Facts about Cat
Cats' eyes have a reflective layer, which greatly improves their vision in dark conditions.
Cats were protected in Egypt and when they died their bodies were mummified.
Ethologist Paul Leyhausen, in an extensive study of social and predatory behavior in domestic cats (documented in his book Cat Behavior), proposed a mechanism to explain this presenting behavior.
Feral cats may live alone, but most are found in large groups called feral colonies with communal nurseries, depending on resource availability.
Cats will also throw themselves to the ground in a defensive posture to rake with their powerful hind legs.
Due to possible complications caused by ingesting a string, string play is sometimes replaced with a laser pointer's dot, which some cats will chase.
Cats will also turn their ears back when they are playing or to listen to a sound coming from behind them.
Often (much like a small child) a cat will lie with its head and front paws over a person's shoulder, and its back legs and rump supported under the person's arm.
Cats conserve energy by sleeping more than most animals, especially as they grow older.
The ratio of pedigree/purebred cats to random-bred cats varies from country to country.
In 1871, the first cat exhibition was held in the Crystal Palace in London (Siegal 2004).
Like all members of family Felidae except the cheetah, cats have retractable claws.
Native species there are ecologically vulnerable and behaviorally "naive" to predation by feral cats.
Here it may be argued that the potential for feral cats to cause damage is little unless cat numbers are very high, or the region supports unusually vulnerable native wildlife species.
A pedigreed cat is one whose ancestry is recorded, but may have ancestors of different breeds (almost exclusively new breeds; cat registries are very strict about which breeds can be mated together).
Others go to great lengths to pamper their cats, sometimes treating them as if they were children.
The term puss (as in pussycat) may come from Dutch (from poes, a female cat, or the diminutive poesje, an endearing term for any cat) or from other Germanic languages.
Like other domesticated animals, cats live in a mutualistic arrangement with humans.
The normal body temperature of a cat is between 38 and 39°C (101 and 102.2°F).
The Invasive Species Specialist Group has put the cat on its list of the "World's 100 Worst Invasive Species" (ISSG 2007).
The first domesticated cats may have saved early Egyptians from many rodent infestations and likewise, Bast developed from the adoration for her feline companions.
Some breeds like Bengal, Ocicat, and Manx are known to be very social.
Allergies to cat dander are one of the most common reasons people cite for disliking cats.
The domestic cat hunts and eats over a thousand species, many of them invertebrates, especially insects.
The male progenitor of a cat, especially a pedigreed cat, is its sire, and its female progenitor is its dam.
Cats of unrecorded mixed ancestry are referred to as domestic longhairs and domestic shorthairs or commonly as random-bred, moggies, mongrels, mutt-cats, or alley cats.
Cats have also become very popular as subjects for paintings and as characters in children's books and cartoons.
Many pet cats successfully hunt and kill rabbits, rodents, birds, lizards, frogs, fish, and large insects by instinct, but might not eat their prey.
Most cats have five claws on their front paws, and four or five on their rear paws.
Feral cats have had extremely serious impacts on these wildlife species and have played a leading role in the endangerment and extinction of many of them.
The domesticated cat has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years, and it is one of humankind's most popular pet animals.
Some owners like to train their cat to perform "tricks" commonly exhibited by dogs such as jumping, though this is rare.
Cats enjoy heat and solar exposure, often sleeping in a sunny area during the heat of the day.
The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) (Felis catus) is a member of the Felidae family of the Carnivora order of the mammals.
An immature cat is called a kitten (which is also an alternative name for young rats, rabbits, hedgehogs, beavers, squirrels, and skunks).
Cats are capable of walking very precisely, because like all felines they directly register; that is, they place each hind paw (almost) directly in the print of the corresponding forepaw, minimizing noise and visible tracks.
Most abandoned cats probably have little alternative to joining a feral colony.
The average lifespan of such feral cats is much shorter than a domestic housecat, which can live sixteen years or more.
Like other members of the cat family, domestic cats are very effective predators.
A cat is considered febrile (hyperthermic) if it has a temperature of 39.5°C (103°F) or greater, or hypothermic if less than 37.5°C (100°F).
One example of how domestic cats are "naturally" meant to behave is to observe feral domestic cats, which often live in colonies, but in which each individual basically looks after itself.
A notable exception is Hawaii, where feral cats have had extremely serious impacts on native birds species; "naive" fauna on islands of all sizes, in both hemispheres, are particularly vulnerable to feral cats.
The simile "like herding cats" refers to the seeming intractability of the ordinary house cat to training in anything, unlike dogs.
Conversely, very small cats (less than 1.8 kg / 4.0 lb) have been reported.
Domestic cats, especially young kittens, are known for their love of string play.
Being closely related to desert animals, cats can easily withstand the heat and cold of a temperate climate, but not for extended periods.
Kittens are weaned at between six and seven weeks, and cats normally reach sexual maturity at 4–10 months (females) and to 5–7 months (males) (Voelker 1986, Siegal 2004).
A common compromise is to use the laser pointer to draw the cat to a prepositioned toy so the cat gets a reward at the end of the chase.
The particularly loose skin at the back of the neck is known as the "scruff" and is the area by which a mother cat grips her kittens to carry them.
Cats share this unusual gait with camels, giraffes, some horses (pacers), and a few other mammals.
Some historians report that killing a cat was punishable by death and that when a family cat died family members would shave their eyebrows in mourning (Siegal 2002).
The curved claws may become entangled in carpet or thick fabric, which may cause injury if the cat is unable to free itself.
Feral cats, domestic cats that have returned to the wild, are common throughout the world.
Not only males will fight; females will also fight over territory or to defend their kittens, and even neutered cats will defend their (smaller) territories aggressively.
Cats are highly specialized for hunting, compared to members of other carnivore families such as dogs and bears.
Fighting cats make themselves appear more impressive and threatening by raising their fur and arching their backs, thus increasing their visual size.
Li (2005) reports that due to a mutation in an early cat ancestor, one of two genes necessary to taste sweetness has been lost by the cat family (Li 2005).
When angry or frightened, a cat will lay back its ears, to accompany the growling or hissing sounds it makes.
A cat whose ancestry is formally registered is called a pedigreed cat, purebred cat, or a show cat (although not all show cats are pedigreed or purebred).
The cat's tongue has sharp spines, or papillae, useful for retaining and ripping flesh from a carcass.
Like all members of the Felidae family, cats are specialized for a life of hunting other animals.
In 2004, a grave was excavated in Cyprus that contained the skeletons, laid close to one another, of both a human and a cat.
Some have suggested that, psychologically, the human keeper of a cat is a sort of surrogate for the cat's mother, and that adult domestic cats live forever in a kind of suspended kittenhood.
A male cat is called a tom (or a gib, if neutered), and a female is called a queen.
Cats have highly specialized teeth and a digestive tract suitable to the digestion of meat.
A domestic cat's normal heart rate ranges from 140 to 220 beats per minute (bpm), and is largely dependent on how excited the cat is.
Nevertheless, some feral cat colonies are found in large cities such as around the Colosseum and Forum Romanum in Rome.
Outside these neutral areas, territory holders usually aggressively chase away stranger cats, at first by staring, hissing, and growling, and if that does not work, by short but noisy and violent attacks.
After associating with humans for several thousand years, cats entered the historical record in ancient Egypt.
Many choose to cope with cat allergies by taking prescription allergy medicine and bathing their cats frequently, since weekly bathing will eliminate about 90 percent of the cat dander present in the environment.
Urban areas in the developed world are not friendly, nor adapted environments for cats; most domestic cats are descended from cats in desert climates and were distributed throughout the world by humans.
Some organizations in Australia are now creating fenced islands of habitat for endangered species that are free of feral cats and foxes.
Cats also possess rather loose skin; this enables them to turn and confront a predator or another cat in a fight, even when caught in a grip.
To aid with navigation and sensation, cats have dozens of movable vibrissae (whiskers) over their body, especially their face.
Cats, like dogs, are digitigrades: They walk directly on their toes, the bones of their feet making up the lower part of the visible leg.
The owners and breeders of show cats compete to see whose animal bears the closest resemblance to the "ideal" definition of the breed.
People start to feel uncomfortable when their skin's temperature gets higher than about 44.5°C (112°F), but cats do not start to show signs of discomfort until their skin reaches about 52°C (126°F).
Among the Asian cat breeds that developed this way are: The Persian, the Turkish Angora, the Siberian, and the Siamese (Siegal 2004).
Interest in different breeds of cats developed, especially among the wealthy.
The senses of smell, hearing, and vision of cats are superior to those of humans.
Many cats cannot resist a dangling piece of string, or a piece of rope drawn randomly and enticingly across the floor.
The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) (Felis catus) is a member of the Felidae family of the Carnivora order of the mammals.
Cats with "oriental" body types tend to be thinner and more active, while cats that have a "cobby" body type tend to be heavier and less active.
Most breeds of cat have a noted fondness for settling in high places, or perching.
Judaism considered the cat an unclean animal and cats are not mentioned in the Bible.
Some organizations in Australia are now creating fenced islands of habitat for endangered species that are free of feral cats and foxes.
The domestic cat is social enough to form colonies, but does not hunt in groups as lions do.
When a cat bonds with its human guardian, the cat may, at times, display behaviors similar to that of a human.
Foxes are traditionally placed in the Family Canidae or dog-like animals. There are several different species of fox. None of them are cats, but they're also not "dogs" in the sense of our common household pets. They are their own category of animal, within the larger family of dog-like animals.
The Cat in the Hat is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and first published in 1957.
Fifty Years of 'The Cat in the Hat' The Cat in the Hat, the book about a mischievous, irrepressible soul who always seemed kind of ageless, is 50 years old. At the time of its debut in 1957, the Cat was an instant success. The Dr. Seuss classic is still captivating to children and the adults who read to them.Mar 1, 2007
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat is a 2003 American family comedy film directed by Bo Welch. It is based on the 1957 Dr. Seuss book of the same name. The film stars Mike Myers in the title role of the Cat in the Hat, and Dakota Fanning as Sally.
In each book, the Cat in the Hat, along with Thing 1 and Thing 2, shows up and teaches Dick (the boy's name in The Cat in the Hat was not revealed, but the 1971 animated special suggested it was Conrad) and Sally the many things the book's topic covers.
Alexa Torrington, a young Canadian actor, voices the lead character of Sally in the Portfolio Entertainment animated television series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That starring Martin Short.
The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! is an American/Canadian/British animated television series that premiered August 7, 2010 on Treehouse TV in Canada and on PBS Kids in the US and also in the UK on CITV and Cartoonito.
Some fish are motionless in the water during the night, while other fish, like rockfish and grouper, don't appear to sleep at all. They rest against rocks, bracing themselves with their fins. Some freshwater fish, like CATFISH swim up under a log or river bank for shelter during the day.Nov 29, 2005
Kneading helps the mother cat give milk to the kittens. When adult cats knead with her paws, it reminds her of her mother when she was a kitten. ... When a cat spreads out his back and front legs she falls more slowly, because their bodies act as a parachute. The tail can also help balance a cat.
Remember:Play for a few short sessions every day.Allow your cat to catch and grab the toy at the end of each game.Provide a variety of toys.At the end of each session tidy away toys with string, or anything that might present a danger to your cat.Never force your cat to play or be trained.Have fun!
Affection. The head butting (also known as “bunting”) behaviour can also be taken as a sign of love. Both domestic cats and wild cats (like lions) will face rub and headbutt with cats they know well. They also do it to members of their pride as a way to mark each other as family and show affection.
Although cheetahs are members of the cat family, they have dog-like non-retractable claws. This limits their tree-climbing ability but gives them a speed advantage when charging.Typically, a cheetah will start a charge 60m to 100m from an antelope and, within seconds, will be racing at full tilt.