The truth about cats

Cats have more secrets than humans will ever know.

Via noob.us

the truth about cats

From The Guardian

Only in it for the biscuits


Paul MacInnes
guardian.co.uk
Friday 29 May 2009 18.30 BST

Changes are afoot in the field of cat studies or, to use the technical term, apaw. New research into quite how cats went from being wild to apparently domesticated has shed greater light on the loving gaze shared each morning by pet and owner over a bowl of reconstituted meat.

An article in the latest Scientific American looks again at the history of feline domestication. It has long been held that cats were first tamed in ancient Egypt some 3,600 years ago. Thanks, however, to the discovery of a cat-shaped corpse buried some 9,500 years ago alongside their human associate in a shallow grave in Cyprus, the game has been changed. The new thinking is that wildcats of the type Felis silvestris lybica began to dwell alongside humans as farming developed in the fertile crescent of the Levant. Wildcats were tempted into human settlements by the prospects of scraps and, crucially, a ready supply of Mus musculus domesticus, aka the house mouse, an ancient Jerry to their pre-classical Tom.

In other words, we didn't domesticate cats, they domesticated themselves. The animal was not tamed by the human, it looked the human up and down, liked what it saw and decided it would put on its cutest expression and pretend to be friends – a small price to pay for a high-mouse diet.

Cat owners reading, this, perhaps with Tango or Whiskey (or both) sitting nonchalantly on top of their paper, may not be overly surprised to learn of these zoological developments. Unlike obliging, loving, slavering dogs, cats can often give the distinct impression of only being in it for the tuna-flavoured biscuits. The fact that this might be a habit established over millennia only proves the consistency of their interests.

That said, the postulations of the academics ought to give those same owners pause for thought. For every moment of insistent miaowing for meat, there is also the soft purring your cat emits while it submits willingly to your caress, seemingly because it likes it. It is all too easy for humans to imagine a sophisticated relationship between themselves and their familiar. As opposed, say, to it being just an extended period of transactions designed to guarantee the continued delivery of Whiskas.

Anthropomorphism is sometimes decried by ecologists who would prefer it if attempts to preserve endangered species were more evenly spread, rather than concentrated on creatures who look like they'd make nice company at a dinner party. Polar bears are perceived as cute and friendly, despite their penchant for bloody destruction, while snakes are devious and ruthless despite donating upwards of 30% of their income to charity (or so I was told by a snake oil salesman). This tendency applies tenfold to our domestic animals, despite the fact that we have not even the slightest clue as to their actual thoughts and feelings.

It seems that now might be the time to revise downwards our expectations of cats. To continue to imagine, as I have done myself, that a cat actually loves you may only lead to heartbreak when the next study comes out revealing that, far from having an emotional bond with his human host, Felix has in fact conducted due diligence on his owner before deigning to move in.

When it comes to cats, humans aren't owners and MacInnes is correct in using the almost correct term of host. Cats don't need people to provide for their needs, but make the choice to do so. And we end up being their slaves.

I wonder if cats go around talking to other felines about their slaves. Perhaps their term is 'provider'.

our furry families

Ruth Ostrow writes a very good column in The Australian's Weekend Australian Magazine. I really like this article she wrote about pets.

Give pets a chance

Ruth Ostrow | May 03, 2008

I WAS feeling worried the other evening. Someone close to me was having an operation and I couldn't eat. About 6 o'clock my two cats came in for dinner, as they always do.

But instead of going to their bowls they came over to where I was sitting by the TV and refused to move. I carried them over to their food. One sniffed and walked away; the other had a few mouthfuls and left the rest. They both returned to the couch and sat by me.

Later the call that I was waiting for came through. All was well. I went and made myself a sandwich. The cats followed and hungrily finished their food.

A vet confirmed this was not magic. It’s the intuition shared between master and pet. A wonderful, unconscious connection whereby the animal senses pain, sadness or anxiety and reacts accordingly. I once witnessed the loyalty of a dog who sensed his master was soon to die, and sat at the foot of the bed whimpering before an operation that did, indeed, lead to the man’s death.

Pets can vibe into us, but also seem to exert a wonderful, unseen power over us. American Heart Association research has found that a 12-minute visit with man’s best friend helps heart and lung function by lowering blood pressure, diminishing the release of harmful hormones and decreasing anxiety among hospitalised heart-failure patients. Animal-assisted therapy is now being used by a wide range of health professionals and correctional facilities.

However, despite the powerful cross-pollination between pet and owner, I was shocked to hear that my friend was not able to pet-sit in his own home due to the body corporate’s rules. And I was surprised to find myself discriminated against recently when trying to rent, due to an archaic no-pets policy. For many families there’s a brutal choice to be made in this rental crisis: a home or the family dog.

I get particularly angry at the constant letters I receive from people who question animal rights, such as a recent Modern Dilemma from someone who didn’t think the hospital MRI machine should be used after-hours on animals.

In stark contrast, Japanese companies have begun giving employees a monthly “family allowance” for their pets. With the trend to living alone on the increase, pets are the new children in some countries. Let’s adjust our thinking to acknowledge their value in this lonely modern world.

ostrowr@theaustralian.com.au

I don't like to use the word pet, but prefer four-legged companions, indeed furry family members. Even though they are dependent upon people, especially for food, we also depend on them.

Fatty and Keiser were the best cats. Fatty was particularly attached to me and followed me around like a dog, which was very unfeline behaviour. Keiser loved people and was very much a lap cat. Everybody who met them thought they were the best cats. I could never replace them.

Kane is the best dog and great company. Check out his blog.

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I meant to clean the house but spent most of the day resting on the couch, catching up on the latest episodes of Smallville, Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica, as well as an afternoon nap. Ah, there's nothing like a good veg.

Surfing cat makes waves

From the Daily Telegraph (UK) of 5 February 2008.

Peruvian surfing cat is making waves

By Tom Chivers
Last Updated: 1:55am GMT 05/02/2008

Sporting animals are nothing new - horseracing, polo and other equestrian classics notwithstanding, recent years have seen YouTube's famous skateboarding dog and a sports-mad pigeon trying a little too hard to get involved in baseball.

A surfing cat, however, is something different.



Domingo Pianezzi, of Lima, Peru, believes that his small cat Nicolasa enjoys catching tubes almost as much as catching mice.



This unexpected feline pastime was apparently discovered when Domingo took Nicolasa to Lima's San Bartolo beach and the young moggy leapt on board.



While the popular myth may have it that cats can't stand water, Nicolasa seems quite content on the open waves.



It has even been suggested by some commentators that she might have what it takes to turn pro - after all, her technique here is excellent, "hanging ten" with all claws hooked round the edge of the board.



However, an alternative theory might be that, since once she is out on the water the only dry place is on top of the surfboard, Nicolasa is not so much surfing as hanging on like grim death.



After all, even given the most charitable interpretation of this photo, most observers would be hard-pressed to say that she looks like she's enjoying herself.

And 'news' footage

From AP


From AP/CNN (clearer)


From NTDTV (with commentary and interviews)


Keiser would have liked this story, although she would have claimed it was a story about 'cat water torture'.

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I'm so glad the work week is over; it has been extremely busy.

I'm still watching episodes of Angel.

Police Constable Tizer, Chief Mouser

From BBC News (16 November 2007)

Cat recruited to patrol station


Pc Tizer is said to be a valuable member of the team

Police at a north London railway station have got mice running scared - after recruiting a 13-year-old cat.

Tizer was adopted by British Transport Police (BTP) from the Cats Protection charity in September and inducted into the force as an honorary constable.

In his role as the Chief Mouser Pc Tizer walks around King's Cross rail station to keep it rodent-free.

An "essential member" of the team, he has unfettered access to all areas and shares an office with a senior officer.

'Playing fetch'

Insp Roy Sloane, who enlisted the tabby, said: "Pc Tizer is already an essential member of the team.

"Since we got him we haven't seen any mice in the building at all... Prior to his arrival we were spending a fortune on pest control and it wasn't really working."

Insp Sloane said he visited the charity's adoption centre in north London with the aim of finding a cat to clean up the station's rodent problem.

He met Tizer, who arrived at the centre in August after his owner died.

Insp Sloane, who shares his office with Pc Tizer, added that his feline colleague helps other officers "de-stress" and has given a boost to the force's morale.

"Everyone is always asking after him, and he is probably the most popular member of staff," he said.

Cats Protection Adoption Centre acting deputy manager Alex Davies said: "He loves being around people, and likes nothing more than playing fetch with his toy spider."

Keiser would have loved this story.

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Kane2 would probably also enjoy working at a police station... but he would be ignoring the mice... and the criminals.

a bus riding cat

From the UK

Mystery cat takes regular bus to the shops
Last updated at 17:08pm on 9th April 2007

Bus drivers have nicknamed a white cat Macavity after it has started using the No 331 several mornings a week.

The feline, which has a purple collar, gets onto the busy Walsall to Wolverhampton bus at the same stop most mornings - he then jumps off at the next stop 400m down the road, near a fish and chip shop.


The cat, nicknamed Macavity, has one blue eye and one green eye

The cat was nicknamed Macavity after the mystery cat in T.S Elliot's poem. He gets on the bus in front of a row of 1950s semi-detached houses and jumps off at a row of shops down the road which include a fish and chip shop.

Driver Bill Khunkhun, 49, who first saw the cat jumping from the bus in January, said: "It is really odd, the first time I saw the cat jumping off the bus with a group of passengers. I hadn't seen it get on which was a bit confusing.

"The next day I pulled up on Churchill Road to let a couple of passengers on. As soon as I opened the doors the cat ran towards the bus, jumped on and ran under one of the seats, I don't think any of the passengers noticed.

"Because I had seen it jump off the day before I carried on driving and sure enough when I stopped just down the road he jumped off - I don't know why he would catch the bus but he seems to like it. I told some of the other drivers on this route and they have seen him too."

Since January, when the cat first caught the bus he has done it two or three times a week and always gets on and off at the same stops.

Passenger, Paul Brennan, 19, who catches the 331 to work, said: "I first noticed the cat a few weeks ago. At first I thought it had been accompanied by its owner but after the first stop it became quite clear he was on his own.

"He sat at the front of the bus, waited patiently for the next stop and then got off. It was was quite strange at first but now it just seems normal. I suppose he is the perfect passenger really - he sits quietly, minds his own business and then gets off."

Keiser would have loved this story.

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Wasn't feeling too well at work, but stayed there all day as there were a few things to complete and meetings to attend.

Tonight, Emily came over and I made a roast pork belly for dinner. We also caught up on some more of Prison Break.