INTERESTING AND JUST FOR FUN

     In my search for information to put on the blog I have found a great many resources, thanks to the internet and local King County Public Library.
    My own two cats, one nearly sixteen and one thirteen have been affectionate additions to the lives of myself and my family. I experience daily the tail affection and communication mentioned by the author in his post. My cats after a rub against a leg and tail carress will stand with one back foot on my foot. Please enjoy the U-Tube video at the end of this post.

     Books I picked up at the library provided additional information as well as enchanting pictures, they included:
101 Cataclysms for the Love of Cats by Rachel Hale (a beautifully done photo essay with captions and quotes.

Cats 24/7 from the creators of The New York Times best-selling America 24/7 Rick smolan and David Cohen  (A photographic book that celebrates the wide world of cats, in more that 500 superb photographs taken by amateurs and professionals.

The following is just a fun and enjoyable video complete with music!

Cat’s Tail  by Michael  (London, UK)

I’d like to discuss one function of the cat’s tail that I am yet to see mentioned on any webpage or in any book. The tail has many functions. It is well known as a means of communication. I won’t cover this in too much detail because they are largely known but I do see some misconceptions even on the best websites. For example, the tail swishing from side to side is described as signalling anger. This may be the case but not always. Often it is a sign of acute mental conflict and we can see it happen in a cat that is on open manicured ground trying to do the impossible and hunt when there is no cover.
The relatively sterile human environment has resulted in the outdoor cat’s natural instinct to hunt to be a source of frustration resulting in emotional turmoil. The conflicting desires are (a) to stay still but on open ground this is wrong and (b) to attack prey, which once again is wrong and will not result in success because the cat is exposed and too far from the prey.
Another use of the tail is for scent exchange. We know that head butting, flank rubbing is scent exchange and scent sharing is a way for our cat companion to feel more at home. The scent glands are at the base of the tail.
Yet the behaviour I would like to talk about is the action of a cat’s tail when it is used to touch and feel objects. When, in short, it is used in the same way as our hands.
There are two examples I would like to refer to. Firstly my cat. When I go out in the garden with her she will follow behind and then catch up. When she catches up and passes me her tail curls to my side and gently touches my leg and she may pause and then move on. This is her confirming to herself my position in relation to her and I will presume that is also telling me of her presence. It creates a comfort zone in much the same way scent exchange does. It is not scent exchange because the tip or last third of my cat’s tail is touching me, no more.
The video below of MAGIC the tallest domestic cat and now a famous cat because of that, demonstrates this beautifully. Although I think Scarlett’s MAGIC is both touching and scent exchanging simultaneously. Most of the interaction from MAGIC is scent exchange but I feel not all of it is.
You can see the whole tail curl around the Andreas’s head as if it is feeling the head and caressing his head. It is great to see. Here is the video:

LET'S PLAY!

     Domestic cats, especially young kittens, are known for their love of play. This behavior mimics hunting and is important in helping kittens learn to stalk, capture, and kill prey. Cats will also participate in play fighting, with each other and with humans. This behavior may be a way for cats to practice the skills needed for real fighting, and might also reduce any fear they associate with launching attacks on other animals.
Because of the close similarity between play and hunting, cats prefer to play with objects that resemble prey, such as small furry toys that move rapidly, but may lose interest (they become habituated) in a toy they have played with before. Cats also tend to play with toys more when they are hungry.String is often used as a toy, but if it is eaten it can become caught at the base of the cat’s tongue and then move into the intestines, a medical emergency which can cause serious illness and death.Owing to the risks posed by cats eating string, it is sometimes replaced with a laser pointer's dot, which cats may chase. While concerns have been raised about the safety of these lasers, Professor John Marshall, an ophthalmologist at St Thomas' Hospital, has stated that it would be "virtually impossible" to blind a cat with a laser pointer.

SO MANY CHOICES, WHAT TO FEED THE CAT...

     Canned food is expensive since it contains water. The food tends to spoil faster than dry foods. Dry food can be put back into the bag if not eaten. Cats' breath may smell bad as a result of eating too much wet food. Stools might be softer. However since cats require high intakes of water, cats may benefit from eating wet food with a high water intake in them.

     Dry food does not contain water and the buildup of tartar maybe considerably less. The cats tend to crunch on the kibble which will result in strong and healthy teeth. Dry food is less expensive and does not smell as much as wet food. Dry food does not spoil quickly and can be kept for days. Stools will be firmer.
     Should A Cat Be Only Given Vegetarian Diets Or Vegan Diets?
Cats are carnivorous by nature. Cats in the wild are used to preying on flesh foods and have a digestive system that can absorb flesh foods which include eating fish and meat.
Their diet should generally include animal tissue for long term good health. Cats also require amino acids such as taurine and arginine. These acids are not available in natural vegetarian diets except in some concentrations in pumpkin seeds and certain sources of plants. This will not do any good to the cat. When there is no taurine in the food it can lead to blindness and eventually death. There is another nutrient similar to taurine known as arachidonic also found in animal tissues. Taurine is found in fish, little birds and rodents all food that cats eat mostly by preying. Cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet or vegan diet alone, unless the owner provides a supplement which consists of taurine in the food.


     Can Cats Eat Dog Food?
Dog food should not be given to cats. It is not healthful for cats and lacks the right balance of nutrients. Cats require more protein and fat than dogs, and will result in its health being seriously jeopardized if fed with dog food for an extended period of time. Dogs do not need taurine since they can make it themselves. Cats require taurine or else will perish. Cats also require lots of protein unlike dogs.Cats need vitamin A
     I personally feed my cats wet and dry food. It increases the amount of water they get and helps keep their teeth clean as well. The wet food is given in the morning and evening, with a small amout of dry food left out when  no one is home during the day. Also, there is always water out and available.

MORE INTERESTING ANATOMY: TONGUE, EYES, EARS, & NOSE

The impressive cat tongue with the velcro (photographer's term) like surface of spines facing backwards. Photo by Figuromo This photo won a prize in the Digital Camera Magazine Photographer of The Year competition.
 

Cat Tongue

   
     A cat's tongue is an essential piece of cat anatomy. When you see a cat scoop up water from a cup with her/his tongue it is impressive. It is an essential grooming tool as well.
     The "hairs" are called papillae. As can be clearly seen in the photograph, they point backwards almost like small barbs. They contain the same material that makes our fingernails and the claws of a cat (keratin) , which provides the necessary hardness to the papillae that makes them so useful.





Cat anatomy - Cat eye showing slit aperature
photo by EnKayTee.




Cat anatomy - Cat eyes -  photo by parl.

 











       It is thought that cat eyes are less effective than humans, in regard to color reception. But it is known that a cat's eyes are much better for seeing in the dark. This is due to a reflective layer at the back of the eye which reflects light back onto the retina magnifying the reception. They also have that slit of an aperture for a reason.



Cat anatomy - Pronounced cat ears on these kittens in Burma. Photo by phitar.

      A cat's ears are very mobile. The outer ear (the part you see) called the earflap or more technically Pinna (the two flaps are called Pinnae) can swivel to pick up sound more effectively than humans.The ear is very expressive and  they are a means of communication.

There are apparently 5 basic ear signals.

---relaxed....ears point forward and slightly outward (subject to cat breeding as some breeds have rather extreme appearances). The cat listens.

---alert mode....ears point to source of sound, which will be ahead as cat faces source of interest. Ears may swivel to side for short time if another sound occurs.

---agitated mode....ears twitch nervously. If the cat has ear tufts. this twitching is more noticeable.

---defensive mode....ears become flattened for protection.

---aggressive mode....ears are rotated to show the back of the ear ready to be flattened. This is a signal to beware to other animals. In the wild cat and in some wild cat hybrids you'll see markings on the back of the ear to reinforce this signal.



Cat anatomy - cat nose photo by red_a_27












       A cat's sense of smell is 14 times better than a human's sense of smell because the organ sensing odor particles is larger. If one watches cats it is apparent that the cat will rely on her/his heightened sense of smell very frequently. Smell is much more an integral part of a cat's life than for us. A cat's world is often centered around her sense of smell.

     A cat decides what to eat by how attractive the food smells. A cat checks out whether there ahve been other animals and cats in the vicinity by her sense of smell. She will leave her odor on you by head butting and rubbing up against you to create a friendly smelling environment for herself and as a greeting. Head butting is a friendly exchange of body odors.

    A male cat will smell a female cat in heat. A cat establishes territory by depositing urine and pheromones (from glands in the cats feet and facial area). These are readily picked up by other cats' acute sense of smell. The age of the smell will tell the cat smelling the odor if the territory is still occupied.Male cat spraying is a useful form of communication.

    In addition to the usual sensory receptors in the nose the cat has another organ that gives a boost to her sense of smell. You can see a cat use this organ because she/he will open her mouth slightly (a little like an odd smile) and breath in to suck in air to pass over the organ, which is inside the mouth. It is called Jacobson's Organ (scientific name is vomeronasal organ).

The bit of nose we see, the nose leather is quite tough to allow it to absorb rather rough treatment sometimes. The color varies according to the genotype (genetic makeup) of the cat. Cat's skin has the same color as the fur but the color of the nose leather is probably dictated by a dedicated gene. Cats with white fur have skin susceptible to damage by ultra violet light that may cause cancer. Extra care is required when she/he goes outside in hot weather.

http://www.pets.ca/

• http://www.felinefuture.com
• Catwatching - Desmond Morris
• http://cats.about.com

CAT ANATOMY: BONES, PAWS, & CLAWS





skeleton - photo by Sophie. This is a cropped image. 

       Let's start with the foundation of all mamals, the bones. Here is a picture of a mounted cat skeleton. A cat's skeleton has 290 bones (humans: 206).

     Maybe  a good place to start with cat anatomy is at the front. The cat has a strong bite as some of us have been made aware by experience. The two large and strong muscles in the head that operate the jaw are the Masseter and Temporalis. The same muscles are present in a human. Both muscles are for mastication (chewing).

     Recent research indicates that the smaller an animals' brain the stronger the bite, as a general rule, there is more room for larger muscles. This probably explains why the domestic cat has a stronger bite than the human. This fact does not mean that the cat is not intelligent. Less ability in terms of reasoning, yes, but more in other forms of intelligence such as spacial intelligence and senses. Adult cats have 16 teeth on the top jaw and 14 on the bottom.

Paws & Claws  Cats have 5 toes on the front paws and 4 toes on the back paws. This is written into cat association breed standards as cats can sometimes have more toes (up to 7 but the Guinness Book of Records records a cat with 27 toes!) than the regulation number. These are called Polydactyl cats or Hemingway cats after the cats kept by Ernest Hemingway whose cats were all of this kind.





Polydactyl cat

 Hemingway's home in Florida is a museum and the descendants of his cats still roam the grounds. There are apparently 60 cats, 30 of which are Polydactyl.

These are not a special breed of cat just cats with more toes than normal due to a congenital physical abnormality. Humans can have more than five fingers or toes so this condition cuts across species.

There are 6 separate pads on each paw. Cats paw pads contain sweat glands. The primary reason for a cat to secrete sweat from her/his paw is to improve traction (adhesive friction) between the paw pad and the surface. It helps prevent the pads from slipping on certain surfaces. When a cat is nervous (for example at a veterinarians) she'll sweat from her paw pads. You'll see the paw prints on the vet's table. This happens as the cat is preparing to run! We sweat when we are nervous too (clammy hands waiting for an interview, for example).
     Many animals have claws, which are used for digging, climbing and added traction when running (like spikes on an athlete's shoes). In cats, claws have added value by helping the cat to catch and hold on to prey. Claws also are weapons in self defense. They are sickle shaped and very sharp at the tip. They renew themselves to help keep them effective and can be withdrawn into a pouch to protect them when not required (i.e. give them a longer life).

READ FOR FUN: Dewey The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

"I loved this heartwarming story, with a five-hanky ending, that is not just about an extraordinary cat , but of the resilience and humanity of the people of Iowa and of Spencer in particular."
                                                                                          -W.P. Kinsella, author or Shoeless Joe
      I was introduced to this book by a friend and impressed by the above review on the back of the cover jacket along with others like it.(Of course the color picture of Dewey grabbed me as well!) The book was written by Spencer, Iowa librarian Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. It rose to be #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
The author Vicki Myron was born on a farm fifteen miles from Spencer, Iowa. At the age of 34, after a failed marriage, single motherhood, and a period on welfare, she graduated summa cum laude from Mankato State University and has a master's degree from Emporia State University. She worked at the Spencer Public Library for 25 years, the last twenty as director, she lives in Spencer, Iowa.
      The story of Dewey begins in the worst possible way. At only a few weeks of age, on the coldest night of the year, he was abondoned and stuffed into the returned book slot at the Spencer Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director Vicki Myron, a single mom who had survived the loss of her family farm, breast cancer, and an alcoholic husband. The tiny orange kitten won her heart, and the hearts of all the staff, as they cleaned him up and warmed him by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. The relationship between Dewey, named fully Dewey Readmore Books, by a contest open to community vote, and Vicki was a unique a special bond. For nineteen years Dewey lived in the Spencer Public Library charming Spencer residents and all he encountered. His fame grew from town to town and eventurally around the world.
     I really enjoyed this book, tho I had to keep the tissues nearby. It was a charming story about how small acts can change a community and build bridges. One of Vicki's lines in the book summed up how she had come to learn how to live her life well, "Find your place. Be happy with what you have. Treat everyone well. Live a good life. It isn't about material things; it is about love. And you can never anticipate love."

Are You Considering Adding A Cat to Your Life....consider these things

     When you notice the adorable child outside the grocery store, with a cardboard box of furry charm is not the best time to make the impulsive choice to adopt a kitten. It is a decision to be thoughtfully considered ahead of time.
     Owning a cat means you will have to provide warm and safe shelter, regular, well-balanced meals, and a great deal of care and attention. Is your dwelling a house, apartment, rv, or mobile home, and is a pet deposit required to cover possible damage. Will your cat be strictly indoors, outdoors, in a barn, or a combination of in and out. Is anyone living in the home allergic to cats. Do you have money to dedicate to the care of your cat which will include vaccinations, spay or neutering as well as the ongoing cost of food. A healthy cat can live for over twenty years and will need constant care for all that time. My vet has a Kitten Package that covers all vaccinations, exam, and five percent off the spay or neuter for $240.00. Spay is $124 and neuter is $91 currently. There are also low cost vaccination clinics in most areas.
     If your decision is "yes", the rewards will be great. In return for its care and attention a cat will display love for its owner. There are health benefits as well, besides providing companionship, stroking and petting your cat has been shown to lower blood pressure, release frustration and tension.