The association between men and the cats has been a lengthy one. Many experts believe that cats were first domesticated in Egypt before 1600 B.C. The Egyptians used cats to catch rats and mice that the goddess who represented the life-giving heat of the sun had the head of a cat. It is said that when a pet cat died, its Egyptian owner shaved off his eyebrows as a sign of mourning. The Egyptians so revered the cat that they made dead cats into mummies and buried them in cat cemeteries.
The first cats to reach Europe were probably brought there by Phoenician traders about 900 B.C. Cats were brought from Europe to the Americas in the 1500’s by explorers, traders, and settlers. Today cats are found wherever man has settled.
The domestic cat s one of the most popular and best-loved of pets. Their unique beauty and silent strength, their independence, and their aloof air are much appreciated by their admirers.
Although they are probably members of the same species as the African and European wildcats, all domestic cats are put in the species, Felis catus. There are many variations, called breeds, within this single two main groupings: the longhairs and the shorthairs. Persian cats are perhaps the best-known longhairs; Siamese and Tabbies are among the best-known shorthairs.
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| The Domestic Cat (www.hillspet.com) |
Legend and Folktales
A great accumulation of tales and legends about cats have been handed down through the centuries. One legend claims that when Noah took all the animals aboard the ark in pairs, he did not have any cats because they did not as yet exist, the ark soon became overrun with rats and mice. Noah asked the lion, the king of beasts, for help. The lion sneezed and from his nostrils came two cats, who immediately destroyed most of the mice and rats. The remaining vermin were so afraid of being killed that they hid in holes. Mice and rats have been afraid of cats ever since that time, says the legend. That is why, even today, they live in holes.
A Chinese legend says that the domestic cat is a cross between a lion, which provided it with dignity, and a lion, which gave it curiosity and playfulness.
According to an Italian legend, then Mary gave birth to Jesus, a mother cat housed in the same manger gave birth to kittens at the very same time. Many artists have been influenced by this story and have often painted this scene. Cats are present in paintings on this subject by da Vinci, Floris, Durer, Bassano, Reynolds, Gainborough, and Renoir, to name but a few.
Japanese sailors believed that cats having the combined colors of red, white and black were able to predict the coming of a storm. Such cats were always to be found on Japanese ships.
There is a legend in China and Japan that, when Buddha died, all the animals gathered around his body and wept in sorrow. Only the cat and snake did not weep. Seeing a rat, the cat leaped upon it and killed it against the orders of Buddha. For this reason, cats are traditionally excluded from the Zodiac.
Russian folklore says that the cat Ivanovitch was smart enough to marry a fox and reigned over all the animals in the forest.
A polish legend tells us that when a litter of kittens was thrown into a river to drown, the willows nearby, hearing the sobs of the mother cat, agreed to join all their branches together so that the kittens could cling to them. Ever since, willows have soft buds in the spring, which feel like velvet – much like the fur of a kitten. Because if these furry buds, willows of this type are known as “pussywillows.”
In the Brittany region of France, there is a story that in the fur of every black cay there is one white hair. If a person can find it and tear it out without being scratched, that hair will become a good-luck charm, making its owner rich or lucky in love.
One well-known folktale involving cats comes from Great Britain. Dick Whittington, a poor orphan, had a cat as his only possession. This cat, sent on a journey on one of the ships of Whittington’s master, brought back a fortune to Dick, who then married his master’s daughter and became lord mayor of London. Similar legends in which a cat brings its master a fortune are found in the folklore of Denmark, Italy and Iran.
In the Ozark mountains of Arkansas, when a woman receives a marriage proposal and she cannot decide whether to accept or refuse, she takes three hairs from a cat’s tail, wraps them in white paper, and puts them on her doorstep. The next morning she unwraps the paper. If the hairs look like the letter y, she answers yes; but if they form the letter n, she answers no.
In the United States, the black cat is considered bad luck; in Great Britain, it is thought to be a good omen when a black cat crosses one’s path. Some believe that it is lucky to own a black cat, but unlucky to meet one, or that good luck will come to anyone who strokes the animal three times.
Other belief’s that are taken seriously by some people are that a cat born in May is bad luck; if a cat leaves a home where a person is ill, that person will surely die; if a cat sneezes near a bride on her wedding day, the marriage will be a happy one; if a cat sneezes three times in a row, members of the family will all have colds before long. Some fishermen’s wives believe that their men will return safely if a cat is kept in the house.
As you can see, cats have been important to man in a wide variety of ways for many thousands of years. They mean different things to different people, today as much as long ago. But to many, a cat is just a beautiful animal and a nice pet to have around.
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| cat drink (www.sukakucing.com) |
General Characteristics and Anatomy
Perhaps the most obvious cat characteristic is its determined independence, even though it has been domesticated for several thousand years.
Cats possess their own language. When a cat purrs, it is content. Cats seem to meow only to people and not to other cats. They may also spit, hiss, growl, or scream at people, other cats, or an enemy. Their faces are particularly expressive, showing anger, pain, fright, and pleasure. Ears pointed forward express happiness; ears flat against the head show that a cat is angry.
The similarities between domestic and wild cats involve more than outward appearance. They move in the same way, walking on their toes rather than on the whole foot. And, they can move the great speeds. Almost all cats are excellent climbers.
A cat is a particularly cautious animal. However, when faced with danger, it usually does not run away but stands its ground, arching its back to appear larger than it really is.
A cat’s eyesight is very good. It can see well in light and also in semidarkness because its eyes are capable of increasing the amount of light passing through the retina. This is done by means of a reflecting layer located behind the retina and called the tapetum. This is important in wild cats, who do most of their hunting at night.
A cat is better able to focus on moving objects than on stationary ones. It is particularly good at judging distances, an important trait for any animal that hunts for its food. Although the color of cat’s eyes are varied, cats seem to be color blind, seeing things only in different shades of gray.
The cat’s body is very flexible. It is graceful, fast, and effective in hunting down its prey. The strongest muscles are in the back, the hind legs, the neck, and the shoulders. The vertebrae of the spinal column are connected by muscles rather than by ligaments, resulting in greater elasticity. The breastbone is elongated, and the shoulder joint is very flexible, permitting the forelegs to move freely in many directions. All these adaptations make it a very agile animal.
The claws of a cat are curved and very sharp, perfectly adapted for grasping prey. They are retractile. The claws are normally hidden and then extended when needed. A cat usually walks silently with its claws retracted so that it can make a surprise attack on its victim. Cats periodically scratch their claws against hard surfaces to remove the worn outer shells. They normally have 5 toes on their forefeet and 4 toes on their hind feet, but it is not rare for a cat’s foot to have 6 or 7 toes (this is a hereditary abnormality).
During their lifetime, cats have two sets of teeth: 20 milk teeth shed at about six months of age, and 30 permanent teeth. The canines are very long and sharp, enabling a cat to stab and kill its prey.
A cat’s tongue is long, flat, and rough. This permits it to lick every piece of meat off a bone. The cat also uses its tongue to clean itself.
A cat’s hearing is very sharp. It can hear high-pitched sounds way beyond the range of human ears. The shape of the external ear and the fact that it is erect and can move also helps a cat to catch every sound.
The only places that fur is not found on a cat’s body are the nose, the pads of the feet, the anus and the nipples. The coat is shed and regrown every spring and fall. A cat has whiskers on its eyebrows and face made up of coarse hairs called vibrissae. Because they are very sensitive to touch, vibrissae serve to protect the face.
Female kittens five months old are capable of being meted. Cats do not have limited cycles as dogs do; they may come into season, or heat, every few weeks during spring and summer. Each cycle lasts from a few days to about three weeks. If a female is not mated, it will come into season again almost at once. When a female is in season, it lets the males know by calling.
The average period of gestation is 58 days, after which time usually 4 or 5 kittens are born. Siamese cats may have 8 or 9 kittens; Abyssinians usually have only 1 or 2. Each kitten is born in a separate sac, which the mother splits with her tongue, cleaning the kitten off at the same time. The mother will also the placenta. This action stimulates the production of milk.
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| General Characteristics and Anatomy (en.wikipedia.org) |
Kittens should not be handled by people during the first two days or so after birth. Their eyes remain closed for about ten days. Adult male cats, with the exception of Siamese, should be kept away from the newborn litter, as they are inclined to harm the kittens. A mother cat nurses its kittens for about two months.
Long Hair Breeds
Longhaired cats have long, very fluffy fur. The oldest known breeds of longhair cats are the Persian and Angora. Angoras are said to have originally come from Ankara, Turkey; the Persians reputedly came from Iran and Afghanistan. Both types were first brought to the United States by traders from the Orient during the 16th century.
Persians
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| Persians cat (www.vetstreet.com) |
The Black Persian
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| The Black Persian (www.pinterest.com) |
Blue Persians
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| Blue Persians (www.catnipsum.com) |
are particularly appealing. Any shade of blue is acceptable, but the color must be constant throughout. There should be not white hairs, shadings, or marks of any of the black Persian. The female is generally smaller in size than the male.
Red Tabby Persians
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| Red Tabby Persians (www.catchatwithcarenandcody.com) |
have a deep orange color marked by darker bands. The markings must be clearly defined, appearing on the body. Chest, legs, and tail. The eye should be deep orange or copper. Bad characteristics that are fairly common are large ears, narrow heads, and a white tip on the tail.
Red Persians
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| Red Persians (www.catbreedsjunction.com) |
are very difficult to breed, and a perfect red is very seldom seen. The color should be a deep, clear red, with the roots showing the same coloration as the tips. The biggest difficulty is in eliminating the tabby markings.
Cream Persians
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| Cream Persians (www.pinterest.com) |
are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. It has been said that this color of Persian originated from the mating of a blue and a red. The objective is a pale color overall, consistent in shade.
The Smoke Persian
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| The Smoke Persian (www.palmetto-persians.com) |
is a truly beautiful cat. Experience has shown that it is not advisable to inbreed smoke to smoke for too many generations, as the markings will fade. Kittens are born either solid black or solid blue with the white beginning to appear when they are about three weeks old. The most desirable color in a smoke Persian is an undercoat of white with the tips shading to black; the black should appear strongly on the head, back, and feet. If this can be achieved. The result is one of the finest of breeds.
Tortoiseshell Persians
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| Tortoiseshell Persians (www.pets4homes.co.uk) |
are almost always females, as the color is sex-linked. These cats are a combination of red, cream, and black. A tortoiseshell female is bred with a red, cream or black male. Tortoiseshell males are always sterile. It is hard to breed a perfect tortoiseshell with a red that is dark enough and with patching that are equally distributed over the body.
Calico Persians
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| Calico Persians (www.pinterest.com) |
are very similar to tortoiseshells, except that they are marked with white as well as red, cream, and black. This type of coloration is also sex-linked, and almost all calicos are females.
Blue-eyed White Persians
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| Blue-eyed White (www.treasuredkittens.com) |
are very difficult to breed because of the required eye color. Many kittens are born with blue eyes that change to green eyes when they are grown. Deafness seems to accompany the blue eyes.
Copper-eyed White Persians
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| Copper-eyed White (www.nymews.com) |
are easier to breed than blue-eyed white Persians. Also, they are not plagued by deafness.
Blue-cream Persians
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| Blue-cream Persians (www.crayolacats.com) |
are very rare. The best color is obtained when a cream female is mated with a blue male. The male kittens will be cream and the females will be blue-cream. Blue-cream males are extremely rare and are always sterile. The two colors, ideally, should be evenly intermingled, with no patches of either color occurring. In the United States, however, patching is acceptable for show. A preferred specimen has a blue ground and cream patches.
Brown Tabby Persians
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| Brown Tabby Persians (www.catnipsum.com) |
are very difficult to breed with the correct markings. The ground color and the markings should be strongly contrasted. The head should be barred between the ears and down the neck; barring should continue down the black and under the body, where it comes together in the middle of the stomach. The eyes should always be copper.
Silver Tabby Persians
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| Silver Tabby Persians (www.pinterest.com) |
have a silver ground color. This should be pure, not marked with gray or rust. The markings should be black. The eyes should be green or hazel.
Peke-faced Persians
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| Peke-faced Persians (www.pet360.com) |
are recognized as a breed in the United States but not in Europe. The cat’s head shape is very much like that of a Pekingese dog. The forehead should be high and bulge out over the short, indented nose. The nose should be completely obscured in profile by very full cheeks. The muzzle should be wrinkled with folds of skin evident under the eyes and on each side of the nose. The eyes should be very large round. The coat color is usually a bright, deep, uniform red.
Chinchillas and Shaded Silvers
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| Chinchillas and shaded Silvers (www.youtube.com) |
are the only cats that should have black penciling around the eyes. A kitten is born with silver tabby markings that become diffused throughout the body as the kitten grows. The shaded silver has heavier black tipping than the chinchilla.
Shell and Shaded Cameos
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| Shell and Shaded Cameos (www.silverdance.de) |
are a result of crossing a silver Persian with either a red or a cream Persian. The shaded cameo has heavier tipping than the shell. The undersides of both cats are white.
The Angoras
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| The Angoras (id.pinterest.com) |
have long bodies, long ears, and long noses. Their heads are pointed, in contrast to the Persians who have rounded heads. Their tails are bushy and, like the Persians, they have a ruff around the neck. The fur is long and silkier than in Persians.
Maine Coon Cats
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Maine Coon Cats (www.cattime.com) |
are semi longhairs, with thick, coarse fur. The coat may either be solid or tabby-marked. The face is longer and more pointed than that of the Persian. These cats have long legs and long bushy tails that are often striped.
French Burman Cats
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| French Burman Cats (www.cattime.com) |
are considered the sacred cats of Burma. They have only recently been accepted as a breed in the United States and Great Britain and are still rare in these countries. The history of the French Burman cat is very interesting. Burmese priests believed that the faithful returned to earth after death in the bodies of these cats. Therefore, the cat were worshiped and treated like gods.
In color, French Burman cats bear a strong resemblance to Siamese cats. The fur is long, silky, and golden in color; it is slightly curled on the belly. The eyes are a deep blue. The paws should be pure white, and the mask, points, and tail should be seal colored. Ideally, this cat has a long body but short legs. The paws are short but strong, the head is wide and rounded, with full cheeks.
The Himalayan,
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| The Himalayan (www.pinterest.co.uk) |
recognized as a breed only as recently as 1958, was developed by crossing a Siamese with a Persian. The coat is longhaired and light in color, with dark markings. The-eyes are always blue.
Short Hair Breeds
The Black Domestic Shorthair
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| The Black Domestic Shorthair (www.nationalpetregister.org) |
should have no other color traces in its coat and should have copper eyes (most black cats have green eyes). This breed has been achieved by crossing tabbies for many years. Kittens are born with faint stripes, which ideally should completely disappear with maturity.
Domestic Blue and Domestic White Short-hairs
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Domestic Blue and Domestic White Short-hairs (id.pinterest.com) |
are variant breeds. Standards in eye color are the only difference. The whites must have eyes that are very deep blue, copper, golden-orange, or odd-eyed (one blue, one copper). The blues have eyes that are copper, orange, or yellow.
Domestic Cream and Blue-Cream Shorthairs
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| Domestic Cream and Blue-Cream Shorthairs (id.pinterest.com) |
are rare. The cream should have no trace of white in the coat; the blue-cream should have a patched, rather than a mingled, coat.
The Domestic Shorthaired Tortoiseshell
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| The Domestic Shorthaired Tortoiseshell (id.pinterest.com) |
has a color that is sex-linked. Like other tortoiseshells, almost all these cats are females. The few males that do exist are sterile. The color of the coat should be an equal balance of red and black with no white at all. A red blaze on the head is desirable. The eyes should always be copper.
The Domestic Shorthaired Calico
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| The Domestic Shorthaired Calico (www.businessinsider.com) |
should be red and black with the color distributed equally on a white background. The white must never predominate. The eyes should be orange, copper, or hazel.
The Manx Cat
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| The Manx Cat (phz8.petinsurance.com) |
is very unusual as it is the only cat born without a tail. This absence of a tail is genetically controlled. Manx cats should have short backs and high, round rumps. The hind legs are no longer than the front ones, making this cat run with a hop like a rabbit’s. Nonetheless, they are able to run faster and longer than any other breed of cat. Manx cats got their name from the Isle of Man, where they originated. They were first brought to the United States in the early 17th century.
Domestic Shorthaired Tabbies
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| Domestic Shorthaired Tabbies (id.pinterest.com) |
can be brown, silver, or red. In all variations, the tail must be evenly ringed, and it is highly desirable for there to be rings on the chest. The eyes on the red and brown tabbies should be copper; on the silver, they should be green.
The Mackerel-striped Tabby
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| The Mackerel-striped Tabby (www.petmeds.org) |
is perhaps the most common household cat. They are often called “tiger cats.” The markings should be very dark and in the form of narrow rings, as numerous as possible. The rings should run in a vertical direction from the spine.
The Russian Blue
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| The Russian Blue (www.vetstreet.com) |
is an unusual-looking cat. Its color should be an even bright blue throughout, with silver-tipped guard hairs. The head is flat and long, the face is broad across the eyes. The fur is very dense. The ears are relatively large, and the tips are more pointed than rounded. It is a large cat, with a long, muscular body and long legs. The eyes are round and bright green. It is rarely seen in the United States, but it is a very popular breed in Great Britain.
The Abyssinian
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| The Abyssinian (www.mentalfloss.com) |
is a warm brown color with dark brown or black tipping. The eyes are green, yellow, or hazel. There should be no markings on the head, tail, face, or chest. It is a medium-sized cat with a long, tapering tail and small paws. The breed probably originated in Egypt, but it has been bred in Ethiopia (Abyssinian) for a very long time. These cats are not common in the United States.
Siamese Cats
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| Siamese Cats (www.catfactsforkids.com) |
have long, slender bodies and short-looking fur. They are less independent than other breeds, preferring to be around people more than most cats. They originally came from Thailand (Siam) and were first brought to the United States from England in 1895. They have since become very popular in this country.
The Seal Point Siamese
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| The Seal Point Siamese (www.emaze.com) |
is the most numerous and the most popular of the Siamese. Its eyes should be a clear blue; any green tinge in considered a fault. The coat of a seal point should be cream, becoming a pale fawn on the back. Kittens are born with a lighter color.
Variant breeds include the chocolate point, the blue point, and the lilac point. The chocolate point is a lighter shade than the seal point. It resembles the color of milk chocolate, and the color appears on the ears, mask, legs, paws, and tail. The blue point has blue markings on the ears, mask, legs, paws, and tail. Another name for the lilac point in the United States is the frost point (its points are a grayish-pink). There is a red-point breed that is recognized in Great Britain; its points are reddish-gold. This breed of Siamese is not recognized in the United States.
The Burmese Cat
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| The Burmese Cat (www.golfian.com) |
was developed from a cat brought to the United States from Burma around 1930. This cat was a female, and she was mated with a male Siamese. The process of selection and mating was a long one, but eventually the desired breed was created. In 1954, it was officially recognized as an individual breed.
Ideally, the body of the Burmese cat should be much like that of the Siamese – long and thin. The tail is long and pointed, again very much like the Siamese. The face, however, is all its own; it is wedged-shaped and shorter than that of the Siamese. The eyes must always be yellow; in a Burmese blue eyes are a disqualifying feature. The coat is dark sable, shading slightly lighter on the stomach and chest. Kittens are born with points much like adult Siamese, but as they grow the points fade, and the cat becomes uniform in color.
This cat seems to be as affectionate and as fond of people as the Siamese. It is also less excitable than the Siamese.
Havana Brown Cats
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| Havana Brown Cat (purrfectcatbreeds.com) |
were named for the tobacco color of their coats, not because they came from Cuba.
The Havana brown actually originated in England and was bred by crossing a black shorthaired female with a chocolate-point Siamese male. The kittens of this first matched pair were then mated together to create the first of the breed of Havana browns.
The breed is known to be very even tempered. It is about the same size as the Burmese cat, but the fur is longer and the eyes are yellow-green in color.
Rex Cats
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| Rex Cats (www.vetstreet.com) |
are one of the newest additions to the breeds of cats, first recognized as recently as 1959. On most cats the hair is straight. On Rex Cats, however, each hair is wavy. In this breed the hair is shorter than in any of the other short-haired types mentioned.
The color of these cats varies to the same extent as in other shorthairs. By crossing the Rex with other breeds, new breeds have been created. When a Rex cat is crossed with a cat of another breed, the wavy coat is always passed on to the young.
The Health of Cats
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| The Health of Cats (www.doctorvet.com) |
Normally, a healthy cat has a pink tongue and a cool, moist nose. If the tongue becomes coated or the nose is dry and warm, it may be signal that the cat is sick.
The most serious disease a cat can get is distemper. In the past several diseases were called distemper. Now the term is used for a viral infection called panleukopenia. Kittens that contract distemper invariably die; adults have a slightly better chance. Symptoms include a high fever, inability to eat or drink although it may appear to want to, runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, uncontrollable vomiting, and diarrhea. Vaccination by a veterinarian when a kitten is about ten weeks old safeguards against this infection.
Hair balls may form in a cat’s stomach from the hairs it swallows when cleaning itself. A symptom of this condition is often a dry cough with no other indication of a cold. It may also vomit or have constipation. A mild laxative should remedy this condition.
Cats are also susceptible to worms. Outward signs appear in the cat’s coat; it may become dry and rough, and shed often. Some cats with worms refuse to eat; others want to eat all the time but they cannot put on any weight. The worms and worm eggs are excreted with the cat’s other wastes, and a stool examination is needed for diagnosis. There are medical ways to treat worms.
Fleas often get into a cat’s fur, causing skin irritations. They are found mostly on the head, ears, neck, rump, and tail. Both the cat and its sleeping quarters should be treated with a safe flea powder because flea’s eggs drop off the body of the host and can lie dormant for months.
Given adequate care, a cat should live a long and healthy life. The average life span has been increasing; it is now about 12 years. Some cats, however, have been known to live
The Psychology of Cats
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| The Psychology of Cats (www.psychologytoday.com) |
The character of cats has long fascinated human beings. There seems to exist among cats an acceptance of a social hierarchy, a clear recognition that there are superior and inferior individuals. This can be clearly observed when several are together. Certain cats, for example, will defer to others at the food dish or favorite resting place.
A cat’s dignity is a sacred thing. It does not like to endure any loss in this respect. Therefore, one cannot teach a cat to do tricks that are not to its advantage. The usual kinds of intelligence tests, such as solving mazes and recognition of color disks, give little insight into a cat’s intelligence, since it generally will not respond to being tested. On the other hand, very difficult tasks can be learned by cats in order to obtain a desired objective.
As far as cat’s relationship with dogs is concerned, almost everyone is inclined to assume that they are natural enemies. It is true that dogs will often chase cats, just as they will chase after squirrels. Yet cats and dogs, if they are given a chance to become acquaint with each other, are capable of living very happily together.
When possible, a person who intends to keep both a cat and a dog should make sure that they are brought into the household together while they are both very young. Even if they are both fully grown they soon learn to accept one another as long as they are kept in separate rooms for the first few days. This will give them an opportunity to gradually get used to each other’s scent, thus avoiding a hostile first meeting.
When confronted with danger, a cat can be transformed into a snarling, hissing, bundle of fury. Unlike a dog, which may run off, a cat will stand its ground, arching its back to appear larger. Most people think that the cat arches its back through fear. But naturalist have found that the real role played in feline psychology by this gesture is one of intimidation of the enemy. However, the cat is a naturally cautious animal, and it will not rush foolishly into situations without taking stock.
Many household cats exhibit jealously of either a new child or a new animal brought into the household. They react by refusing to eat or by refusing to clean themselves.
Like other animals, cats can have a variety of behavioral problems. Some are very timid and run away from anyone except the people who feed them regularly. Others are bad tempered and will not allow themselves to be touched or petted without a flight. Studies have shown that female Siamese tend to be more neurotic than females of other breeds.
In the area of maternal disorders, cats have been known to kill their litters for apparently no reason. Also, many females experience false pregnancies. This only happens if a cat is unusually disturbed or nervous. The symptoms are an excessive appetite, a distended stomach and swollen, painful, discharging teats. Then the female will “adopt” and “mother” a soft item, such as a sock or a ball of wool, or a small toy, and in some cases even take a young chicken or duckling, and treat it as its own.
It has been proven that cats also dream, but there is no way of telling whether these dreams are comparable to human dreams. Although a cat often purrs in its sleep, it seems very agitated at other times; perhaps his indicates pleasant and unpleasant dreams. Since it is certain that cats have memories, dreams may be a reenacting of an experience that they have had during their waking hours.
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Thats good article boy...
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