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House cat
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CAT, DOMESTIC,
small, mainly carnivorous animal, Felis catus, member
of the family Felidae, popular as a household pet, and valuable
for killing mice and rats. Like other members of the family, the
domestic cat has retractile claws; keen hearing and smell; remarkable
night vision; and a compact, muscular, and highly supple body. About
36 varieties, or breeds, of F. catus are recognized
internationally; they are divided into two main groups, the short-haired
and the long-haired cats. As a household pet the cat is second in
popularity only to the dog. Affectionate but reserved, the cat is
more independent than the dog, possesses an excellent memory, and
exhibits considerable aptitude for learning by observation and experience.
Its homing instinct is proverbial, as is its cleanliness. The life
span of the cat is about 15 years. The gestation period is about
63 days, and the litter averages from two to five offspring. Kittens
begin to be weaned about eight weeks after birth.
Most authorities believe that the short-haired breeds are
derived from the Caffre cat, F. libyca, a species
of African wildcat domesticated by the ancient Egyptians perhaps
as early as 2500 bc and transported by the Crusaders to
Europe, where it interbred with the indigenous smaller wildcats. According
to some authorities, the long-haired breeds may have sprung from
the Asian wildcat, F. manul.
Over the centuries cats have remained virtually the same in
size, weighing approximately 3.6 kg (about 8 lb) when full-grown,
and have preserved their instinct for solitary hunting. Tabby markings
(either stripes or blotches) that occur frequently in all breeds
and even appear underlying solid-colored coats are also believed to
be descended from remote ancestors.
The first long-haired cats in Europe were seen in the 16th
century. Often popularly called Persian or Angora cats, they have
been specially bred to produce several other breeds and color varieties
for about the past hundred years. Today these are the most popular
in the cat fancy (a term referring to the breeding and judging of
pedigreed cats). Included among the longhairs are the BALINESE,
a mutation of the short-haired Siamese; the BIRMAN, the sacred cat
of Burma; the JAVANESE; the MAINE COON CAT; the NORWEGIAN FOREST
CAT; the PERSIAN; the RAGDOLL; the SOMALI; the TURKISH ANGORA; and
the TURKISH VAN, (qq.v.)
Short-haired cats, a larger category, include the ABYSSINIAN,
AMERICAN SHORTHAIR, AMERICAN WIREHAIR, BOMBAY, BRITISH SHORTHAIR,
BURMESE, CHARTREUX, COLORPOINT SHORTHAIR, CORNISH REX, DEVON REX,
EGYPTIAN MAU, EUROPEAN BURMESE, EXOTIC, HAVANA BROWN, KORAT, OCICAT,
RUSSIAN BLUE, SINGAPURA, TONKINESE, and the most popular of all
shorthair breeds, the SIAMESE, (qq.v.). Hairless cats, a breed known
as the sphynx, are rarely seen; they are said to have been treasured
pets of the Aztecs but are not recognized by cat associations.
A few breeds have both shorthair and longhair varieties, such
as the AMERICAN CURL, JAPANESE BOBTAIL, MANX, ORIENTAL, SCOTTISH
FOLD, and SELKIRK REX, (qq.v.). Genetic mutations perpetuated by selective
breeding have produced such variants as the tailless Manx, the Scottish
fold with its ears carried close to the head, and the Rex with its
kinky coat and curled whiskers.
Cats are known for their ability to fend for themselves in
the wild, but household pets, dependent on human beings for care
and feeding, require considerable attention. Educational materials
on the care of cats and responsible cat ownership are usually available
through local humane societies.
Regular checkups for cats by a veterinarian should be the
first consideration of cat owners. Diseases contracted by cats include
pneumonia, RABIES, skin ailments, worms, and feline enteritis.
The last named, a highly contagious, often fatal disease, is now
controlled by inoculations that are started while kittens are being
weaned.
In addition to veterinary supervision, domestic cats require
general attention from their owners. A balanced daily diet, such
as provided by commercial cat foods, and a regular supply of fresh
water are essential for good health and longevity. Regular cleaning
of litter pans is also necessary for the animals’ comfort
and health. Cats’ nails need frequent trimming; to prevent
damage to furniture, animals that live indoors without access to
trees should be provided with a scratching post. Cats also use trees
to rub out dead hair from their coats; if they are allowed to lick
themselves clean, especially during the semiannual shedding periods,
hairballs may form in their stomachs. Indoor cats must therefore
be brushed and combed a few times each week.
Fresh air and exercise are also necessary for domestic cats.
Cats that do not get outdoors on their own should be leash-trained
at an early age. Car training, in a protective carrying case or
crate, is recommended for cats traveling with the family. Outdoor
cats must be protected from traffic, poisoning, and injury from other
animals.
Every year hundreds of thousands of unwanted cats and kittens
are destroyed because homes cannot be found for them. Cats that
have not been altered (that is, surgically treated to make them
incapable of breeding) should not be allowed outdoors unless confined
to an enclosure.
The showing of pedigreed cats requires considerable time and
expense; judging calls for much knowledge and experience. Purebred
cats are judged according to requirements for size, color, and conformation contained
in a standard of perfection for each breed set by various cat associations
that monitor cat clubs and shows.
An ever-increasing number of local, regional, and national
cat shows are held throughout the year in the U.S., with hundreds
of cats competing for awards and best-of-breed and best-of-show
titles.
At present in the U.S. about six cat associations select cat
show judges, schedule shows, and register pedigreed cats and kittens.
These associations also award championships and ensure correct show
procedures. The largest of these groups is the Cat Fanciers’ Association,
Inc., with headquarters in Manasquan, N.J.; as many as 80,000 animals
are registered each year. Cat clubs and breeders choose which association
they wish to join and by whose breed standards and rules they wish
to abide.
Cats have figured in the history of all nations, are the subject
of much superstition and legend, and are a favorite subject of artists
and writers.
Because of their extraordinary ability to keep down the rodent population
in the grain fields along the Nile, cats became objects of worship
when Egypt was known as the granary of the world. The Egyptian cat
goddess Bast, or Bastet, depicted as having the body of a woman
and the head of a cat, was the goddess of love and fertility as
well. Egyptian cats were also used for sport by their owners. Attached
to leashes, these animals hunted birds for the family table; a boomerang
flung by the master brought the birds down and the cats, unleashed,
would retrieve them. Because they were economically useful and were
believed to ensure many children for a family, cats were so revered
that they were mummified and buried either with their owners or
in special cemeteries.
Despite Egyptian laws that forbade the removal of the sacred
cats, Phoenician sailors smuggled them out of the country. Cats
were traded along with other treasure from the Middle East and in
antiquity could be found throughout the Mediterranean area. Archaeological
evidence indicates that the Romans were the first to bring cats
to the British Isles.
The value of cats as predators was recognized and appreciated
in Europe in the middle of the 14th century, when the rat-borne
Black Death, or plague, struck. Generally, however, during the Middle
Ages cats were feared and hated. Because of their nocturnal habits,
they were believed to consort with the devil. This association with
witchcraft has been responsible for untold cruelties to cats down
through the centuries. The Renaissance was, in contrast, the golden
age for cats. Almost everyone had one, from members of royal families
and their staffs to the peasantry.
The first domestic felines to arrive in North America were
those that came over with the colonists and were employed to keep
the rodent population under control in the settlers’ fields,
barns, and homes. Cats are said to have played an important part
in keeping rats out of the California gold mines.
While cats served many practical purposes in Europe and America,
in countries such as Siam and China they continued to be worshiped
as deities. In India, although not worshiped, cats often played
an important part in religious or occult ceremonies. In South America
the Incas revered sacred cats, representations of which can be seen
in pre-Columbian Peruvian artifacts.
The earliest representations of the domestic cat were Egyptian
tomb paintings and sculpture. By the 5th century bc images
of cats appeared on Greek coins, and later they were depicted in
Roman mosaics and paintings and on earthenware, coins, and shields.
The 8th-century Irish manuscript of the Gospels, the Book
of Kells, has a representation of cats and kittens in one
of its illuminations. Later artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci and
his German contemporary Albrecht Dürer, are among the many
who included cats in their works.
Although the Old Testament makes no mention of cats, the Babylonian
Talmud tells of their admirable qualities and encourages the breeding
of cats “to help keep the houses clean.” Memorable
literary cats include the British writer Rudyard Kipling’s “Cat
That Walked by Himself” (one of the Just So Stories
for Little Children, 1902), the delightful cats of Old
Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939) by the
British poet T. S. Eliot, and the Cheshire Cat, joint creation of
the English writer Lewis Carroll and the illustrator Sir John Tenniel
in the children’s classic Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland (1865). In addition to the classics, comic-strip
and animated-cartoon cats continue to delight ailurophiles (lovers
of cats) of all ages.