors.
• Cattle like to sleep close to their families, and sleeping arrangements are determined by individuals’ rank in the social hierarchy.
• Cows are devotional mothers and are known to walk for miles to find their calves.
• Cattle are extremely curious and inquisitive animals which will investigate everything.
• Like many other grazing animals cattle have one stomach which is divided into four compartments or chambers: the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. This allows them to digest grain and grasses most effectively.
• Cattle have almost 360° panoramic vision. This helps them to see predators coming from any direction.
• Cattle have an excellent sense of smell. They can detect odours up to five miles away. They can also hear both low and high frequency sounds beyond human capability.
• The cow is a protected animal in Hinduism, and Hindus do not eat beef. Cows are honoured at least once a year, on Gopastami. On this day cows are washed and decorated in temples.

Random and interesting facts about cows

At first glance, cows might seem to be simple animals, but they’re not! Cows are fascinating animals. For instance did you know that cows can smell something up to 6 miles away, or that cows can produce 125 lbs. of saliva in one day. Here’s a list of interesting facts:

1. Cows are social animals, and they naturally form large herds. And like people, they will make friends and bond to some herd members, while avoiding others
2. Cows are red-green colorblind. In a bullfight, its the waving of the cape that attracts the bull not the red color
3. A cow’s heart beats between 60 and 70 beats per minute
4. Cows can hear lower and higher frequencies better than humans.
5. An average dairy cow weighs about 1,200 pounds.
6. A cows normal body temperature is 101.5°F.
7. The average cow chews at least 50 times per minute.
8. The typical cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day.
9. An average cow has more than 40,000 jaw movements in a day.
10. Cows actually do not bite grass; instead they curl their tongue around it.
11. Cows have almost total 360-degree panoramic vision.
12. Cows have a single stomach, but four different digestive compartments.
13. Cows are pregnant for 9 months just like people
14. A dairy cow can produce 125 lbs. of saliva a day
15. Cows spend 8 hours per day eating, 8 hours chewing her cud (regurgitated, partially digested food), and 8 hours sleeping
16. You can lead a cow upstairs, but not downstairs. Cows knees can’t bend properly to walk downstairs.
17. Cows can’t vomit
18. The average cow drinks 30 to 50 gallons of water each day
19. The average cow produces 70 lbs. of milk. That’s 8 gallons per day!
20. Cows only have teeth on the bottom
21. Cows have a great sense of smell. They can smell something up to 6 miles away
22. Dairy cows are economic job creating machines! 1 dairy cow creates 4 full time jobs in the local community
23. A Holstein’s spots are like a fingerprint. No two cows have exactly the same pattern of black and white spots. They are all different
24. The average cow will eat about 100 lbs. of feed per day

Hey who needs to celebrate cows on just July 11th, anyway?  Let's appreciate these intelligent and sensitive animals, everyday!