Cats – An Overview
Cats have been human companions since time immemorial.
Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and other archeological surveys
indicate the presence of feline creatures. Cats have a natural
instinct to predate rodents and similar vermin that harm
human life. Therefore, cats have become an intrinsic part of
human life since the early ages.
Domestic cats are descendants of a group of self-
domesticating desert wildcats, Felis silvestris lybica circa.
Normally cats weigh between five-and-half and sixteen pounds
with a few species weighing up to fifty pounds. Some species
of cats weigh as little as four pounds.
Cats are carnivorous animals. They do not like fruits, grains,
or vegetables. They have a digestive tract that suits meat
digestion the best. Molar and premolar teeth on each side of
the mouth can tear meat. Their tongue has sharp spines that
help in ripping flesh from the skin of a carcass.
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intolerant and therefore it is best to feed them lactose-free
milk.
Cats can be fussy eaters. They sometimes will refrain from
eating their favorite food.
Domestic cats cannot change their inborn instinct to hunt
animals. They could kill small birds, insects and animals like
rats, mice, cockroaches, scorpions, grasshoppers, and others.
Cats can eat prepared foods. They will like foods that you eat,
rich in fats and proteins but these may not improve their well-
being. Domesticated cats at times grow obese by eating rich
foods. It is therefore essential for cats to have regular
exercise.
Cats have a special gait, similar to camels and giraffes. They
move in an unusual way with both legs moving in one
direction and thereafter both legs moving in another direction.
The breed of a cat decides its temperament. Oriental body
types of cats are normally thin and more active while the body
type of heavier and less active cats is much different.
Cats have sharp sight at night, although daytime vision is not
so sharp. They have a keen sense of hearing and can hear
high-pitched sounds clearer than us. Their sense of smell is
fourteen times more sensitive than humans. They are more
sensitive to touch.
Cats sleep more than most animals with an average of
thirteen to fourteen hours of sleep each day. Some cats can
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also sleep for twenty hours in a day. Normal body temperature
of a cat is between 101 and 102.2°F. The range of normal
heartbeat is between 140 to 220 beats per minute. This could
increase due to excitement.
Cats are not pack animals. They prefer being on their own.
They like to fend for their food themselves. Nevertheless, cats
have grown a social relationship with humans. They can adapt
to humans easily. They make different sounds while
communicating with humans. These are different from sounds
they use to communicate with other animals.
Cats have an inherent liking for high places, probably for a
better survey of its territory. They can land on their prey
stealthily. Cats are playful creatures, especially kittens. They love playing with dangling pieces of string or yarn. However,
ingestion of string could cause serious problems.
Cats have a low rate of detoxification. Therefore, they develop
frequent problems due to exposure to normally safe
substances. Cats do not have the necessary enzymes to tackle
and deal with such toxic substances. Simple human foods like
chocolate, garlic, and onions can cause upsets in cats.
Female cats can have various fertility periods within a single
period of heat. This heat period could last between four to
seven days, sometimes extending longer. A female could mate
with different males during a heat period.
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Normal gestation period for cats is 63 to 65 days. Litters could have three to five kittens. Female cats reach sexual maturity
within four to ten months while males reach maturity within
five to seven months. It is possible to spay cats as early as six to eight weeks. This restricts unwanted reproduction and other
sex-related behavior.
Cats have a long life. Domesticated cats can live for fourteen
to twenty years. Cats can survive high falls, which could prove
fatal to other animals. People perceive cats to have nine lives.
This is due to their ability to survive accidents and live long
lives.
Cats are clean animals. They regularly lick their fur with their saliva that contains a powerful cleaning agent, which could
cause allergic reactions in some humans.
There are more than thirty to forty breeds of cats with many
new breeds developing regularly. There are many different
varieties of cats with different color combinations. Cat coat
genetics produce different coat patterns.
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