Scuba diving cat

[ScottB]

The anatomy of their inner ears may be different.. not requiring equalizing? But like the holey skull showed, they do have sinuses

 

[Wilson]

The internet is a dangerous thing in hands like ours, Scott.

 

[rocketry]

How do NDL's and the dive tables change for small animals? I'm sure they absorb nitrogen much more quickly than a human, leading me to believe that they have different limits. They may have a lower SAC, though. Still, extremely cruel. And...dangerous!

 

[ehuber]

Cats have one of the smallest hearts in the animal kingdom relative to their bodies. So it is possible that the rate they absorb nitrogen (and gas) may be very slow, enabling them to extend NDL. However, I suppose the reverse could be true as well, that if they went beyond their NDL it may require more safety stop time. Maybe EAN32 would be safer. Check your LDS...

 

[rjsimp]

That's pretty cool!

My Jack Russell will free dive for balls down to about 3' in the pool, I would love to get her one of these and see how she does. She LIVES for the pool and swimming even going in the pool during the winter when the water temp is 45F.

Just got to hunt this guy down and try it out

 

[tstormdiver]

Primates are the only animals with sinuses, and human's have the largest sinus cavities. Most animals can automatically equalize to the ambient pressure. I've never heard of a mountain goat coming down the mountain because he couldn't equalize at elevation, so why wouldn't it work for increased pressure?

I hate to be a party pooper, but most domesticated animals (mammals) DO have sinuses. As a former Vertinary Technician, I have even seen a dog whose skull was fractured over a sinus. Every time the do would breathe out the injured section on the head would bulge out (really weird looking). Sinuses in anaimals are used to warm the air (like with us) & to also hold the folds of skin (turbnates) that house the olfactory sensors, thus giving most animals a very keen sense of smell. As to how an animal would equalize..... I'm not sure.

 

[Tagerisatroll]

The cat would equalize passively as long as didn't have an ear infection, because it looks like the dive helmet actually doing helmet diving and as I understand it equalization is very easy because the head is surrounded by air not water.

 

[plot]

a drop of water near my cat and he's gone...

 

[Izu]

"He decided to combine his two passions; love of cats and love of scuba" ? ***
This dude seriously needs to get out more although I do like puss's twin hose rig.

 

[tparrent]

If I took my dog diving, she'd be dragging tanks to the LDS for fills all day long! She already free dives the pond to dig out BIG rocks. I have no idea how she stays under so long but she'll dive, start digging and then come up with these boulders in her mouth.

Had another dog that dived off the dock one day and came up with a BIG bass in mouth! She went to bite down and it wiggled away. She spent the rest of the day swimming around the lake with her head in the water. Could really have used a snorkel and mask. Fins were built in to those webby paws