The History of Cats
Ten million years later another animal more closely resembling today's cat is thought to have appeared. Called the Dinicitis, he was very agile both on the ground and in the trees. Today's cat is a relatively late arrival as a domesticated animal, arriving about four or five thousand yars ago as compared with the dog....who was man's known companion twenty to fifty thousand years ago.
Historically, you can trace the cat back to ancient Egypt. There cats were worshipped because their association with the powerful moon goddess, Pasht, from whose name it is believed the word "puss" may have been derived. The Egyptian godess, Bast, who represented the life-giving heat of the sun, was also identified with cats, and is portrayed in Egyptian art with the head of a cat. When sacred cats died, their owners expressed their grief by shaving their eyebrows in mourning. At least one variety of ancient Egyptian cat resembled the present day Abyssinian cat breed.
Phoenician trading ships are thought to have carried cats aboard and to have brought the first domesticated cats to the continent of Europe around 900 B.C. Romans, who also regarded the cat hightly and portrayed him as a symbol of liberty, are believed to have brought the cat to England. The Egyptian cat thus formed the basic stock for today's cats but native species were also tamed. In Europe cats were not objects of worship as in ancient Egypt, but were highly respected for their ability to catch rats and mice. They were especially in demand during the dreaded Black Plague of the 11th century because they helped get rid of the dreaded rodent disease carriers. In the Middle Ages cats lost much of their popularity because they once again became associated with worship of evil spirits. This association with devils and witchcraft cost many cats their lives and gave rise to some superstitions still held by many, such as never letting a black cat cross your path. The American Indian did not appear to keep cats as pets or make any attmept to domesticate the native varieties, namely the bobcat, jaguar, puma, ocelot and margay. It wasn't until white settlers arrived from Europe bringing along with them their domesticated cats that cats were kept as pets in North America. Colonists found cats helpful in controlling rats and mice both on the farms and in the towns.
The cat is a carnivorous (meat-eating) animal because of his teeth. He is of the "order Carnivora", whose members are all meat-eating animlas with projecting teeth, two in each jaw, which are used to rip or tear their dinner from captured prey. Members of this order also have a hairy or furry coat and toes with claws.
Although man is 15 times the size of a cat, the cat has more bones in his body. The cat has 230 bones, while man has 206. Many of the cat's bones are in his tail which, as a cat owner, you will want to watch for indications of your cat's moods. Carried high, the tail can denote the cat's pride and contentment; extended straight, it tells you the cat is stalking; curled against his body, it tells you he is scared or worried; and thrusting from side to side, the tail may warn you your cat is angry.
You have probably noticed how silently a cat moves. He can do this because of his thickly cushioned claws. What appears to be his elbow when he moves is really his heel, for the cat is a digitigrade, which means he walks or runs on his toes with his heels up. The normal number of toes for a cat is five in front (one is a thumb) and four in back, but some cats ar polydactyl, having more than the normal number of toes, usually six in front, but there are other variations.
A cat's hind legs are longer and stronger than those in front, enabling him to jump with great skill. Unlike most other animals, who move their front and opposite hind legs at the same time the cat moves his front and hind legs on one side, then the other.
A cats main defensive weapon is his claws. They are capable of being extended for climbing and fighting or retracted for silent stalking or when he is at rest. Extending and contracting the claws repeatedly is called "kneading" and often accompanies purring. All of the claws of a cats paws point in one direction, so the only effective way a cat can get out of a tree is to back down, explaining why so many cats become stranded in trees and need to be rescued.
A cat uses his teeth for grasping, holding and breaking up food. A cat cuts and tears his food rather than crushing and grinding it.
A cat uses his lips only to keep food and liquids in his mouth. He cannot smile or make faces. A cats tongue is a sort of spoon used to lap up liquids. Since the tongue is very rough, it doubles as a cat's comb and brush.
You may have noticed how exceptionally clean your cat insists on keeping himself. This comes naturally to him, for almost without exception, the clean cat is a healthy cat. He can remove body scent by licking and biting.
A cat's eyes are his most prominent feature, often remarked upon for their gleaming beauty. They are so large that a man's eyes would have to be about eight inches wide to be as proportionately large. As you would expect, a cat's sense of sight is his keenest sense. Through his eyes a cat can gather a great deal of light and see quite clearly at night or in very low levels of light. He can distinguish degrees of rightness much better than man, preferring the near-darkness. However, the cat is color-blind and sees colors a svarious shades of grey depending on brightness. He sees only changing light, so that if nothing moves where he is looking, he sees nothing. For this reason, the cat will flick his eyes back and froth very slightly, causing the scene before him to move and thus become visible. The cat has a third eyelid under the regular lids called a nictitating membrane. Unlike the refular eyelids, this one closes horizontally.
The whiskers are very sensitive and serve the cat as small feelers to help him feel his way in the dark.
A cat sheds his coat all the time, but to greater degree seasonally.
Though it is known how the cat makes the "purring" sound, no one knows why he purrs or why he is the only animal to do so. Purring does not originate in the cat's throat; instead the sound is considered to originate in the animal's blood system. The actual sound is the result of a vibration motion that arises from the wall of one of the major blood vessels in the chest area. These vibrations are readily transmitted to the upper air passages of the cat resulting in a purr. Kittens start purring almost at birth and most cats purr frequently when content, some very loudly, and so soft as to be inaudible. Some even purr while sleeping, but contrary to popular belief, purring does not always signify contentment. Cats can and do purr when in pain.
Cat naps get their name from the cat's remarkavle ability to sleep for short stretches of time, but always so lightly that the slightest noise will waken him instantly.
The life span of a cat today is frequently up to 17 years and older, somewhat longer than the average life span of the dog. If we consider one year egual to seven human years...the cat has the equivalent of more than a 100 year human span.
The cat is an important part of the lives of many families. He considers himself the equal of any member of the family and sometimes more than equal. And you, if you become like most cat fanciers, will have to admit that he has chosen you and will make you his!
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