Cat Facts

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Thursday, January 11th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Cats or Dogs?

Cats along with dogs have always been the most popular house pets to have. Although there are people who have both, many pet owners tend to be either “cat lovers” or “dog lovers”.

Cat lovers consider their cats to be sweet, loyal, useful and delightful pets that fit in perfectly with todays modern lifestyles where, in many households, there is nobody at home all day. Their independance suits this sort of environment. Dogs, however,can’t just be left to wander out during the day and they usually thrive on companionship and inclusion into family life, fretting and barking if they are left alone too much.

Why Have Cats Become So Popular?

These small domesticated animals have gained their popularity because of their intelligence, their independance, their ability to follow simple commands once trained, and their hunting prowess which make them very useful in keeping down the numbers of vermin, especially rats. (Although it isn’t so great when your proud cat brings its catch in the house to show you!)

The many varieties in colourings, patterns and shapes also make them appealing.

Cat Ancestry

There are several dozens of cat varieties in many different colours, colour patterns, fur type and size which have either been bred by humans or are products of natural inter-breeding between cat species.
The African Wild Cat, however, is believed to be the closest pre-domesticated relative.
Present day domesticated cats still carry innately wild characteristics which show in their carniverous appetite and instinct for hunting. They are known to hunt over a thousand species for food.
Humans have lived in close association with cats for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians, Chinese and Vikings revered the cat, placing them in high regard over other animals both domesticated and wild.

Types Of Cats

Common male cats are referred to as toms, while female cats are known as queens.
Male pedigree, purebred or show cats, on the other hand, are referred to as sires and the female of those varieties as dams Purebred and pedigree cats both have recorded ancestries. Purebred, however, have a long-lineage of only one cat variety or breed, while pedigreed cats may have ancestors of different, mostly new breeds.
The breeding of different cat varieties is subject to strict rules set by cat registries and associations that study, regulate and assess the compatibility of varieties to come up with better offspring, both in terms of health and appearance.
However, the majority of the world’s cat population is comprised of random-bred felines, with purebreds only making up less than ten percent of the feline population.
Names used to describe cats with mixed ancestry vary from one country to the next - domestic longhairs, shorthairs, random-bred and mongrels are some examples.
Domestic cats, in general, though were classified by Carolus Linnaeus as Felis catus back in the 17th century as the domestic sub-species of the wild cat family.

Size Of Cats

Cats commonly weigh anywhere between two to seven kilograms with some breeds such as the Maine Coon weighing over ten kilograms.
Some of the bigger cat varieties can weigh more than twenty kilograms but this is usually because of overeating and are considered by vets as unhealthy and more susceptible to illnesses, ailments and diseases.
At the other end of the spectrum are adult smaller cats weighing less than two kilograms, considered as underweight and unhealthy, rather than classified as miniatures.

This is just a brief overview of the cat. Please explore this site for more detailed information and products for help with cat care, cat behaviour, cat health, cat pregnancy or just to talk about cats.

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