CAT

:This article is about the domestic cat. For alternative meanings see cat (disambiguation).

Domestication

Like some other domesticated animals, cats live in a mutualistic arrangement with humans. Cats, however, have done so for a much shorter time than almost all other domesticated animals, and the degree of domestication of cats is somewhat disputed. Since the benefit of removing rats and mice from humans' food stores outweighed the cost of allowing a formerly wild animal to enjoy the relative safety of a human settlement, the relationship between cat and human flourished. Unlike the dog, which also kills rodents, the cat did not eat grains, fruits, or vegetables. A Cat that is good at hunting rodents is refered to as a mouser.

Related Topics:
Mutualistic - Rat - Mice - Mouser

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The venerable simile, "like herding cats" refers to the seeming intractability of the ordinary house cat to be trained in the manner of the dog. Despite occasional cohabitation in colonies, cats are lone hunters. It is no coincidence that cats are also "clean" animals, the chemistry of their saliva, expended in frequent grooming, acting as a natural deodorant. The "purpose" of this cleanliness is to help hide the cat's presence while stalking prey. A dog's odor, on the other hand, is an advantage, for a dog is a pack hunter; part of the pack stations itself upwind, and its odor drives prey towards the rest of the pack stationed downwind. This requires a cooperative effort, which in turn requires communications skills. No such communications skills are required of the lone hunter. Thus, communicating with such an animal is problematic, and cats in particular are labelled as opaque or inscrutable, if not obtuse, as well as aloof and self-sufficient. However, cats can be very affectionate towards their humans, especially if they imprint on them at a very young age and are treated with consistent affection.

Related Topics:
Dog - Imprint

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Human attitudes toward cats vary widely. Some humans keep cats for companionship as pets. Some people (known as cat lovers) go to great lengths to pamper their cats, sometimes treating them almost as if they were children. When a cat bonds with its human owner, at times, the cat may display behaviors similar to that of the human. Such behavior may include a trip to the litter box before bedtime and snuggling up close to its companion in bed or on the sofa. Other behaviors could include mimicking sounds of the owner or using certain sounds the cat picks up from the human; sounds representing specific needs of the cat which the owner would recognize. The cat may also be capable of learning to communicate with the human using non-spoken language or body language such as rubbing for affection (confirmation), facial expressions and making eye-contact with the owner if something needs to be addressed (e.g. finding a bug crawling on the floor for the owner to get rid of).

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Allergies to cat dander are one of the most common reasons people cite for disliking cats. However, in some instances, humans find the rewards of cat companionship outweigh the discomfort and problems associated with allergies. Many chose to cope with cat allergies by taking perscription allergy medicine and bathing their cats frequently, since weekly bathing will eliminate about 90% of the cat dander present in the environment.

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In urban areas, some people find feral and free roaming pet cats annoying and intrusive. Unaltered animals can engage in persistent nighttime calling, defecation or "marking" on private property. Indoor confinement of pets and TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) programs for ferals can help in this situation.

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In rural areas, farms often have dozens of semi-feral cats. Hunting in the barns and the fields, they kill and eat rodents that would otherwise spoil large parts of the grain crop. Many pet cats successfully hunt and kill rabbits, rodents, birds, lizards, frogs, fish, and large insects by instinct, but might not eat their prey. They may even present such victims, dead or maimed, to a beloved owner, perhaps expecting their owner to praise or reward them, or possibly even complete the kill and eat the mouse.

Related Topics:
Rabbit - Rodents - Bird - Lizard - Frog - Fish - Insect - Instinct

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Despite its reputation as a solitary animal, the domestic cat is social enough to form colonies, but does not attack in groups as do lions. Some breeds like bengal, ocicat and manx are very social, but these breeds are exceptions. While each cat holds a distinct territory (sexually active males having the largest territories and neutered cats having the smallest) there are "neutral" areas where cats watch and greet one another without territorial conflict or aggression. Outside of these neutral areas, territory holders usually vigorously chase away strangers, at first by staring, hissing, and growling, and if that doesn't work by short but noisy and violent attacks. Fighting cats make themselves look larger by raising their fur and arching their backs. Attacks usually comprise powerful slaps to the face and body with the forepaws as well as bites, but serious damage is rarely done, and usually the loser runs away with little more than a few scratches to the face. Sexually active males may be engaged in many fights over their lives and often have decidedly weathered faces with obvious scars and cuts to the ears and nose. It is not just males that fight; females will also fight over territory or to defend their kittens and even neutered cats will defend their small territories vigorously.

Related Topics:
Colonies - Lion - Bengal - Ocicat - Manx - Fighting cats

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Feral cats

Feral cats may live alone, but most are found in large groups called feral colonies with communal nurseries, depending on resource availability. Many lost or abandoned pet cats join these colonies out of desperation. The average lifespan of these feral cats is much shorter than a domestic housecat, which can live an average of sixteen years or more. Urban areas are not native environments to the cat; most domestic cats evolved from cats in desert climates and were distributed throughout the world by humans, but some feral cat colonies are found in large cities, for example, around the Colosseum and Forum Romanum in Rome. Although cats are fairly adaptable, feral felines are unable to thrive in extreme cold and heat, and with a protein requirement of about 90%, few find adequate nutrition on their own in cities. In addition, they have little defense or understanding of the dangers from dogs, coyotes, and even automobiles. However, there are thousands of volunteers and organizations that trap these unadoptable feral felines, spay or neuter them, immunize the cats against rabies and feline leukemia, and treat them with long-lasting flea products. Before release back into their feral colonies, the attending veterinarian nips the tip off one ear to mark the feral as spayed/neutered and inoculated, as these cats will more than likely find themselves trapped again. Volunteers continue to feed and give care to these cats throughout their lives, and not only is their lifespan greatly increased, but behavior and nuisance problems, due to competition for food, are also greatly reduced. In time, if an entire colony is successfully spayed and neutered, no additional kittens are born and the feral colony disappears. Many hope to see an end to urban feral cat colonies through these efforts.

Related Topics:
Feral cat - Feral colonies - Colosseum - Forum Romanum - Rome - Coyote - Automobile - Spay - Neuter - Immunize - Feline leukemia - Flea

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Environmental effects

Some environmentalists claim that the domestication of cats is harmful to the environment or ecosystems, and that excessive cat populations result in the overhunting of many small animals and birds in both urban and rural areas, possibly disrupting the food chain and limiting local species' populations. This is clearly true in environments where cats did not exist and were imported, such as Australia and New Zealand, where feral cats now kill native bird species and damage natural flora.

Related Topics:
Environmentalist - Environment - Ecosystem - Urban - Rural - Food chain - Australia - New Zealand

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Throughout the centuries, as humans took advantage of the domestic cat's hunting skills, few had regard for their habitat and care, and far fewer thought to practice good animal husbandry. This created many pockets of excessive populations and local imbalances. However, with intervention and management, most especially spay and neuter programs, the disruptions and chaos in both the feline's life cycle and its prey can easily be avoided, and the positive effects these small and vital predators have in the appropriate environments can be observed and appreciated.

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