Believe it or not, there are no bad cats. Cats are just unique. They live in a cat world and do what cats do, no matter what you try to say or do to convince them to adjust to your world. The most important thing for you as a cat parent is to understand why your cat does what it does. Cats do not go to obedience school. If they had their way, you as a pet parent would go to obedience school to learn how to deal with your pet.
A cat is not a dog; a cat does not act like a dog, think like a dog or behave like a dog. If you want a pet that behaves as a dog, get a dog not a cat. That said, let's get to the point of understanding cat behavior. Punishing a cat for wrong behavior is like trying to empty the ocean one-cup at a time. Try as you may, you will never empty the ocean or get your cat to understand why you are punishing him/her.
Punishment will never cure bad behavior; it will only make your cat frightened and leery of you. Cats are smart enough to know that once punished for a misdeed they will not do it again, in front of you. They will wait until your back is turned or you are out the door. Though you may believe your cat understands what you are saying, or rather yelling about, it will pay you no heed except to run away, ignore you or wait to do it again later.
A perfect example is our male cat Smokey, he dislikes our female cat Tiger and every chance he gets he will chase her. However, if he starts out to chase her and then sees me he stops, looks at me and then will turn away as if he was just out taking a walk. He knows I will say "No" quite loudly and scold him. Of course, it doesn't do any good to scold him, but it makes me feel better.
There are several good reasons why your cat does what it does to annoy you. First of all, cats really don't have a good grasp of the English language; they are not furry little people. However, they do understand positive and negative responses to their actions. Cats love praise, pets and treats and this is our secret weapon. Screaming, yelling, spanking or throwing (heaven forbid) will only traumatize your cat and make it fearful of you.
Stop for a moment and think about the life your cat is leading (okay, you wish you could lead that life) take into consideration its day. You are at work all day and may get home late and tired. Your fur ball has been sleeping all day and wants to play.
You want to sit, eat and watch TV. You give your cat a few pets and while you are doing that he/she gives you a little nip on your hand. You react by jumping up and possibly yelling and chasing him/her. Hey, this is fun your cat got your attention and you are "playing." We humans sometimes reward our cats for their bad behavior by giving them the attention they want.
In our house I am the perfect example of what not to do. Our Smokey is a night eater. Why? Cause he sleeps all day while I am at work. He started at a young age to come into our bedroom and nudge me with his head when he wanted to be fed, even though I would feed him before I went to sleep. Knowing what he wanted I would get up and feed him. This would happen several times a night and I would get up (truthfully this has been going on for years.)
However, since I started doing research for this book I suddenly came to realize that this is silly, the cat is not starving and I do not have to get up at all hours. I gradually started to push him away (nicely) whenever he nudged me and quietly said "No" as a result he moved over to the nightstand where he likes to sleep and laid down. It has been several weeks and he will once in a while nudge me and I say "no" and he goes away and waits until he sees me stir. Most cats when they are doing "wrong behavior" are really doing exactly what a cat should be doing.
Cats need to scratch and stretch their claws. It is a natural thing to do and it feels good. It is up to you as the pet parent to provide scratching material, whether it is the couch or a scratching post, it is immaterial to the cat. Cats learn by experience, if they do something and it turns out to be a good experience in their eyes, they will do it again, a bad experience may eliminate, the behavior or they just might try it again to see if something good happens.
One important thing to remember, if your cat suddenly starts doing things that he/she never attempted before and the behavior is not to your liking, observe the current situation in your household. Have there been sudden and unusual changes in the household routine, new furniture, new people or a new pet? Has there been a change in your cat's bathroom routine; is kitty eating, do you notice any changes in your cat's grooming habits?
It does not take much to disturb the serenity of a cat's world as cats like routine and changes can cause reactions, which are not always to their liking. Also, consider medical problems, your cat may not feeling well and this too can cause behavioral problems. Since cats cannot talk they may misbehave in order to show their concern or displeasure to the changes that have occurred.
Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind while you are trying to reform kitty.
First of all stop all reprimands and punishment-- they seldom do any good anyway. Make life with your cat fun and rewarding. Create an environment for yourself and your cat that satisfies you both. Remember a cat does not read minds and has little knowledge of English.
Help your cat understand what you want it to do by making the "yes" experiences rewarding and finding ways to eliminate most of the "no" experiences. We are going to list below some typical behavioral problems and possible solutions. It is important should you have any questions about your cat's behavior that you consult your vet to discuss it.
Aggressive behavior: Can be caused by fear, being disturbed when napping, injury or sickness, or being in a bad mood.
Solution: Should the cat nip or scratch you while petting, say NO and stop petting. Do not play rough with your cat as it does not know nice from not nice. Were you petting or scratching in
a sensitive area of the cat's body? If your cat hisses or its ears are flattened back, leave the cat alone. Check for injury.
Begging: Can be caused by the cat being hungry or just wanting attention.
Solution: Feed the cat just before your sit down to eat or if the begging is for attention take a minute or two to pet and talk to your cat a little quality attention will go a long ways.
Constant meowing: Females that are not spayed will meow constantly while looking for a "fellow." Or your cat may need some quality time with you, remember just a few minute of undivided attention will do wonders. Another thought is your cat may be ill or hurt.
Solution: Spay or neuter your cat (really should anyway), give your cat some quality time, cats need to know that they are loved, or your cat maybe sick or hurt, especially if the crying occurs when kitty is trying to go to the bathroom. If so, take a quick trip to the vet or call for advice.
Jumping on the counters and/or furniture: Cats love high places and cats are generally nosey, exploring is part of a cat's nature.
Solution: When it comes to the counters, stove and the dining table in our house, a consistent NO and placing the cat on the floor worked fine. It took several tries at this, but it worked. Another solution is put double sticky tape on the counter for a day or two, the cat will walk on it and get stuck, not a good experience and will stop, as it is no fun. Also keep food and other attractive smells off the counter or table. Things that make noise and may fall off the counter also work, as it will scare the cat. Cats do not like to be scared.
If your cat is getting on the furniture and you do not want that, provide a comfortable nesting place high up if possible. There are window seats that you can fasten to a window sill. We have a small bed on top of a section of our entertainment center where our female can escape.
If you have a particular piece of furniture you do not want the cat on, put foil, plastic or some inexpensive netting that you can buy at a fabric store over it when you are not at home. Cats do not like the feel of that and will stay off it and soon will ignore it. There are also things called "scat mats" which can be purchased on the Internet or at major pet stores.
Fighting with other cats: Cats are inclined to protect their habitat, they might be looking to mate, and some cats just want to show who is boss.
Solution: First of all spay or neuter your cat as they make much better pets and are less inclined to fight. Never break up a cat fight with your hands. Use a hose to spray them, throw a towel on them or make a loud noise to scare them. If your resident cats are having a dispute, separate them by putting them in separate rooms for a while. Usually they will simmer down and become tolerant of each other again.
In our household a sharp "No" works for a while with our male and female. Be certain to give each one plenty of affection, out of sight of each other. Some cats are like people and they just don't like each other no matter what you try to do.
In our household our female is wise enough to stay out of Smokey's reach. Smokey doesn't want to fight with her, he just wants to chase her.
Spraying: A cat operates on smell and spraying is a natural way to mark its territory. Also a cat will spray if it feels threatened, stressed or anxious.
Solution: Spay or neuter your pet to decrease the need to be overly territorial. Give your pet a lot of pets and attention, as it may feel stressed and/or unloved.
Provide a safe haven preferably high up (off the ground) if you pet feels threatened by another household pet.
If your cat is spraying near or on a window your pet may be marking its territory because of an outside cat. Keep curtains or drapes closed.
Do not punish your cat for spraying as it may increase his/her anxiety. Using a citrus-based cleaner will remove the scent and keep kitty hopefully from doing it again. We have found that the male cats usually do spraying, we have not seen our females do it, though they might. Interestingly, when our one male cat sprayed there was no odor after we had him neutered. However, the spraying left an oily substance that had to be cleaned up. There is a spray you can buy that has a calming effect on cats and has helped in stopping the spraying it is called "Feliway" and it can be purchased at major pet stores and on the Internet.
Scratching and tearing furniture: Scratching is a natural instinct of a cat. Boredom or a lack of a scratching post can cause the problem.
Solution: Scratching is part of a cat's life it provides exercise, an opportunity to stretch, relieves stress and allows them to shed their claws. If your cat is a house cat and does not have the opportunity to find a tree or post to scratch, it is up to you the pet parent to provide one. Cats are not overly particular about what they scratch as long as it fulfills its criteria.
Couches and stereo speakers fit the bill nicely. Providing a good scratching post (actually several are better) is a great alternative to your couch. You can make your own with a little effort or buy one at your favorite pet store. A good scratching post should be at least 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall, be sturdy enough so it won't fall over and scare the cat and be covered with either hemp rope or the reverse side of some leftover carpet.
Do not use the right side of the carpet for a post; use the backside as it provides the proper grabbing material. Actually you can make a post that lies on the floor, as long as it is long enough for the cat to stretch out on. There are some inexpensive ones made of cardboard that have a catnip scent that cats enjoy.
When teaching your cat to use the post it is a good idea to rub some catnip on it to attract the kitty. Whenever you see your cat using its post, praise the cat and give it a small treat, this conditions the cat into thinking this is a great thing to do. If you cat is scratching the furniture punishing will not help the matter. Remember that a cat knows better than to do something it has been reprimanded for in front of you.
If kitty is still going back to his/her old tricks the solution is to make the article of choice unacceptable. Cover it with a piece of plastic, foil, double-sided sticky tape or netting you can buy at a fabric store when you are not home. Continue to show kitty the scratching post, give praise and treats for using it, persistence pays on your part and soon kitty will leave your stuff alone.
Some people resort to having their pets declawed. We have a chapter on Declawing in this book. We do not recommend doing that, as there are other alternatives such as clipping your cat's nails or using the nail covers that are sold in pet stores and glue on the claws.
There are also spray repellents sold in pet stores to use on furniture that make the furniture unattractive to your cat. Scat mats are also available at major pet stores and on the Internet, they give a "static" type shock to the pet that climbs on it (it is not harmful, just annoying.) We have covered what we feel are the most common bad habits of cats in this chapter.
Cats really do not have any bad habits; the things they do are the things that, as one of nature's critters are natural to them. Climbing, hunting, spraying, biting, fighting, and clawing are all things the natural cat does. We have brought this magnificent creature in from the wild, domesticated it and demanded that it live by our rules. "We'll see," says the kitty as it settles down for a nap.
If this article has been of benefit, you might enjoy reading my book "So! You Want to Get a Cat" available on Amozon.com and please visit my web site and blog at http://www.cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com
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Sunday, December 25, 2016
Myths About Cats
Most of the lesser complex animals, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles probably have a worldview along the lines of 'it just is' and accept whatever comes along - go with the flow. But once you consider the relatively higher and more complex animals, like birds and mammals, then brain complexity becomes such that to a greater or lesser degree, intelligence and the ability to think and figure things out has to be taken into consideration.
For those of you who have companion animals, or even those of you who have just watched animals at a distance, you may have wondered how those animals view and perhaps even think about life, the universe and everything. That is, each animal must have some sort of personal worldview; a perspective or point of view probably forever beyond our understanding - usually but not always.
I'm picking on cats in this particular case because I've owned cats nearly all my life. This essay could just as easily have been dogs or horses or some other domesticated mammal.
So what are cats? Can we identify with them? Can they identify with us? Well, domesticated cats are playful; curious; adaptable; selfish; they dream; they like variety though they can also be creatures of habit; they can 'think' things through and make decisions; they have a vocal language and a body language; they display emotions; they have memory and therefore somewhat a sense of history; they have the same sensory apparatus as we have; they have their own likes and dislikes whether it be food; a place to sleep, where they want or don't want to be scratched or rubbed or petted; and, in short each cat has their own very unique personality. Cats are certainly very self-centred, perhaps a bit more so than typical adult humans, but certainly akin to human infants and toddlers whose worldview is very self-centred with a near 24/7 gimmie, gimmie, gimmie; I want, I want, I want. Cats, at least those intersecting with humans have a gimmie/I want aspect to them, and like infants/toddlers the 'pester' factor can often reach extremes. In short, cats really seem to be mini albeit furry versions of humans, especially infants/toddlers. But, how close might that version really be?
For starters, and perhaps like all animals, the cat probably has a worldview something akin to it being the centre of things - the be-all-and-end-all - and that the entire environment the cat finds itself in is there to provide for all the cat's requirements. From the domestic cat's point of view, the world owes it a living! How else could the cat view things? One's self perceptions tend to revolve around 'I am the centre of the universe' because you are most intimately bound up in your worldview with yourself and not as intimately with anything else. Therefore, anything else, in a self-centred worldview must be subservient. Of course the cat often finds out the hard way that parts of that external reality have differing opinions. That never seems to shift the cat's worldview however that it is 'top dog'* and deserves all the best that comes its way - which might not be all the 'best' that nature could provide but the cat doesn't know that.
Cats certainly have no comprehension, perhaps like toddlers, of being in the way, underfoot, in danger of being trodden on or sat upon, while helping themselves to whatever piece of household geography suits their fancy. One could conclude from their selfish (from our point of view) behaviour, their worldview must be one of 'supreme being' and 'rank has its privileges', and such a worldview will persist at least until such time as their tail gets stepped on or they get tossed out of the easy chair! They still probably see themselves as supreme beings - it's their worldview of you that's now somewhat changed.
The average head of the household and cat owner is probably somewhat of the opinion or has the rationale that 'I pay the bills, therefore I call the shots and what I say goes'! Cats can probably understand 'head of the household' in that in cat society, as in all animal societies, all cats are not equal - there is a hierarchy and one cat alone will be 'top dog' as it were. But there's nothing in a cat's worldview that corresponds to money or bills or economics or finance. Everything is a free lunch, be it sunshine or the electric/gas/wood heater you, the owner, pay for. Even if the cat goes outside and catches and eats a mouse, it's still as free a lunch as far as the cat is concerned as the food you put in its food bowl. So that bit about 'I'm the boss because I pay the bills' has no meaning or significance to the cat since the concept of 'bills' is foreign.
Cats have no mythology about shopping. The post Xmas sales and weekly specials at the supermarket are alien concepts. So is that nearly supreme abstraction to humans - time. Birthdays are a non-event with no realization when they occur and with no relevance in any event. Ditto all those other special points in time like holidays we humans are obsessed with. Cats don't make a habit of staying up late on New Years Eve. It's of no consequence. Weekends are no different than weekdays.
Equally the cat has apparently no worldview of tomorrow or of the future (though it has a memory of the past). It doesn't save for a rainy day. I've never observed a cat hide away a few of its dry cat food pellets for a future emergency or a midnight snack. A cat is very 'now' oriented. A cat probably has no concept of death, far less an afterlife. I've always tended to have two cats at a time on the theoretical grounds they have companionship when I'm not around. As such, one cat will finally get to go to that great 'litter box in the sky' and as such the surviving cat (for a while at least) will be without its companion feline 'friend'. I've never noticed however any real change in the behaviour of the surviving cat. The demise and removal of the other animal has apparently all the relevance of my tossing an empty can into the recycling bin. Now if I tossed out the cat's favourite easy chair that would probably cause more of a reaction!
It's difficult to teach a cat anything that isn't already hardwired into its little grey cells. I mean you don't tend to have guard cats, seeing-eye cats, or cats that sit up, stop on command at the corner, beg, and play fetch, etc. when their human owners say so. The cat's worldview is quite foreign to such concepts, though there's little difference between a cat's IQ and a dog's IQ. Maybe that's why the saying 'dogs have masters; cats have slaves'!
So those are several significant differences between the worldview mythologies of the cat relative to humans (or even dogs, who, are well known to 'grieve' upon the death of a fellow companion dog or of their owner. If I died, my cat's loyalty would shift quick-smart to the next human who fed it).
I noted above that cats dream and why not. I judge this because often when they are sound asleep I frequently notice their paws and mouths twitching as if in response to something going on inside their head. I assume it's not some abstraction that occupies this assumed dream state. It's probably related to visions of chasing and eating fat mice and plump flightless birds! There's no way of telling for sure, but that's what I suspect. If they dream, they dream practical cat-related things.
I've never gotten the impression that a cat ponders anything at anytime but practical matters that have a direct bearing on it in the here and right now. An obvious example is that any cat always finds itself on the wrong side of a door, and you are expected to correct that state of affairs as often as is necessary - which is very often indeed. No wonder people install cat flaps! Anyway, things like philosophy and religion and the arts and mathematics and anything abstract not only isn't considered and immediately dismissed, the cat probably can't even conceive of such things in order for them to be dismissed as of no relevance to the cat's worldview. There's no creativity in their little grey cells whatever. I very much doubt whether any cat has pondered whether or not it has free will. My cats don't respond to cat art, like the pictures of cats on calendars. Music soothes the savage beast but with one minor exception all my cats have been oblivious to whatever type of music CD I'm playing, be it classical or jazz, country & western or film scores; vocal or instrumental. That one exception is that I once had a cat that would react to whistling within a song that emanated from the speakers. Still, cats probably therefore never have to endure that annoying experience of having an irritating song play endlessly, over and over and over again inside their head!
If the cats were of a human frame of mind, they might conceive of something like: In the beginning the great cat deity, lets name it Bastet (also spelled Bast, Baast, Ubasti and Baset) after the ancient Egyptian cat goddess, created not only the domestic feline, but all that's part and parcel of their world. In the beginning Bastet created the ever pristine litter box; the ever full food and water bowls, and lots of birds and mice for felines to chase, catch and snack on. That's of course according to the mythology of the cat, if the cat had a human's imagination. Well actually, not. No cat has imagined any self-contained mythology about the origin and evolution of cats. If cats have a worldview mythology outside of the concepts of self and now, then it probably centres on what strange companions humans are. And I'm 99% sure that while such human activities might be fascinating, they are equally incomprehensible.
Translated, whatever mythology our domestic feline companions come up with that explains to their satisfaction their worldview, it will bear little resemblance to actual human activities on behalf of the animal, like the concept of money to pay for the goods and services it receives. The cats have no conception of livestock (slaughtered as pet food), of biological evolution (that provided the birds and mice and the abilities of the cat to chase, catch and snack on them), of the infrastructure that gets them their fresh water (and other goodies) that ends up as the end product in their water bowls, etc.
So while I have no idea what worldview mythology my cats have (and they probably aren't the exact same - each cat's worldview will be in part unique) it's wrong.
However, we can speculate; take scenarios that are part and parcel of their world, natural or otherwise, and try to figure out how they see and interpret things through their eyes.
So what goes through a cat's mind when it's not immediately concerned with me; now - when it's not in immediate need of catering to various biological requirements and functions? The cat is just sitting, wide awake, alert, observing, but what is it thinking? Does it have to be deep in thought at all? Probably not I suspect. In fact, it's more likely as not they are observing just for the sake of observing - always on the lookout for something to chase and eat (that's probably just hardwired into their brain), or for something that might chase and eat them.
I mean my cats are interested in birds; I'm interested in birds too - but for totally different reasons. On the other hand, my cats are interested in a clean litter box, but what goes through their minds when every time they go to the litter box it's pristine, even though it wasn't in that condition a little while back for obvious reasons? Do they associate that 'it wasn't then but now it is pristine' phenomenon with a cat deity or with me or neither? Cat food appears on demand in bowls they eat out of, yet they have no comprehension of the chain of events between manufacture, distribution, the need for money to purchase, transport, open and pour into those bowls that food. So how do they account for the food that somehow magically appears before them? Do they have a food bowl mythology? Or, perhaps it is a phenomena that just is, and they think no more about it than a fish ponders the nature of the water it swims in. For some reason I find it very hard to picture my cats deep in thought wondering about all those whys and wherefores associated with the food they consume.
Well we have some idea what a cat's worldview mythology is (me; now), and isn't (nothing that's abstract) but you, the owner, aren't an abstraction. How do you fit in to your animal's mythology?
Cats must have a field day with respect to inventing a mythology that accounts for the strange habits of those creatures they share their environment with - humans. For example, my cats see me getting dressed every morning - I'm putting on the fur. Since cats don't need to dress, this behaviour must be really weird to them. Ditto making the bed or washing the dishes. The cats must be totally freaked out by my habit of deliberately getting wet via a daily shower or bath. What activity could repulse a cat more than that? Yuck! How do cats explain the dwelling they reside in along with all the stuff it contains? I know where it all comes from, but how do they account for it all? Do they even bother to try to account for it? Part of that all is my personal computer (PC). They see me typing away on this PC but I'm sure they have no comprehension of what this PC device is or why I'm pecking away on it instead of paying attention to them. When I go out of the house, shopping say or off to the club for a few cold beers, do they wonder where and why? Do they worry that I might not come back, because if I don't they will find themselves in a pretty pickle. Or, is the fact I'm away of no interest and no consequence and causes no speculation? Since they don't seem agitated when I leave, I suspect they have no comprehension of the possibility that I might not return, being hit by the proverbial bus instead.
So, do my cats develop a point of view, a worldview mythology to account for birds (a natural part of their environment), litter boxes (not so natural), and PC's (totally unnatural)? I suspect they don't. These things just are and don't require any mythological interpretation to otherwise explain them.
Cats like to lie and stretch out in and soak up the warmth of the Sun. How do they account for sunshine and this warmth since presumably they know nothing of stellar astrophysics, nuclear fusion, photons, etc.? Might it be, if it be at all, that our cats conclude that in the beginning that great cat deity Bastet created the Sun to give pleasure and warmth to them, but, Bastet hides the Sun at regular intervals (at night) so as not to totally spoil us cats? Probably not I suspect. The warmth of the Sun probably just is (like the water is to the fish) - in fact they might not even make the connection between the Sun, sunshine, and the warmth that gives them.
Conclusions & Summary: So what is a domestic cat's worldview mythology? Well, if the cat could speak, it might say something like this: "It's all about me; it's all about now; everything else just is and if it doesn't affect me now, it's not relevant." The more I think about it, the more I draw a parallel between a cat being an eternal toddler (me; now; everything else just is, albeit interesting and worthy of exploring), but at least without the temper tantrums!
*The standing observation or joke is that a dog thinks to itself that 'my human feeds me and plays with me and looks after me, therefore he must be a god'. The cat thinks to itself that 'my human feeds me and plays with me and looks after me, therefore I must be a god!' There's an awful lot of relevance in that observation IMHO.
Science librarian; retired.
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For those of you who have companion animals, or even those of you who have just watched animals at a distance, you may have wondered how those animals view and perhaps even think about life, the universe and everything. That is, each animal must have some sort of personal worldview; a perspective or point of view probably forever beyond our understanding - usually but not always.
I'm picking on cats in this particular case because I've owned cats nearly all my life. This essay could just as easily have been dogs or horses or some other domesticated mammal.
So what are cats? Can we identify with them? Can they identify with us? Well, domesticated cats are playful; curious; adaptable; selfish; they dream; they like variety though they can also be creatures of habit; they can 'think' things through and make decisions; they have a vocal language and a body language; they display emotions; they have memory and therefore somewhat a sense of history; they have the same sensory apparatus as we have; they have their own likes and dislikes whether it be food; a place to sleep, where they want or don't want to be scratched or rubbed or petted; and, in short each cat has their own very unique personality. Cats are certainly very self-centred, perhaps a bit more so than typical adult humans, but certainly akin to human infants and toddlers whose worldview is very self-centred with a near 24/7 gimmie, gimmie, gimmie; I want, I want, I want. Cats, at least those intersecting with humans have a gimmie/I want aspect to them, and like infants/toddlers the 'pester' factor can often reach extremes. In short, cats really seem to be mini albeit furry versions of humans, especially infants/toddlers. But, how close might that version really be?
For starters, and perhaps like all animals, the cat probably has a worldview something akin to it being the centre of things - the be-all-and-end-all - and that the entire environment the cat finds itself in is there to provide for all the cat's requirements. From the domestic cat's point of view, the world owes it a living! How else could the cat view things? One's self perceptions tend to revolve around 'I am the centre of the universe' because you are most intimately bound up in your worldview with yourself and not as intimately with anything else. Therefore, anything else, in a self-centred worldview must be subservient. Of course the cat often finds out the hard way that parts of that external reality have differing opinions. That never seems to shift the cat's worldview however that it is 'top dog'* and deserves all the best that comes its way - which might not be all the 'best' that nature could provide but the cat doesn't know that.
Cats certainly have no comprehension, perhaps like toddlers, of being in the way, underfoot, in danger of being trodden on or sat upon, while helping themselves to whatever piece of household geography suits their fancy. One could conclude from their selfish (from our point of view) behaviour, their worldview must be one of 'supreme being' and 'rank has its privileges', and such a worldview will persist at least until such time as their tail gets stepped on or they get tossed out of the easy chair! They still probably see themselves as supreme beings - it's their worldview of you that's now somewhat changed.
The average head of the household and cat owner is probably somewhat of the opinion or has the rationale that 'I pay the bills, therefore I call the shots and what I say goes'! Cats can probably understand 'head of the household' in that in cat society, as in all animal societies, all cats are not equal - there is a hierarchy and one cat alone will be 'top dog' as it were. But there's nothing in a cat's worldview that corresponds to money or bills or economics or finance. Everything is a free lunch, be it sunshine or the electric/gas/wood heater you, the owner, pay for. Even if the cat goes outside and catches and eats a mouse, it's still as free a lunch as far as the cat is concerned as the food you put in its food bowl. So that bit about 'I'm the boss because I pay the bills' has no meaning or significance to the cat since the concept of 'bills' is foreign.
Cats have no mythology about shopping. The post Xmas sales and weekly specials at the supermarket are alien concepts. So is that nearly supreme abstraction to humans - time. Birthdays are a non-event with no realization when they occur and with no relevance in any event. Ditto all those other special points in time like holidays we humans are obsessed with. Cats don't make a habit of staying up late on New Years Eve. It's of no consequence. Weekends are no different than weekdays.
Equally the cat has apparently no worldview of tomorrow or of the future (though it has a memory of the past). It doesn't save for a rainy day. I've never observed a cat hide away a few of its dry cat food pellets for a future emergency or a midnight snack. A cat is very 'now' oriented. A cat probably has no concept of death, far less an afterlife. I've always tended to have two cats at a time on the theoretical grounds they have companionship when I'm not around. As such, one cat will finally get to go to that great 'litter box in the sky' and as such the surviving cat (for a while at least) will be without its companion feline 'friend'. I've never noticed however any real change in the behaviour of the surviving cat. The demise and removal of the other animal has apparently all the relevance of my tossing an empty can into the recycling bin. Now if I tossed out the cat's favourite easy chair that would probably cause more of a reaction!
It's difficult to teach a cat anything that isn't already hardwired into its little grey cells. I mean you don't tend to have guard cats, seeing-eye cats, or cats that sit up, stop on command at the corner, beg, and play fetch, etc. when their human owners say so. The cat's worldview is quite foreign to such concepts, though there's little difference between a cat's IQ and a dog's IQ. Maybe that's why the saying 'dogs have masters; cats have slaves'!
So those are several significant differences between the worldview mythologies of the cat relative to humans (or even dogs, who, are well known to 'grieve' upon the death of a fellow companion dog or of their owner. If I died, my cat's loyalty would shift quick-smart to the next human who fed it).
I noted above that cats dream and why not. I judge this because often when they are sound asleep I frequently notice their paws and mouths twitching as if in response to something going on inside their head. I assume it's not some abstraction that occupies this assumed dream state. It's probably related to visions of chasing and eating fat mice and plump flightless birds! There's no way of telling for sure, but that's what I suspect. If they dream, they dream practical cat-related things.
I've never gotten the impression that a cat ponders anything at anytime but practical matters that have a direct bearing on it in the here and right now. An obvious example is that any cat always finds itself on the wrong side of a door, and you are expected to correct that state of affairs as often as is necessary - which is very often indeed. No wonder people install cat flaps! Anyway, things like philosophy and religion and the arts and mathematics and anything abstract not only isn't considered and immediately dismissed, the cat probably can't even conceive of such things in order for them to be dismissed as of no relevance to the cat's worldview. There's no creativity in their little grey cells whatever. I very much doubt whether any cat has pondered whether or not it has free will. My cats don't respond to cat art, like the pictures of cats on calendars. Music soothes the savage beast but with one minor exception all my cats have been oblivious to whatever type of music CD I'm playing, be it classical or jazz, country & western or film scores; vocal or instrumental. That one exception is that I once had a cat that would react to whistling within a song that emanated from the speakers. Still, cats probably therefore never have to endure that annoying experience of having an irritating song play endlessly, over and over and over again inside their head!
If the cats were of a human frame of mind, they might conceive of something like: In the beginning the great cat deity, lets name it Bastet (also spelled Bast, Baast, Ubasti and Baset) after the ancient Egyptian cat goddess, created not only the domestic feline, but all that's part and parcel of their world. In the beginning Bastet created the ever pristine litter box; the ever full food and water bowls, and lots of birds and mice for felines to chase, catch and snack on. That's of course according to the mythology of the cat, if the cat had a human's imagination. Well actually, not. No cat has imagined any self-contained mythology about the origin and evolution of cats. If cats have a worldview mythology outside of the concepts of self and now, then it probably centres on what strange companions humans are. And I'm 99% sure that while such human activities might be fascinating, they are equally incomprehensible.
Translated, whatever mythology our domestic feline companions come up with that explains to their satisfaction their worldview, it will bear little resemblance to actual human activities on behalf of the animal, like the concept of money to pay for the goods and services it receives. The cats have no conception of livestock (slaughtered as pet food), of biological evolution (that provided the birds and mice and the abilities of the cat to chase, catch and snack on them), of the infrastructure that gets them their fresh water (and other goodies) that ends up as the end product in their water bowls, etc.
So while I have no idea what worldview mythology my cats have (and they probably aren't the exact same - each cat's worldview will be in part unique) it's wrong.
However, we can speculate; take scenarios that are part and parcel of their world, natural or otherwise, and try to figure out how they see and interpret things through their eyes.
So what goes through a cat's mind when it's not immediately concerned with me; now - when it's not in immediate need of catering to various biological requirements and functions? The cat is just sitting, wide awake, alert, observing, but what is it thinking? Does it have to be deep in thought at all? Probably not I suspect. In fact, it's more likely as not they are observing just for the sake of observing - always on the lookout for something to chase and eat (that's probably just hardwired into their brain), or for something that might chase and eat them.
I mean my cats are interested in birds; I'm interested in birds too - but for totally different reasons. On the other hand, my cats are interested in a clean litter box, but what goes through their minds when every time they go to the litter box it's pristine, even though it wasn't in that condition a little while back for obvious reasons? Do they associate that 'it wasn't then but now it is pristine' phenomenon with a cat deity or with me or neither? Cat food appears on demand in bowls they eat out of, yet they have no comprehension of the chain of events between manufacture, distribution, the need for money to purchase, transport, open and pour into those bowls that food. So how do they account for the food that somehow magically appears before them? Do they have a food bowl mythology? Or, perhaps it is a phenomena that just is, and they think no more about it than a fish ponders the nature of the water it swims in. For some reason I find it very hard to picture my cats deep in thought wondering about all those whys and wherefores associated with the food they consume.
Well we have some idea what a cat's worldview mythology is (me; now), and isn't (nothing that's abstract) but you, the owner, aren't an abstraction. How do you fit in to your animal's mythology?
Cats must have a field day with respect to inventing a mythology that accounts for the strange habits of those creatures they share their environment with - humans. For example, my cats see me getting dressed every morning - I'm putting on the fur. Since cats don't need to dress, this behaviour must be really weird to them. Ditto making the bed or washing the dishes. The cats must be totally freaked out by my habit of deliberately getting wet via a daily shower or bath. What activity could repulse a cat more than that? Yuck! How do cats explain the dwelling they reside in along with all the stuff it contains? I know where it all comes from, but how do they account for it all? Do they even bother to try to account for it? Part of that all is my personal computer (PC). They see me typing away on this PC but I'm sure they have no comprehension of what this PC device is or why I'm pecking away on it instead of paying attention to them. When I go out of the house, shopping say or off to the club for a few cold beers, do they wonder where and why? Do they worry that I might not come back, because if I don't they will find themselves in a pretty pickle. Or, is the fact I'm away of no interest and no consequence and causes no speculation? Since they don't seem agitated when I leave, I suspect they have no comprehension of the possibility that I might not return, being hit by the proverbial bus instead.
So, do my cats develop a point of view, a worldview mythology to account for birds (a natural part of their environment), litter boxes (not so natural), and PC's (totally unnatural)? I suspect they don't. These things just are and don't require any mythological interpretation to otherwise explain them.
Cats like to lie and stretch out in and soak up the warmth of the Sun. How do they account for sunshine and this warmth since presumably they know nothing of stellar astrophysics, nuclear fusion, photons, etc.? Might it be, if it be at all, that our cats conclude that in the beginning that great cat deity Bastet created the Sun to give pleasure and warmth to them, but, Bastet hides the Sun at regular intervals (at night) so as not to totally spoil us cats? Probably not I suspect. The warmth of the Sun probably just is (like the water is to the fish) - in fact they might not even make the connection between the Sun, sunshine, and the warmth that gives them.
Conclusions & Summary: So what is a domestic cat's worldview mythology? Well, if the cat could speak, it might say something like this: "It's all about me; it's all about now; everything else just is and if it doesn't affect me now, it's not relevant." The more I think about it, the more I draw a parallel between a cat being an eternal toddler (me; now; everything else just is, albeit interesting and worthy of exploring), but at least without the temper tantrums!
*The standing observation or joke is that a dog thinks to itself that 'my human feeds me and plays with me and looks after me, therefore he must be a god'. The cat thinks to itself that 'my human feeds me and plays with me and looks after me, therefore I must be a god!' There's an awful lot of relevance in that observation IMHO.
Science librarian; retired.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_Prytz/784091
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6720564
Everything About Cats
INTRODUCTION
The question of whether or not a cat's love is real might seem ridiculous to those who do not own cats. Dogs might claim the title of man's best friend, but everyone who has lived with cats knows they're simply too awesome to want to be friends with. Some might argue, however, that those who own cats apply human characteristics to non-human entities. Well, those who argue that all animals take care of their young ones just because of instinct have obviously not spent time with a cat. This article has helpful information about cats, together with just about everything you might want to know to help you and your precious cat in living together.
BASIC INFO
Communication
Cat communication has many varieties of vocalizations. They consist of mewing, purring, hissing, growling, trilling and grunting. Cats have cat pheromones and a number of specific body languages as well.
Adaptability
Like other felids, cats have a similar anatomy. They are very strong with quick reflexes, flexible bodies, sharp retractable claws, and very sharp teeth that are adapted to killing small prey like mice.
Senses
Hearing Cats are known for having astounding senses. A cat's outer ear flap takes in sound from every direction, which then goes down their ear canals to the eardrum. After the sound vibrates on the eardrum, the middle ear changes the vibration to sound waves and sends them to the cat's cochlea and finally the brain. A cat can hear from twenty hertz up to approximately 65,000 hertz. Since a cat responds more readily to a high pitch than a low pitch, this might be the reason a cat seems to like a woman better with a high-pitched voice. The ears are also assist cats in balance. This is the main reason why cats normally land on their feet when falling.
Seeing The feline eye structure has the cornea, the lens, the retina, the iris, and the tapetum lucidum. The tapetum lucidum is a layer of mirror-like cells that reflect small amount of light, helping a cat to see. This is why a cat only needs 1/6 of the light that a person needs so as to see clearly. Nonetheless, cats cannot see in total darkness. They also have a third eyelid known as the haw to protect their eyes. A cat's pupil is elliptical to help control the quantity of light that enters. In semi-darkness, their pupils dilate and become almost flawlessly round. A cat's pupil can dilate 3 times more than that of a human being.
Smelling A cat relies on its sense of smell to establish its territory, and to know if food's safe to eat. A cat's nose has almost 200 million nerve cells, making its sense of smell fourteen times more sensitive than that of a human. Astonishingly, a cat can remember a certain smell for the rest of its life.
Tasting Although a cat only has 475 taste buds, while humans have 9,000, it has unique papillae to make up for it. Its tongue is covered with numerous small projections that hook downwards, giving it a rough, sand-papery feel. The papilla helps them scrape meat off bones and hold their prey. Cats also have problems tasting salty and sweet food since their taste receptors favor high-fat and high-protein tastes.
Feeling Cats have an average of twenty four whiskers on their face; these hairs very thick and are rooted three times deeper. Whiskers are very sensitive to detect slightest changes in air current. They are also used to see if a cat can fit through a gap. Not only are the whiskers all over a cat's face, but they are also on the back of its front legs. Whiskers are replaced whenever they fall off. A cat's fur has unique sensitive nerve ending that detect a slight touch. Their paws are also very sensitive to touch.
Behavior
Free-ranging cats are lively both day and night, though they tend to be more active at night. The timing of a cats' movement is quite flexible, meaning that house cats can be more active early in the morning and late in the evening (crepuscular behavior). This is due to greater human activity that occurs at these times.
Breeding
Under controlled breeding, cats are easily bred and shown as registered pets, a hobby called cat fancy. Failure to control their breeding by neutering has led to large numbers of feral cats. This has led to extinction of countless bird species.
POPULAR NAMES
Every cat loving person would want to give his/her cat the best name. If you take a look at a number of the most popular cat names, the lists will almost at all times have similar names on them. Nonetheless, the reputation of cat names differs from one nation to another. The ranking of most admired cat names can be easily assessed, from pet insurance registrations to breed registries. The United States' biggest pet insurer, (VPI), releases yearly rankings of their most popular cat names
Top cat names seem to be Max, Tiger, Princess, Shadow and Ginger. These cat names seemed to be constant over the years; they are still on most lists of popular cat names. Shadow, Tiger and Ginger are no brainers; it is pretty self explanatory why somebody would choose these names. Abby and Max, however, are a little less understandable.
Either way, there're quite a few names that will keep resurfacing on the top lists every now and then. Some of the most common cat names recently are Lulu, Misty, Charlie, Dexter, Ma, and Oliver. Perhaps the oldest and the traditional favorite is the name Mitten that's still used today. Today's popular cat names seem to come from culture movies such as Disney films, for instance, Nala, Simba, and Tinkerbell. Some fashionable and fitting cat names are related to their fur coloring like Midnight, Java, Crow, Shadow, Cinder and Ebony for black cats. No matter where the muse comes from, sometimes the names just come to us as if by celestial intervention.
Top 5 Names:
Max Bella Whiskers Chloe Kitty
BEDS
On average, a cat spends 2/3 of the day sleeping. Every cat considers its routine nap a must when it comes to its daily duties. As the individual requirements for each playful feline are different, so are their cat bed preferences.
Whether your cat prefers to nestle in a warm corner or under the sun, nearly all cats prefer warm and comfy places to sleep. From chic luxury cat beds to pyramid-shaped cat beds and pads, there's a large variety of styles obtainable to suit your cat's preference.
When browsing through different styles of cat beds, whether you consider covered beds, heated cat beds or luxury cat beds, remember that your main aim is to choose the type that will offer your cat the comfort and warmth that is just right for it.
CARRIERS AND CRATES
Cat containment and travel is made comfortable, easy, and convenient with the correct cat carriers and crates. There's no doubt that dogs and cats differ from one another in many ways. As every cat fanatic knows, cats just do not seem to share the pleasure their canine counterparts get from vehicle rides, regardless of duration or distance.
Cat carriers are intended to make vehicle rides more bearable for your playful felines, ensuring their comfort and safety. There're also a variety of moveable cat carriers that are obtainable in both soft and high-impact materials.
You should choose one that is easy to clean to help contain yours cats together with their good health during the drive. Offer your cats with safe and moderately trouble-free travel as well as a pleasant travel experience with convenient cat carriers and Crates.
GAMES
Domestic cats, particularly young kittens, are well known for their love of games. Cats engage in play fighting, with one other and with humans as well. This behavior imitates hunting and is important in helping young kittens learn to stalk, capture, and kill their prey. Many games have also been invented for cats.
Top Games
The Crazy Cat This is one of the best games for cats on the Android market. The game is specifically written for you and your cat! CrazyCat HD will certainly amuse both you and your fuzzy friend with pretty animated critters that you control with your phone while your cat runs around your tablet screen.
Friskies Cat Friskies is one of the companies that are excited to feed cats' senses with playful games. The movement, colors, and game-play have been examined and tested for utmost feline fun.
Cat Fishing Cat Fishing is an all-new cat game that's designed particularly for cats. Tap "start" and begin watching your cat play. The more your cat catches, the more difficult the game gets.
Catnip mouse This is a common game among cats. Skillful hunters, Munchkins love this game, but after they finish playing, they desire a warm lap to burrow into and strokes from a tender hand.
TOYS
Most housecats, although they are much safer inside, tend to be underactive and overweight. Cats, like dogs and human beings, benefit from exercises and being active, both mentally & physically. So, you need to get our cat up and moving, and there is no better way to persuade out their natural instinct to stalk and hound prey than charming them with cat toys.
Top Toys
Pounce Pounce is an innovative cat toy that provides the final in interactive play for your cat. It is an electronic mouse that acts like a prey but never stops running.
Dart The dart toy is designed to engage your feline companion in enthusiastic play. It consists of rotating circular laser patterns that your cat stalks and chases for hours.
Twitch Be prepared for pouncing, jumping, chasing, and maybe even the sporadic half-twist somersault. The Twitch is an amazing bouncing feather teaser toy that constantly plays with your cat even if you are away.
Bolt The bolt is an interactive cat toy that plays with your cat, instead of the other way round. It is an automatic laser toy that will have your cat bouncing off the wall.
Why Buy Cat Toys?
They help you build a close relationship with your cat It helps relieve a cat's boredom and stress It is a good way of exercising your cat Cat toys help improve your cat's blood circulation They build muscle tone and prevent/reduce behavioral problems
WHAT MAKES THEM SO AFFECTIONATE?
Socialization The first few days of a kitten's life are vital in helping it feel safe and contented around the people caring for him. Regular handling and comforting words at the kitten's early stage increases the chances of it becoming a loving, well-balanced cat. This is also the perfect time to make sure that it does not associate human hands with play toys. Let it play with toys and set aside your hands for holding.
Genetic Factors Breeding and genetics play a role in your cat's temperament. Of course, your cat does not have to be a pure-bred to be an aristocrat in its manners. A good disposition is not elite to pedigrees, as all loving owners of friendly cross-breeds know. Conversely, some cat breeds are more known for their friendly temperaments. The Bombay cat, for instance, is noted for its affectionate, playful nature on the Cat fanciers' website.
One-On-One It is a case of sticking to the golden rule, catlike style, by treating the cat how you would like to be taken care of if you were them. Study conducted by the University of Vienna reveals that the more attention you allocate to your pet, the more affectionate it will be in return. Of course you already know that by now! The research, based on in-depth interpretation of how owners interact with their revealed that if individuals spend extra time interacting with their pet, it is more likely to remember the compassion and return the favor.
Mother Love Your little cat needs you for warmth, food and shelter and when it curls up on your lap, it's showing its appreciation, mainly after dinner! Food's often used as a token of friendliness, and the way that a cat and a human being relates to food are the same in nature to the interaction seen between human care-givers and pre-verbal infants.
FACTS
Below are amazing facts about cats that you probably never knew;
Can rehydrate by drinking sea water A cat sweats through its paws Produce a similar brain wave pattern like in humans. This means that they can dream Have led to the extinction of several species Ancient Egyptians killed anyone who killed a cat Switzerland legalized eating of cats An infected cat can cause Toxoplasmosis A cat's nose is different from another, just like we humans have different fingerprints The Japanese consider black cats as a sign for good luck Ancient Egyptians used to shave their eyebrows when a cat died An Italian tycoon left over $ 13 million to a cat Recent study shows that owning a cat reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack An adult cat only meows to communicate with humans Korea and Japan have cat cafes for you and your cat to hang out The CIA spent over $ 20 in the 1960s training cats to spy Can die from eating chocolate Every year, almost four million cats are eaten in China as a delicacy Are America's best pets Can swallow their food without chewing Make almost 100 different sounds while dogs can only make 10. Have thirty two muscles controlling their outer ear Cannot taste sweetness Sleep for approximately 70 percent of their lives The longest cat that was ever measured was 1.23 m when fully stretched Tom Broadbridge is is a cat lover and entreprenuer -- for more detailed facts and information please go now to [http://www.catstimes.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tom_Broadbridge/89013
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9086557
The question of whether or not a cat's love is real might seem ridiculous to those who do not own cats. Dogs might claim the title of man's best friend, but everyone who has lived with cats knows they're simply too awesome to want to be friends with. Some might argue, however, that those who own cats apply human characteristics to non-human entities. Well, those who argue that all animals take care of their young ones just because of instinct have obviously not spent time with a cat. This article has helpful information about cats, together with just about everything you might want to know to help you and your precious cat in living together.
BASIC INFO
Communication
Cat communication has many varieties of vocalizations. They consist of mewing, purring, hissing, growling, trilling and grunting. Cats have cat pheromones and a number of specific body languages as well.
Adaptability
Like other felids, cats have a similar anatomy. They are very strong with quick reflexes, flexible bodies, sharp retractable claws, and very sharp teeth that are adapted to killing small prey like mice.
Senses
Hearing Cats are known for having astounding senses. A cat's outer ear flap takes in sound from every direction, which then goes down their ear canals to the eardrum. After the sound vibrates on the eardrum, the middle ear changes the vibration to sound waves and sends them to the cat's cochlea and finally the brain. A cat can hear from twenty hertz up to approximately 65,000 hertz. Since a cat responds more readily to a high pitch than a low pitch, this might be the reason a cat seems to like a woman better with a high-pitched voice. The ears are also assist cats in balance. This is the main reason why cats normally land on their feet when falling.
Seeing The feline eye structure has the cornea, the lens, the retina, the iris, and the tapetum lucidum. The tapetum lucidum is a layer of mirror-like cells that reflect small amount of light, helping a cat to see. This is why a cat only needs 1/6 of the light that a person needs so as to see clearly. Nonetheless, cats cannot see in total darkness. They also have a third eyelid known as the haw to protect their eyes. A cat's pupil is elliptical to help control the quantity of light that enters. In semi-darkness, their pupils dilate and become almost flawlessly round. A cat's pupil can dilate 3 times more than that of a human being.
Smelling A cat relies on its sense of smell to establish its territory, and to know if food's safe to eat. A cat's nose has almost 200 million nerve cells, making its sense of smell fourteen times more sensitive than that of a human. Astonishingly, a cat can remember a certain smell for the rest of its life.
Tasting Although a cat only has 475 taste buds, while humans have 9,000, it has unique papillae to make up for it. Its tongue is covered with numerous small projections that hook downwards, giving it a rough, sand-papery feel. The papilla helps them scrape meat off bones and hold their prey. Cats also have problems tasting salty and sweet food since their taste receptors favor high-fat and high-protein tastes.
Feeling Cats have an average of twenty four whiskers on their face; these hairs very thick and are rooted three times deeper. Whiskers are very sensitive to detect slightest changes in air current. They are also used to see if a cat can fit through a gap. Not only are the whiskers all over a cat's face, but they are also on the back of its front legs. Whiskers are replaced whenever they fall off. A cat's fur has unique sensitive nerve ending that detect a slight touch. Their paws are also very sensitive to touch.
Behavior
Free-ranging cats are lively both day and night, though they tend to be more active at night. The timing of a cats' movement is quite flexible, meaning that house cats can be more active early in the morning and late in the evening (crepuscular behavior). This is due to greater human activity that occurs at these times.
Breeding
Under controlled breeding, cats are easily bred and shown as registered pets, a hobby called cat fancy. Failure to control their breeding by neutering has led to large numbers of feral cats. This has led to extinction of countless bird species.
POPULAR NAMES
Every cat loving person would want to give his/her cat the best name. If you take a look at a number of the most popular cat names, the lists will almost at all times have similar names on them. Nonetheless, the reputation of cat names differs from one nation to another. The ranking of most admired cat names can be easily assessed, from pet insurance registrations to breed registries. The United States' biggest pet insurer, (VPI), releases yearly rankings of their most popular cat names
Top cat names seem to be Max, Tiger, Princess, Shadow and Ginger. These cat names seemed to be constant over the years; they are still on most lists of popular cat names. Shadow, Tiger and Ginger are no brainers; it is pretty self explanatory why somebody would choose these names. Abby and Max, however, are a little less understandable.
Either way, there're quite a few names that will keep resurfacing on the top lists every now and then. Some of the most common cat names recently are Lulu, Misty, Charlie, Dexter, Ma, and Oliver. Perhaps the oldest and the traditional favorite is the name Mitten that's still used today. Today's popular cat names seem to come from culture movies such as Disney films, for instance, Nala, Simba, and Tinkerbell. Some fashionable and fitting cat names are related to their fur coloring like Midnight, Java, Crow, Shadow, Cinder and Ebony for black cats. No matter where the muse comes from, sometimes the names just come to us as if by celestial intervention.
Top 5 Names:
Max Bella Whiskers Chloe Kitty
BEDS
On average, a cat spends 2/3 of the day sleeping. Every cat considers its routine nap a must when it comes to its daily duties. As the individual requirements for each playful feline are different, so are their cat bed preferences.
Whether your cat prefers to nestle in a warm corner or under the sun, nearly all cats prefer warm and comfy places to sleep. From chic luxury cat beds to pyramid-shaped cat beds and pads, there's a large variety of styles obtainable to suit your cat's preference.
When browsing through different styles of cat beds, whether you consider covered beds, heated cat beds or luxury cat beds, remember that your main aim is to choose the type that will offer your cat the comfort and warmth that is just right for it.
CARRIERS AND CRATES
Cat containment and travel is made comfortable, easy, and convenient with the correct cat carriers and crates. There's no doubt that dogs and cats differ from one another in many ways. As every cat fanatic knows, cats just do not seem to share the pleasure their canine counterparts get from vehicle rides, regardless of duration or distance.
Cat carriers are intended to make vehicle rides more bearable for your playful felines, ensuring their comfort and safety. There're also a variety of moveable cat carriers that are obtainable in both soft and high-impact materials.
You should choose one that is easy to clean to help contain yours cats together with their good health during the drive. Offer your cats with safe and moderately trouble-free travel as well as a pleasant travel experience with convenient cat carriers and Crates.
GAMES
Domestic cats, particularly young kittens, are well known for their love of games. Cats engage in play fighting, with one other and with humans as well. This behavior imitates hunting and is important in helping young kittens learn to stalk, capture, and kill their prey. Many games have also been invented for cats.
Top Games
The Crazy Cat This is one of the best games for cats on the Android market. The game is specifically written for you and your cat! CrazyCat HD will certainly amuse both you and your fuzzy friend with pretty animated critters that you control with your phone while your cat runs around your tablet screen.
Friskies Cat Friskies is one of the companies that are excited to feed cats' senses with playful games. The movement, colors, and game-play have been examined and tested for utmost feline fun.
Cat Fishing Cat Fishing is an all-new cat game that's designed particularly for cats. Tap "start" and begin watching your cat play. The more your cat catches, the more difficult the game gets.
Catnip mouse This is a common game among cats. Skillful hunters, Munchkins love this game, but after they finish playing, they desire a warm lap to burrow into and strokes from a tender hand.
TOYS
Most housecats, although they are much safer inside, tend to be underactive and overweight. Cats, like dogs and human beings, benefit from exercises and being active, both mentally & physically. So, you need to get our cat up and moving, and there is no better way to persuade out their natural instinct to stalk and hound prey than charming them with cat toys.
Top Toys
Pounce Pounce is an innovative cat toy that provides the final in interactive play for your cat. It is an electronic mouse that acts like a prey but never stops running.
Dart The dart toy is designed to engage your feline companion in enthusiastic play. It consists of rotating circular laser patterns that your cat stalks and chases for hours.
Twitch Be prepared for pouncing, jumping, chasing, and maybe even the sporadic half-twist somersault. The Twitch is an amazing bouncing feather teaser toy that constantly plays with your cat even if you are away.
Bolt The bolt is an interactive cat toy that plays with your cat, instead of the other way round. It is an automatic laser toy that will have your cat bouncing off the wall.
Why Buy Cat Toys?
They help you build a close relationship with your cat It helps relieve a cat's boredom and stress It is a good way of exercising your cat Cat toys help improve your cat's blood circulation They build muscle tone and prevent/reduce behavioral problems
WHAT MAKES THEM SO AFFECTIONATE?
Socialization The first few days of a kitten's life are vital in helping it feel safe and contented around the people caring for him. Regular handling and comforting words at the kitten's early stage increases the chances of it becoming a loving, well-balanced cat. This is also the perfect time to make sure that it does not associate human hands with play toys. Let it play with toys and set aside your hands for holding.
Genetic Factors Breeding and genetics play a role in your cat's temperament. Of course, your cat does not have to be a pure-bred to be an aristocrat in its manners. A good disposition is not elite to pedigrees, as all loving owners of friendly cross-breeds know. Conversely, some cat breeds are more known for their friendly temperaments. The Bombay cat, for instance, is noted for its affectionate, playful nature on the Cat fanciers' website.
One-On-One It is a case of sticking to the golden rule, catlike style, by treating the cat how you would like to be taken care of if you were them. Study conducted by the University of Vienna reveals that the more attention you allocate to your pet, the more affectionate it will be in return. Of course you already know that by now! The research, based on in-depth interpretation of how owners interact with their revealed that if individuals spend extra time interacting with their pet, it is more likely to remember the compassion and return the favor.
Mother Love Your little cat needs you for warmth, food and shelter and when it curls up on your lap, it's showing its appreciation, mainly after dinner! Food's often used as a token of friendliness, and the way that a cat and a human being relates to food are the same in nature to the interaction seen between human care-givers and pre-verbal infants.
FACTS
Below are amazing facts about cats that you probably never knew;
Can rehydrate by drinking sea water A cat sweats through its paws Produce a similar brain wave pattern like in humans. This means that they can dream Have led to the extinction of several species Ancient Egyptians killed anyone who killed a cat Switzerland legalized eating of cats An infected cat can cause Toxoplasmosis A cat's nose is different from another, just like we humans have different fingerprints The Japanese consider black cats as a sign for good luck Ancient Egyptians used to shave their eyebrows when a cat died An Italian tycoon left over $ 13 million to a cat Recent study shows that owning a cat reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack An adult cat only meows to communicate with humans Korea and Japan have cat cafes for you and your cat to hang out The CIA spent over $ 20 in the 1960s training cats to spy Can die from eating chocolate Every year, almost four million cats are eaten in China as a delicacy Are America's best pets Can swallow their food without chewing Make almost 100 different sounds while dogs can only make 10. Have thirty two muscles controlling their outer ear Cannot taste sweetness Sleep for approximately 70 percent of their lives The longest cat that was ever measured was 1.23 m when fully stretched Tom Broadbridge is is a cat lover and entreprenuer -- for more detailed facts and information please go now to [http://www.catstimes.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tom_Broadbridge/89013
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9086557
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