History of Cats

What is a small cat?

Thirty-six species of cats live in various places around the world. Twenty-nine of these species are known as "small" cats. The remaining seven species of the cat family include the five "big" cats-the Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Jaguar, and Snow Leopard-and two that fit in neither category-the Clouded Leopard and Cheetah.

Scientists disagree about how many types of cats currently inhabit the Earth. They also disagree on how all these species of cats are related to each other.

The use of the term small when referring to the small cats can sometimes be confusing. It is true that most of the smaller cats belong to this family. However, the largest small cat, the puma is bigger then the than the smallest big cat, the snow leopard.

Types of Small Cats

The small cat family is includes the powerful puma, the tiny black footed cat, the beautifully spotted ocelot, the plain colored desert lynx, the long-legged serval, and the long-bodied jaguarundi, Several small cats, such as the South American Mountain Cat and the Red or Borneo cat, have never been captured for study. Therefore, scientists are not sure what they're like. We know of their existence from a few pelts and skeletons and eyewitness details told by native people.

More information is available about some of the other small cats. For example, we know know quite a bit about the African Serval, since servals have not been succesfully raised in zoos for many years. The same is true for the Lynx and studies have also been made of the lynx in the world. Precise information has been gathered through the use of small radio transmitters attached to the animals.

The house cat is the small cat most widely studied. People everywhere are familiar with the image of a cat waiting patiently for hours outside a mouse hole. Almost everyone has stroked the fur of a happily purring cat one time or another.

The house cat is in many ways representative of all small cats. Other small cats behave much like, whether they are Sand Cats in the desert, Palla's Cats on the plains, or Leopard Cats in the forest. Ther are more than thirty breeds of house cats, these breeds are generally classified as either long-haired or short-haired. Short haired cats include Tabbies, Black Cats, and Russian Blue or Maltese Cats, to name just a few. Two of the cats in the long-haired group are the Persian and the Angora.

The house cat is affectionate, but reserved. It is also very intelligent and has an excellent memory. and in general, a cat is more independent than a dog. It has a strong homing instinct and good grooming habits.

Origins of the House Cat

House cats are descended from North African wild cat the Nubian Dun Cat. About four thousand years ago in Egypt, some of these cats befriended people. Stories say these wild cats could not resist the fat mice that ate the Egyptians stored grain. The Ancient Egyptians greatly admired these wild cats and proclaimed them sacred animals. Anyone who killed a cat was severely punished. When a cat died, their owners would cut off alll of his or her own hair as a sign of mourning. Animals that died were often buried in valuable wooden coffins. Some were even entombed in elaborate mummy cases. Mummified mice were also buried with these cats to provide food on the journey after death.

In time, the domesticated dun cats spread all over along the great trade routes frome the Middle East to China and Southern Europe. Two thousand years ago, they had already become beloved house pets to the Romans. Later the cats made their way across the Alps into central Europe, they successfully interbred with the wild cats that lived there. Many of today's farm cats look more like the European Wild Cats than the Nubian Dun Cats from North Africa.

A Minimum Change

House catshave changed very little since they began living with humans. In fact, it would still be very easy for these domesticated cats to return to the wild and their original ways of life if humans suddenly stopped caring for them. House cats have never become completely dependent upon people. They remain the same self-sufficient, independent and puzzling animals they have always been.

How Cats Communicate

Cats can not actually speak as humans do, but the house cat commands an incredibly rich language of its own. It has more than fifty different sounds available to express its every mood and impulse. These sounds include the meoww in all its variations. But cats can also make cooing, rasping, and cackling sounds; they can hiss, growl, screech, snarl, howl, and much more. Last but not least, house cats make an uninterrupted humming sound, called purring. Only small cats purr-the big cats can not.

Purring is the expression of a cat's feeling or contentment or well being. Every sound a cat makes has its own meaning, so an attentive cat owner is sometimes able to delightfully converse with his or her own cat.

Me-yoww! the Cat Fanciers' Association keeps track of purebred cats in the U.S. Last year it counted 61,151 of these fancy kitties. Out of thirty-seven breeds, these are the five top cats!

1. Persian

35,490 cats registered

2. Maine Coon

4,756 cats

3. Siamese

2,492 cats

4. Exotic {Shorthair}

2,165 cats

5. Abyssinian

2,012 cats

1.Which cat do you like better?

2.Do you have any cats?

3.Do you think I provided enough information and details?

4.If you don't have a cat, what kind would you like?

Try this!

Imagine you are a cat, and you get to decide what kind of cat you can be, and whether you want to be a short-haired cat or a long-haired cat. You could imagine more stuff like pretending to be a news reporter with the news or an artist with creativity. Your imagination can lead to a great destination!

 

Comments

[graciela]

I do love animals, the mean a lot to me. One day I would love to be a veternarian or an animal photographer. Do you like animals?

[Julia]

Hi Graciela,
I did not read much of your blog but it looked really good.
I can not wait to read another one.

Julia

[Bronwyn G]

I have a funny relationship with animals, Graciela. I do like them, but I've really never been close to them. I'm getting over a fear of dogs and realising some are actually quite nice. As for cats, I like them because they're more like me.

[Robin]

This was a fantastic blog! If I had seen this article written in a magazine I would have bought it. It was very informative. My son and I really love animals and he has a special fondness for cats(especially our three at home). Have you ever seen the National Geographic program about cats called Natural Born Killers? I think you would enjoy it very much. What is your favorite kind of cat? I think besides our three girls I would have to say Tigers are my favorite. Have you ever seen Two Brothers? It is a very touching story about a family of Tigers. If you haven't seen it be sure to get your parent's to rent it. i think you'll really like the story.

[Graciela Ines Ramirez Alton]

I love animals and espechelly
dogs and a litle cats.

[Graciela Ines Ramirez Alton]

I love animals and espechelly
dogs and a litle cats.