Cat history,cat Myths,Advantages of keeping cats as Pets over
Dogs
The Cat was a pet at least eight thousand years ago because
bones of cats, mice and humans were found buried together on the
ancient island of Cyprus. In ancient Egypt, the cat was a pet at
least five thousand years ago. The cat was considered to be a
sacred animal in ancient Egypt. Cats are held sacred in
Buddhism. Much appreciated by the Buddhists was the capacity of
cats for meditation which they sensed in cats. The Birman cat
descends from cats that were venerated as gods in the Buddhist
temples. In Burma, the Burmese cats are held to be sacred. The
Birman cat descends from cats that were venerated as gods in the
Buddhist temples. The Buddhist priests believed that the
faithful returned to earth in the form of a cat. In Buddhism, it
is believed that on the death of a person who had reached the
highest levels of spirituality the soul entered the body of a
cat. It remained there until the cat died, when the soul entered
paradise. Even today, in some Asiatic sanctuaries, divine powers
are attributed to the cat and it is believed that in the
hereafter the soul of cat speaks to Buddha in favor of its owner
that still lives on earth. In Buddhist temples across Asia, cats
are kept as mousers. Among the most charming of Japanese cats is
Maneki-Neko, a small cat believed to ensure happiness and good
luck. Japanese Buddhists venerate cats after their death. The
temple of Go - To - Ku - Ji in Tokyo is dedicated to cats.
Vested priests serve the temple and intone chants for feline
souls. Crowded into the temple are sculptures paintings and
relief carvings of cats. In each of these, the cat has a paw
raised as if in greeting, the classical pose of the cat Maneki -
Neko. Cats continue to be worshiped as deities in countries such
as Thailand and China. The power of cats to see in the dark was
also considered useful to hold evil spirits at way, since it was
usually thought that eyes of cat were more active at night, the
walls of many Asiatic houses were adorned with images of cats.
In England, a black cat sitting in a house on a wedding day is
thought to bring good luck. In Thailand, a Diamond eyed cat is
believed to be a symbol of good luck. In South America, the
Incas revered sacred cats, representations of which can be seen
in pre-Columbian Peruvian artifacts. The earliest
representations of domestic cat were Egyptian tomb paintings and
sculpture. By the 5th century B.C., images of cats appeared on
Greek coins, and later they were depicted in Roman mosaics and
paintings and on earthenware, coins and shields. Cats have
reputation for having nine lives. Cats are very affectionate
towards human beings. The Siamese breed of cats are very
affectionate towards people. Cats can recognize footsteps of
their owner from hundreds of feet away. Cats are easy to care as
compared to dogs. Outdoor cats bury their faeces. Cats groom
themselves with their saliva. The cats tongue, saliva and paws
help in grooming cats themselves. Cats groom themselves about
twenty times in a day. Kittens start cleaning or grooming
themselves at the age of one month. All cats generally do not
need bath. Cats are easiest to care out of all domestic animals.
Cats are most independent domestic animals. Cats do not need
care and attention. Cats are also small in size. Cats also
exercise themselves. Cats are most playful out of all domestic
animals. Kittens play themselves by batting and tossing small
objects, hunting and by jumping in and out of boxes. Cats love
to hide in cardboard boxes, drawer or laundry basket. Kittens
begin playing with toys at the age of four weeks and their
enjoyment becomes more elaborate as they grow. Kittens that have
free access to a terrace or garden will amuse themselves by
running after a butterfly, bug, insect or leaf. Cats enjoy being
stroked by their owner. The gestation period of a cat is 63
days. The average litter of cats consists of four kittens.
Kittens are born blind, deaf and helpless. The eyes of kitten
open at eight to ten days of age, and they begin to be weaned
about six weeks after birth. The senses of kitten begin to
function ten to twelve days after birth. Soon after birth the
mother cat licks her kittens, this action cleans them and helps
stimulate their circulation. After birth of kittens, the mother
cat take them to safe places. Scientific studies have shown that
stroking a pet cat or kitten and playing with a pet cat or
kitten reduce stress and anxiety and lowers the blood pressure
of its owner. Cats can also learn to live with other domestic
pets. The fur of cats is soft and beautiful. Cats are comfort -
loving creatures, seemingly addicted to warmth and luxury. Cats
also seem to grow fond of their owners, adopting them almost as
parents. Cats are available in many coat colours. Cats and
kittens use litter boxes or toilet and unlike dogs, cats do not
need to be walked. Dogs are not able to use litter box and
toilet and dogs need to be walked. Kittens begin using litter
box at just five or six weeks age. The litter boxes of cats
should be filled with sand, regular clay, clumping clay or
wooden pallets. Childrens and adults both enjoy playing with
cats. Kittens should be domesticated at the age of two to four
months. The weight of a newborn kitten is about hundred grams.
Many cat magazines are published in the USA , UK, and other
countries each year. Cats have been portayed in the works of
many great artists including Leonardo Da Vinci, Albrecht Durer,
Paul Gauguin, Theodore Gericault, William Hogarth, Edouard Manet
and Pablo Picasso. Most cats like to become friendly with human
beings while few of them want to be left alone. Kittens are most
playful out of all domestic animals. All kittens play by
themselves by finding amusement or satisfaction with odd
trinkets or by jumping in and out of boxes, hunting and poking,
batting and tossing small objects. Kittens also exercise
themselves. Keeping cats as pets can bring cheerfulness and for
the aged, emotionally disturbed and prison population they bring
about amazing transformation. Cats can be lifesaver for their
owner. A cat of UK saved his owner's life by signaling that the
gas cooker had been left on with his paw. A cat named Mourka
delivered vital messages from Russian scouts about the enemy's
gun replacements. According to news published in newspaper, in
August 2000, a cat named Jessie saved her owner Margaret
Hayward's life by jumping up and down on her owner's bed in
order to wake her when the home caught fire. A cat named
Scarlett of New York ran into a burning house five times in
order to save her kittens. Some cats can protect their owner
from thieves. A cat of UK actually alerted his owners to a real
burglar by running up and down the stairs hissing and growling.
A cat saved her kittens from a burning building. For any
information about adventures of some extraordinary cats like
bravery and homing instinct visit the website
www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/excats/cats.html or website
www.pbs.org/nature/excats. Cats are thought to protect humans
from bad evils. Farmers and shopkeepers keep cats to protect
food grains from rats as well as to prevent diseases like Plague
which are spread by rats. Butchers, bakers, grocers, bookstore
owners as well as restaurant owners and stationary store owners
domesticate cats in order to keep their premises free of rats
and mice. Due to the lack of cats, two thirds of the European
human population died of the Plague in the past. Cats have been
credited with the the ability to predict earthquakes. Cats can
hear ultrasonic waves. Cats become intensely agitated before
major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and severe electrical
storms. In many cases, cats have been observed desperately
trying to escape from inside buildings prior to an earthquake.
Cats and kittens are very photogenic and can be easily be used
to advertise any product like greeting cards, milk products,
candy boxes, calendars, toys and food. Cat's sense of hearing is
one of the highest in animal kingdom. Cat's sense of hearing is
greater than human beings. The anatomy of cat is very similar to
human beings. The Egyptian word for cat is Mau. Cats were even
worshipped as feline goddess Bast or feline goddess Bastet or
feline goddess Pasht in ancient Egypt for more than two thousand
years. The Feline goddess Bastet had body of a woman and head of
a cat. The goddess Bastet was associated with fertility,
motherhood, grace and beauty. It was believed that the goddess
Bastet controlled the fertility of man and beast, cured illness
and watched over the souls of the dead. The largest temple of
goddess Bastet was built in the ancient city of Bubastis about
4500 years ago. Aelurus, an Egyptian cat god, represented the
moon. In ancient Egypt, if a house caught fire, the rule went
like this, save pet cats first and humans second. In ancient
Egypt, a person killing a cat was punishable by death. In
ancient Egypt, after death of cats, they were mummified and
decorated, some with rock crystal. The dead bodies of cats were
then wrapped in rich bandages of various colours. The mummified
rats and saucers of milk were kept near cats. The faces of cats
were covered by masks on which the nose, eyes, ears and whiskers
were evident. The mummified cats were then placed in boxes made
of wood or bronze. These boxes were then placed in cat tombs or
pyramids. In ancient Egypt, the cat mummies outnumbered human
mummies. In an ancient capital city of Egypt, more than 300000
cat mummies were found in 1890. The Egyptians believed that
their gods took on the appearance of cats in order to pass down
orders and omens. If a pet cat in ancient Egypt died, then all
the family members used to shave their eyebrows as a sign of
sorrow. If a pet cat in ancient Egypt died, then the entire
family went into elaborate mourning with chanting and pounding
of chests as an outward sign of grief. The Egyptians believed
that divinities assumed the semblance of a cat, and so the high
prists decreed divine orders and omens of the future according
to its behaviour. The Egyptians considered that that the cat's
unblinking gaze gave it powers to seek out truth and to see into
the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians used cats not only as
hunters of mice but also as catchers of fish as well. The
Egyptian Sun god Ra was believed to assume the form of a tomcat
each night for his battle with the serpent of darkness.
According to Roman Mythology, Diana the roman goddess of hunting
angered the giants by taking a cat form. In India cats were
mentioned in Sanskrit writings around 100 B.C.. The Indian epics
Ramayana and Mahabharata, of about 500 B.C., both contain
stories about cats. The Indians at the time of Ramayana and
Mahabharata worshipped a feline goddess of maternity called
Sasti and for decades Hindus were obliged to take responsibility
for feeding at least one cat. In India cats often played an
important part in religious or occult ceremonies. Cats have the
ability to predict earthquakes. Cats have barometric sensitivity
or sixth sense. Cats can forewarn us of coming storm, coming
rainfall and change in atmosphere. There is a popular notion
that states when a cat licks its paw or puts it in its ear, it
is a sign of rain or a change in atmosphere. Many legends,
folklore, myths and superstitions are associated with cats. Cats
appear in the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome. Cats are
commonly mentioned in the fairy tales, folklore and legends of
many countries. Some people thought that witches could change
themselves into cats. Today, people in ,many societies believe
that cats bring good fortune. Many people find cats mysterious
because they move swiftly and silently and because their eyes
seem to glow in the dark. Some people believe that a black cat
crossing path of a person means bad luck. Some people think that
cats possess magical powers while some people think cats as
extraterrestrial creatures. Some people think that cats have the
ability to predict future. All cats are believed to have nine
lives. In parts of UK , a cat washing its face with water is
said to foretell rain. In UK and Scotland, a black cat crossing
path of a person means good luck. In America, white cats are
thought to bring good luck. The Russian Blue breed of cats is
considered lucky in Russia. Black cats in particular have long
been regarded as having occult powers and as being the familiars
of witches. White cats are thought to bring good luck in USA.
The famous cats in cartoon include Tom, Garfield, Felix, Krazy
kat, Top cat, Sylvester, Courageous cat, Pink Panther, Cheshire
cat and Azrael.