[Lewis Thomson (OP)]

Donald has sent us another question that he wants tackled.

"If I walk in socks on carpet, often I experience static electrical discharges. Ouch. Cats, which have fur on their feet, rarely get shocks walking even though petting them will cause static charge to build, so it is possible. So why are not cats constantly discharging like cows attempting to drink from troughs under high voltage lines?"

What do you think?

[alancalverd]

You are unlikely to build up much static charge if you walk with bare feet. Cats and dogs have fur between their toes but the toe pads are naked,so reasonably conductive and not triboelectric.

In the presence of a large static field, such as near a demonstration Van der Graaff or Wimshurst machine, animal fur does stand up like human hair but is usually less spectacular  as they have the sense to keep their hair short  in laboratories.

[Deecart]

So why are not cats constantly discharging like cows attempting to drink from troughs under high voltage lines?"

Interresting question.
Perhaps cats (some of the more advanced predator on earth) fur slightly charge and discharge, helping the animal to sense their nearby environment.
Cats fur is somewhat special as it effectivly charge very easily.
They charge positively ... ++++

Cats dont like being wet, perhaps because this diminish their "electrostatic sense" ?

This could be investigated further.

[alancalverd]

There are fun cases of people "sensing" x-rays. On a dry day, patients can acquire a significant electrostatic charge as they remove their clothes. This makes their body hair stand up but isn't noticed because it is an everyday consequence of a common activity. X-radiation ionises the surrounding air, the charge leaks away, and they notice the more unusual sensation of collapsing body hair on naked skin.