• There are three body types for a cat. Cobby type is a compact body, deep chest, short legs and broad head. The eyes are large and round. Muscular type is a sturdy body and round, full-cheeked head. Foreign type is a slender body, with long legs and a long tail. The head is wedge-shaped, with tall ears and slanting eyes.
• Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the principles of gravity, also invented the cat door.
• A cat will almost never “meow” at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.
• Know how old your cat really is. If your cat is 3, your cat is 21 in human years. If your cat is 8, your cat is 40 in human years. If your cat is 14, your cat is 70 in human years.
• The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.
• The oldest cat on record was Puss, from England, who died in 1939 just one day after her 36th birthday. (We wish we could have them all that long!)
• The weirdest cat on record was a female called Mincho who went up a tree in Argentina and didn’t come down again until she died six years later. While treed, she managed to have three litters with equally ambitious dads.
• A cat’s normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees. This is slightly warmer than a humans.
• People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
• Cats love to chew on grass, catnip, parsley or sage. Become a green thumb and plant an indoor garden for your cat! But be careful — many plants are toxic to your cat!
• There are two species of wild cats in African and Europe that still hunt. These two species both resemble the domestic tabbies.
• The behaviors shown by most house cats have a parallel in the wild.
• A cat will kill it’s prey based on movement, but may not necessarily recognize that prey as food. Realizing that prey is food is a learned behavior.
• The greatest number of mice killed by one cat? 28,899! Towser, a tortoise-shell tabby in charge of rodent control in Scotland, killed 28,899 mice in her 21 years. This is about four mice per day, every day, for 21 years. Towser died in 1987.
• The first cat show was held in 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
• A falling cat will always right itself in a precise order. First the head will rotate, then the spine will twist and the rear legs will align, then the cat will arch its back to lessen the impact of the landing.
• “Sociable” cats will follow you from room to room to monitor your activities throughout the day.
• What kind of “mood” is kitty in? Her eyes, whiskers and ears will tell you. Learn to read the signs she gives you.
• The most popular names for female cats in the U.S. are Missy, Misty, Muffin, Patches, Fluffy, Tabitha, Tigger, Pumpkin and Samantha.
• Give your cat a quality scratching post to deter her from scratching your furniture. Still scratching? Try putting lemon scent or orange scent on the area. Cats hate these smells.
• Try hanging an orange or lemon scented air freshener in the inner branches of your Christmas tree, if your cat is a seasonal “climber.”
• In English, cat is “cat.” In French, cat is “Chat.” In German, your cat is “katze.” The Spanish word for cat is “gato,” and the Italian word is “gatto.” Japanese prefer “neko” and Arabic countries call a cat a “kitte.”
• Cats get their sense of security from your voice. Talk to your cats! And be mindful of your tone of voice. Cats know when you’re yelling at them (though they may not care).

And the most important piece of knowledge to retain is that the very best food available for your cat is Life’s Abundance from Wholesome Pet Supply.

From the May, 2008, HealthyPetNet Life’s Abundance Newsletter:

Special Message from Dr. Jane

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Cats are very interesting members of the animal kingdom. Some of them stay wild in the thick forests while others live tamed in our homes. Wherever they are, cats are very fascinating creatures and possess really exquisite characteristics. How much do you know about cats? Well, with this series I hope to add to your fount of (possibly useless) cat knowledge:

• Ailurophilia is the “love of cats.”
• The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.
• There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with 33 different breeds.
• The American cat population reached nearly 68 million in 1996.  American Demographics magazine estimates that’s about 200 million kitty yawns per hour and a whopping 425 million catnaps each day!
• A cat’s heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats per minute.
• The largest cat breed is the Ragdoll.   Males weigh twelve to twenty pounds, with females weighing ten to fifteen pounds.   The smallest cat breed is the Singapura.  Males weigh about six pounds while females weigh about four pounds.
• Calico cats are almost always female.
• If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you.   If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed — Time to distance yourself from her.
• Cats wag their tails when it is in a stage of conflict.  The cat wants to do two things at once, but each impulse blocks the other.  For example: If your cat is in the doorway wanting to go outside, and you open the door to find it raining, the cat’s tail will wag because of internal conflict.  The cat wants to go outside, but doesn’t want to go into the rain.  Once the cat makes a decision and either returns to the house or leaves into the rain, the tail will immediately stop wagging.
• Don’t pick a kitten or a cat up by the scruff of its neck;  only mother cats can do this safely, and only with their kittens.
• Cats knead with their paws when they’re happy.
• Your cat loves you and can “read” your moods.  If you’re sad or under stress, you may also notice a difference in your cat’s behavior.
• The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking.  All wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.
• An average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter, and 2-3 litters per year.
• During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens.
• In 1952, a Texas Tabby named Dusty set the record by having more than 420 kittens before having her last litter at age 18.
• The largest known litter (with all surviving) was that of a Persian in South Africa named Bluebell.  Bluebell gave birth to 14 kittens in one litter!
• A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years.
• More than 35,000,000 kittens are born in the U.S. each year.  Spay or neuter your cat.
• Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles.
• A cat has five more vertebrae in her spinal column than her human does.

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Introduction

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Congratulations! You are about to embark on one of life’s most memorable and emotionally rewarding experiences — pet ownership. Generally. a cat can live 15 to 20 years and if it all goes well, he will become your dearest friend and a member of your family. However, as rewarding as pet ownership can be, it can also be a nightmare if you both get off to a bad start. The following will help ease this period of adjustment for you.

When you first bring the cat home, try to keep everyone as calm as possible. Although this is difficult with children, please try not to get too enthusiastic. Next, try confining the cat, temporarily, to a small area. A kitchen is perfect because it is the most popular room in the house. Remember, when he first comes into your home, your cat is the outsider; he/she is confused and frightened. Give him time to slowly adjust to the family and its routine. The period of adjustment is much more difficult for him than it is for you.
As he/she starts to feel more comfortable, and you feel he/she is ready, gradually give him more freedom. Perhaps you can take him into the den while the family is watching TV, but be sure to keep an eye on him/her.

Even the best behaved cat needs guidelines at one time. If you establish good guidelines in the very beginning, your cat will always follow them. Cats want to please their owners; this makes them happy. If you give a cat too much freedom and he wrecks your house,it’s your fault, not his. If a cat needs reprimanding,
never hit him. A loud, stern NO works much better. Another tool is a water gun or spray bottle filled with plain water. When the cat does something wrong, squirt him and say NO very loud. Do not overuse the water as it will lose its effect. Never Hit Your Cat!! Your hand should only be associated with petting. If the water does not work, try shaking a can or plastic bottle filled with pebbles or pennies.

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This article came from The Sydney Morning Herald in Sydney, Australia. Be aware that some of the Internet links point to non-US web sites and that the currency is in Australian dollars unless otherwise noted.

Save face with a pet project

Anne Fawcett
January 7, 2008

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Hyperthyroidism has become a frequently diagnosed illness in cats in recent decades. And new research implicates an environmental source.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE’s), chemicals used only in recent decades as a flame retardant, have been shown in research to cause injury to the feline nervous system, as well as interfere with the production of certain hormones. Scientists are concerned that these chemicals could also lead to similar symptoms in humans, too.

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