Popularity of cats and cat family
Cats outnumbered dogs by millions as house pets in USA , UK and
many countries of Europe. In USA alone, there are about sixty
million cats kept as pets. In USA, thirty seven percent of
houses are having at least one pet cat. In UK about twenty five
percent of houses are having at least one pet cat. In Australia,
twenty six percent of houses are having at least one pet cat.
There are more than seven million pet cats in UK. In Canada,
there are about five million domestic cats. There are about five
hundred million pet cats in the world. Cats are also widely
domesticated in other parts of the world such as Russia,
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Japan, South
Africa, all European Countries and many other countries of the
world. In India also, many people are keeping cats as pets. The
earliest ancestor of the cat was the miacis, which lived over
fifty five million years ago. The miacis had a long body and
tail, short legs and looked somewhat like a weasel. The ancestor
of all domestic cats is African wild cat. All domestic cats are
members of same species, Felis Catus. African wild cats were
found in fossil form as early as thirty eight million years ago.
Cats are one of the oldest mammals on the earth. The cat family
includes large members such as Lion, Tiger , Leopard , Cheetah ,
Cougar, Jaguar, Panther and Lynx. Other small members of cat
family include European wild cat, Kodkod, Pampas cat, Geoffroy's
cat, Tiger cat, Puma, Ocelot, Bobcat, Jaguarundi, Margay, Andean
mountain cat, Leopard cat, Jungle cat, Fishing cat, Pallas's
cat, Rusty-spotted cat, Marbled cat, Bay cat, Iriomote cat,
Temminck's golden cat, Flat-headed cat, Chinese desert cat, Sand
cat, Caracal, African wild cat, Serval, African golden cat and
Black-footed cat. There are about forty different species of
wild cat. The domestic cat is one of the species of cat. The
sand cat found mainly in Africa burrow into the sand to protect
themselves from the heat of the sun during the day. Many wild
cats also live in caves. The fishing cat found in India and
Pakistan finds most of its prey in the water. The fishing cat is
excellent swimmer. The fishing cat catches fishes, frogs and
reptiles and feeds on them. The Cheetah is the world's fastest
mammal. The Cheetah can run up to speed of seventy miles an hour
over short distances. A cheetah may also pursue a prey for a
considerable distance, as much as 5.5 kilometers. The Puma or
Panther or Cougar is a sandy colored cat which is an excellent
climber and can get up into the lower branches of trees with one
graceful leap. The cats have developed their own camouflage,
their coats blending to their environment and suited to their
habitat. For example, the sand cat has a pale ticked coat which
blends admirably into its surroundings. Other examples of
camouflage are Bay cat, Pampas cat and Clouded Leopard cat. Cats
love to sit in high places. The life span of a pet cat varies
from about fifteen to twenty years but some pet cats live for
more than thirty years. The average life span of an outdoor cat
is from two to three years whereas the average life span of an
indoor cat is about twenty years. Neutered cats live longer than
non neutered ones, partly because they have less desire to roam.
Outdoor cats die earlier as compared to indoor cats due to lack
of treatment of diseases, parasites, cruel people, road
accidents, pesticides, dogs, strong poisons like rat poisons.
Most USA cat experts like Cat Fancier's Association and humane
organisations are continually trying to reach the public with
the message that keeping a cat indoors protects him from disease
and other means of danger. A pet cat of England died at the age
of thirty six years. For downloading cat movies, cat
screensavers and cat desktop mate on your computer visit the
website http://www.whataboutcats.com/.