Cat Facts
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Above: Serval giving birth - see serval reproduction and development.
There is often good reason to avoid so called 'cat facts'. There are many websites that confidently proclaim a pile of cat facts without source reference but how accurate are they? Here are two examples. The www.xmission.com website says that the Maine Coon is,"America's only natural breed of domestic feline..." I think this is incorrect. The Maine Coon was imported into America as a long haired Angora type cat with the pilgrims and developed from that start (MC history). The American Shorthair had a similar start being developed from shorthaired cats that came with the pilgrims so it can claim the same distinction (see its history). Although it has to be admitted that even these are not necessarily "fact". It may be the case that the Vikings brought over the forerunner to the Norwegian Forest cat thousands of years earlier! So fact is more about opinion and conjecture. The same site says that the Maine Coon cat is, "4 to 5 times larger than the Singapura..." This is also untrue, in my opinion. The Singapura is the world's smallest cat breed, yes, and the Maine Coon is the largest non-wildcat hybrid cat breed. But the Singapura weights about 6.5 lbs on average and the Maine Coon weighs about 15.5 lbs on average. On that basis the Maine Coon is 2.4 times heavier and therefore almost certainly not 4-5 times larger. There are no definitive statistics available on purebred cat size. Size is compared through measurement of weight. I could go on and on. For this reason I also express some opinion on this page and in the linked pages. There is another reason to be cautious with cat facts. Quite a lot of information is in a state of flux. Examples of topics in the cat world that are unsettled and evolving are:
Facts about cats that are consensually agreed as true (except for some!) For the sake of completeness I set out below some cat facts that are generally agreed to be true facts. I would say that these are mostly "given" meaning accepted and therefore I do not provide sources but there are links to more.
Human Behavior Intersects with Cat Behavior Human Behavior - A narrative introduction This is more opinion than cat facts. Lets start with some difficult stuff. I stick my neck out and speculate on the philosophy behind the eating of cat meat  .
This is necessarily
controversial as it goes to the heart of the subject of cat meat.
Although not as
extreme, there are companies that condone and take part in animal
testing.
When animal testing
relates to cosmetics there is
not one person
in this planet that does not despise this, yet it continues unabated.
On that difficult subject there are some
facts on animal testing.The Vatican, through the Pope, made an interesting announcement regarding the updating of the mortal sins mentioned in the Bible. They extended them to include animal cloning: Cat Cloning is a Mortal Sin. Pets and cats can be used as a fashion accessory .
This is seen
in the every increasing
demand for designer cats including the Ashera
GD.
Cats can also be used as a
receptacle for our tendency
towards superstition and black
cats
have born the brunt of this throughout a long history to the present
day. A lot of people have a peculiar fascination of black cats, as a
result of which, there is a demand for black
cat names.I know this is probably unpopular with some and definitely with cat breeders but sometimes we, as humans, let the less good aspects of our nature get the better of us. This can happen in selective cat breeding. Even the work of Jean Mill
the
esteemed founder of the Bengal cat
can appear less attractive when seen from a different perspective. The
breeding of cats is controversial to some people. I argue that the very
process of cat breeding might be an obstacle to understanding
cats.
Cat breeders often have
dogs as well. Should one
breeder let her stud boy go to another
cat breeder who has dogs?
Should cat breeders have to meet certain standards on knowledge on genetics?
And should the cat associations dictate tighter breeding
standards in
terms of inbreeding
or selective
breeding?Some argue that there are enough cats. This feeling is particularly prevalent in the USA. The cat associations
are disjointed, it
seems. They should provide
more guidance and direction or governments may step in and
create regulations.
.
Cats
can
mate efficiently for
the purposes of survival, which
in part is the reason for the large feral cat population. Although
there are misrepresentations about how
fast cats breeds. This helps to fuel the conflict between cat
and bird conservationists.One thing to do is to seriously consider neutering your cat . In fact, it is a must in the modern world. If the moment has been missed, however, some knowledge about cat pregnancy may come in handy. If you have considered the idea of showing your cat you might like to read this. Cat's eyes are modified to see more effectively in low light and reflect light back to the retina to enhance the image. On a more positive note, people have learned from cats and put that knowledge to use in helping other animals, in this case the science behind a cat's eyes
is helping
to protect and endangered
species, whales. This is cats providing the inspiration for business.
Cat litter is big business too and the history
of cat litter
is interesting.At the time cats were becoming domesticated 9000 years ago until the late 1800s the domestic cat was useful to farmers catching rodents. Is (s)he still of use in this way? Is she a mouser cat still? If you want to get closer to your cat you can talk and listen to her ,
you
can also groom
her.
You can also get a lot from
your cat in respect of what
she is thinking and her emotions by observing a cat's
ears, believe it or not.If you think a cat's behavior is strange or aggressive this may be due to an illness but if the cat is well it will normally be due to something that we can change. Their behavior is often a reaction to ours or due to a lack of proper socialization. I think that cat biting
is normally reactionary
and it is up to us to behave
in a way more in tune with our cats. Maybe we should all grow
our own catnip. Cat
Facts Photo: fofurasfelinas under
creative commons
Go to Contents Here are a very long list of links on posts that concern cat behavior, a vital part of cat facts. The list also contains links to matters of human behavior for the reasons mentioned above. =
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Exclusively Human Behavior in Relation to Cats - Cat Facts
Direct Human Behavior - Beneficial - Cat Facts
Direct Human Behavior - Detrimental - Cat Facts
Indirect Human Behavior - Beneficial - Cat Facts
Indirect Human Behavior - Detrimental - Cat Facts
Human Behavior - Neutral - Cat Facts
Cat Facts - Comment on Cat Behavior affected by Human Behavior
Cat behavior is governed by the cat's natural characteristics and instincts, which in turn are substantially affected by our behavior and expectations. Accordingly, I also discuss on this page human behavior where it intersects with or impacts on cat behavior. We frequently see articles about cat training and cat behavior, including most commonly, aggressive cat behavior. Some times it really is a question of pure cat behavior but if we think about it a cat's behavior is almost always to some degree or other dependent on our behavior and expectations. We like cats to fit in with our world, with what we do. They live largely on our terms. And if they don't it is considered bad cat behavior and something to be trained out. After all, the cat I am talking about is the domestic cat. This cat has been forced (or more accurately has agreed) to change by virtue of being domesticated and living in our world. We created all the elements of the domestic cat world. If a domestic cat sleeps more than a wild cat it is because he or she is being fed by us. If the domestic cat becomes, over a long time, more docile and less intelligent it is because (s)he is domesticated. There is less to do, survival is less demanding. We created the domestic cat character to a large extent. There are numerous examples demonstrating how human behavior underpins cat behavior, the latter in some small or large way being dependent on the former. However, as we all know, the domestic cat's wild instincts surface the moment he or she ventures outside and smells the air! Yet the vast majority of domestic cats in the largest of all domestic cat markets, America, are permanently indoors, constantly subdued to the state of pure domesticity, their wild cat instincts rarely visible.
I have written a lot of posts (on an associated Blogger site) which either focus on the subject of human behavior in relation to cats or there is an oblique reference to this aspect of cat behavior in the article. I list these articles on this page. I also write about how we can do things to better understand our cat companions, improve their lives and our relationship. I call these "How To Do It" articles.I also list articles about that mystery to mankind, cat food. It's the ingredients that are baffling. Once again we control this aspect of the life of the domestic cat. And the cat food business is not a charitable concern. It is highly competitive. The quality of cat food is in constant competition with financial profit. Convenience is everything. But is this good for our cat companions? I think we should be vigilant on the issue of cat food quality. I address these issues in the list of articles below and have since writing this page built another on best cat food. Finally, human behavior greatly impacts wildcat behavior and survival. Some of the posts addressing this are also listed below. This is an expanding page on cat facts. There will inevitably some "overspill" as space runs out. There are, therefore links to other pages listing further articles and this is indicated. FORUM
Cat facts must deal with issues of cat behavior. Sometimes cats are left alone too long causing anxiety. Living in a household can be stressful for humans and other animals. Some cats display what we consider to be bad behavior but is it? Is it just behavior we don't like? Cats can be messy....are messy. Sometimes it is our fault and some litter training may be required. Although some cat like water which results in some interesting cat peeing behavior. I'm talking about Bengal cats primarily here. Bengals are more trainable than some cats. One way to get around the litter problems is to toilet train. I mean your cat is trained to use your toilet! In fact, cats can be trained generally. You'll need technique and patience though. If your cat likes water, great, but most don't and bathing a cat can be a hassle.
Another form of behavior that can hurt catS and your possessions is cat chewing problems. Bengal cats and wildcat/domestic cat hybrids can sometimes be a little bit too eager to chew, shred and swallow objects such as paper. They can demonstrate what we would consider to be weird behavior. Bengal cats can also make Bengal cat smelly poo....! As I said cats can be messy. They can also make a mess of the furniture. They scratch furniture for a good reason. There are ways around this "problem" (for people) but these won't suit everyone. Unfortunately about 20 - 30 million cats are declawed in the States at any one time - shocking statistic. Declawing hurts cats. Declawing can cause psychological damage and is totally unnecessary. Do people want to live with a cat or an animal that approximates to a cat? Claws are integral to a cat. There are better ways to cat claw control. A lot of people especially in the USA keep their cats indoors full-time. Should we keep cats indoors or let them out? When we do keep cats indoors they will invariably spend a lot of time at the window looking out. We owe an obligation to entertain and one thing we can do (if we have the energy) is make some cat toys.
One way around the problem of eliminating danger to cats who wander outside is to leash train your cat (see also: Walking an old cat on a leash) This is not that easy and some cats are easier to train than others. The wildcat hybrids are easier such as the Chausie. Helmi Flick lived with a Chausie. Some think that cat collars help to protect their cat. They can but they can harm too. Most cat breeders don't agree with them. Cats are adaptable but territorial. One way a cat cat get injured if left to stray outside is in a fight especially if he is a Tom cat. Fighting cats follow a strict code of practice. Often it results in damaged cat ears. When cats play or catch prey they tend to throw the object or animal in the air. This is part of the domestic cat hunting process and can also replicate the scenario if your cat was fishing. Domestic cats are domesticated but the wildcat is not far away.  Cat
Facts Photo by fofurasfelinas under
creative commons
Go to Contents Cat
Behavior - Cat Facts -
All these links open a new window
Please note: All the links in this section on cat facts open a new window
Use the navbar (top) to see all the breeds or the Site Map. The cat breeds are at the core of cat facts. When you read articles on the Internet you see reference to "intelligent" cat breeds. This implies some cats are more intelligent than others. It is debatable whether there is an intelligent cat breed. It is also debatable whether there are best cat breeds
but you can probably
make out a case for the top
10 cat breeds.There are certainly cat breeds that are more suited to permanent indoor living but
although cats
adapt to living indoors, is
it the right thing to do?There is quite a lot of talk on the Internet about non shedding cat breeds
and
hypoallergenic cat breeds. The Ashera
GD is
claimed to be
hypoallergenic. People are obviously keen
to live with a cat but perhaps cannot accept the downside of cat hair
everywhere or they have an allergy to cat dander; 10% of us do.I speculate as to the largest domestic cat breed. Bengal cats have particular behavioral characteristics inline with other wildcat hybrids such as the Savannah.  Cat health is the most important of all cat facts. My heart is very tender towards cats who live in the poorer countries. They have incredibly hard lives sometimes. Life is hard for humans never mind cats. Cats though are good survivors but their lives will be relatively short in these countries. A poisoned cat or a blind cat is
not infrequently
encountered in these countries. A blind
cat has great dignity and
can
survive quite well under
difficult circumstances.One of the niggling possibilities that is always present is cat parasites such as ticks. Dog and cat parasites are ever present. A common fungal condition is cat ringworm, which as you probably know is not actually a worm. This condition can be transferred to humans for example when your cat transfers his scent when he rubs against you. In a world which is by necessity now becoming more in tune with nature and the environment a natural cure for cats ear infection may be useful. An important aspect of cat health is vaccinations. It was once thought that yearly vaccinations should be automatically administered. They are necessary if you place your cat in cattery while you are on holiday (applies to the UK). But cat vaccination recommendations are changing it seems. Perhaps some cats are vaccinated too often. Cat facts need to include a discussion on the risk/reward element of vaccinations. I discusss the fact that some people think that a cat's dry nose is a sign of illness. I outline the possible reasons behind hair loss in cats, which is a disturbing symptom. The cat facts on the hair loss page are useful, I think. Cat food is closely linked to cat health. The more you study cat food the more you realize a high standard of care is required and that a lot of commercially produced food is less than good. First if will not do to let your cat eat dog food .
Cats are obligate
carnivores, dogs aren't; low
carbohydrate cat food
is required. Secondly there is a growing awareness that the convenience
of dry cat food is outweighed by its inappropriateness as a healthy
food for cats. Dry cat food it is argued can cause or be a factor in
causing diabetes
in cats and/or
obesity. Having done a lot of
reading a raw
food diet is best for a cat
provided the correct supplements such as Taurine are added. This
requires care, expertise and time, however. A cat food diet should as
near as possible replicate the kind of kind
of food that is hunted, caught and eaten.
I look at two
wildcats that are very adept at doing just that, the endangered Scottish
Wildcat and the American
Bobcat
is found in many cat breeds, sometimes almost disguised. The Bengal
cat comes to mind. Some Bengal cats though have something that most
cats haven't and that is glitter.
Some mixed cat breeds though have coats that the Bengal cannot have,
for example tabby
and white.
Cutting across the
breeds as it does means that
Tabby Cats are not
a type of cat breed.
Mix the
tabby coat with a tortoiseshell
coat and you have a torbie
cat coat.
.
Blue/Grey is a dilution
of black.
Black forms the basis
of tuxedo
cats,
a classic mixed breed
coat. Cat breeds such as the
Bombay have to be black
to be a Bombay cat.Tortoisehell is another interesting and popular coat type, which can extend from the black tortoiseshell
to the calico (tortoisehell
and white).
The white in this instance is caused by the white spotting gene. Torbie
in cat coat parlance means a mix of tortoiseshell and tabby. This mix
can be further mixed with white to make torbie
and white(this
is the same link as the one immediately preceding it). Here's a
further complication;you can modify the tortie and torbie and whites by
diluting the colored parts of the coat.The white spotting gene can be responsible for totally white cats .
The Dominant White gene can also be responsible. Both genes can produce
odd-eyed
cats.
It is easy to forget that
coat types such as tabby and
calico are not
cat breeds but coat types, which cut across the cat breed boundaries.
Some people think that the calico cat has a certain personality due to
genetics - I
don't.
But I could be wrong. If
I am please
tell me.Cat coats often result from a subtle combination of genetic effects. An example is a mix of tortoiseshell and tabby (torbie), dilution and white mixed. You can see one or two cats like this on this page .If you're interested in a rare cat even by rare cat standards an example would be the American Wirehair, which has another very distinct coat type. There are other cats with curly cat coats
Another rare cat
would be the Elf
cat,
an experimental cat breed, not yet accepted by the associations. She is
one of the hairless
cats.Pointed cat coats are
popular. I know
this because this website's
popularity poll clearly indicates that by voting the Siamese
one of the most popular cats. Pointed
with white coats as
found for
example on the Ragdoll are also
popular coat types. To get the white face markings symmetrical is a
work of art and patience.The Japanese like bicolor bobtailed cats. Bicolor is solid and white, meaning a single color of hair follicle in groups mixed with white hair. The Turkish Van is a classic solid and white . Cat Facts - Something Terribly Disturbing Cat facts cannot ignore the underbelly. This section covers two linked areas, cat meat
and killing cats. There are
many ways to
kill a cat and
many are killed
in the most unpleasant of ways
and some are then eaten. The human population's relationship with the
domestic cat covers a wide spectrum from those who hate cats through to
those who love them. Those who hate cats sometimes kill them and those
that love cats through their actions sometimes kill them (indirectly).
We are breeding too many cats (or more accurately letting cats breed to
freely). Cat breeders love cats but I think that in order to give true
credibility to cat breeding the cat breeders through their associations
need to stabilize and then reduce the feral cat population. There are also a number of breeders who do the profession a disservice, which only serves to heighten the perception of some people that cat breeders are in part responsible for the unsustainable high domestic cat population. I don't think that they are. The vast majority of cat breeders are very concerned people. Organizations such as the SPCA and RSPCA (UK) are under attack from cat breeders for acting irresponsibly .The Associations have an obligation to be more vocal in respect of cat cruelty and some of the cruelest behavior takes place by some people in the Far East in China and Korea (but is not confined to these countries ).
Nor is it confined to
individuals. Some companies
animal test and
some governments organize
and promote unspeakably cruel behavior towards cats.
It is
not enough for breeders and cat leaders to only live in the rarified
world of the Western Cat Fancy, surrounded by beautiful cats. All cats
are equal and the most vulnerable are the most needy.The constant battle between the cat fancy and PETA
and HSUS would be
much reduced if the actions
described above took
place. Cat Food precedes cat health. These are important cat facts. There is a growing awareness I believe (albeit slow) that commercial cat food is just not that good quite frankly. For example, we have all experienced the "jelly syndrome". Meat in jelly once eaten becomes meat and no jelly. Cats love the jelly and
are not sure
about the meat or just leave
it.Cat Food ingredients are a bit of a mystery. It contains "ash". I thought ash was the stuff in the fire after it have burnt. Not the case thankfully .
Don't you
think the packets could be a
bit more transparent about the ingredients?There may be a connection between dry cat food and obesity and diabetes. We need to as near as possible replicate what a cat eats in the wild. This could be raw cat food and supplements, which is on the face of it the best diet. Dry cat food possibly causes more problems that those mentioned above. It may cause urinary tract health problems. Is there a cat food which is good for the urinary tract ?
The cat
food manufacturers thought
that producing low
magnesium
cat food would
provide the answer. It does and
doesn't. The better answer is to avoid dry cat food generally. Also
watch out for rice in cat food. There is an argument that supports the
idea that rice
affects the metabolisation of an essential amino acid, Taurine.
Bengal
cats particularly need Taurine.If you combine indoor living (encouraging inactivity) and high carbohydrate dry cat food you get obese cats a growing concern. This leads people to seek an inactive cat food diet .
A major cat food
manufacturer is Purina, how
good are they?
One thing people
should not do is feed
cats with dog food as
cat's
digestive system is hard wired to
process protein (meat) and dogs are omnivores (flesh and vegetable
matter). Dog food can hurt cats.Can dry food help clean a cat's teeth? Read this .
Want to really do to the
right way? - Home
made Cat Food (advice
from
breeders - one of the best sources of cat facts).Major page on cat food: Best Cat Food contains some of these links and new links. Cat Photography - cat facts in photographsThis website and its sub-domain feature the best cat photography. Helmi Flick is probably the best cat photographer (and I mean anywhere). She does it on an international level.Miscellaneous cat factsCat Website DirectoryCat Show Calendar UK only From cat facts to home page  |
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