Cats

Cats

 As recently as the year 2000 a cat fancier would tell us that cats were first domesticated in Egypt somewhere around 2000 B.C. to 1500 B.C. But according to Wikipedia that all changed in 2004 when skeletons of a human and a cat were discovered in a grave in Cyprus. The grave is estimated to be 9,500 years old, placing the earliest known association of cats and people at around 7500 B.C. The cat skeleton is large and resembles the African wildcat, rather than our domestic cats. Along with genetic studies this grave suggests that cats were probably domesticated in the Near East around the time of the development of agriculture and then were brought to Cyprus and Egypt.

 Whatever the origin of the domestic cat, there are now about 50 breeds depending on whose list you consult.  CatBreedsJunction describes 55 breeds and lists the top ten in popularity, with the Persian being the most popular. To get some idea of the variety in the breeds, we will take a brief look at those top ten, based on information from the Cat Channel.

 Persian: The impressive Persian is a massively built cat clothed in a long, flowing coat. Short, heavily boned legs support the Persian's boxy body. The cat's head should be round, with large, round eyes and a short, snub nose.

 Exotic: The Exotic is a man-made breed resulting from the cross of Persians with American Shorthairs and other shorthaired cats. The Exotic's body and head-style match that of the Persian, but the breed was separated into its own category in the 1960s.

 Maine Coon: The Maine Coon is one of the most popular breeds at show tables. This shaggy feline shares its affection with the entire family, but elects a single person as its beloved owner. The breed is available in virtually every hue, with the exception of chocolate and lavender colors, or tabby patterns. 

 Siamese: Named for Siam, this popular breed is intelligent and has a striking personality, suggestive of an inscrutable inner life. The breeding tradition began generations ago, but the Siamese of today still have the graceful elegance suggested in the earliest breed standards.

 Ragdoll: The Ragdoll earns its name from its habit of relaxing to the point of utter limpness in your arms. The Ragdoll's light-colored body has darker Siamese-type points on the face, legs, tail and ears.

 Abyssinian: Today's Abyssinian retains a resemblance to the noble cats depicted in ancient Egyptian statues. The breed sports a ticked, richly colored tabby coat without markings on legs, tail and neck,  and with dramatic facial markings. The Aby comes in four coat colors: ruddy, red, blue and fawn.

 Sphynx: The Sphynx is known as the hairless cat; however, it does have an almost invisible fur. The coat of the Sphynx is sparse and does not have layers. The cat's skin is clearly visible on the muzzle, ears, paws and tail. They are highly sensitive to cold and abrupt changes in temperature.

 American Shorthair: Ideal American Shorthairs exude symmetry, with the breed standard calling for them to be slightly longer than tall. Females tend to be smaller than males. The American Shorthair's face should be full-cheeked with an open expression.

 Birman: Also known as the "Sacred Cat of Burma," Birmans are colorpoint cats, meaning they have a darker color on their tail, legs, ears and face, much like the Siamese or the Himalayan division of the Persian.

 Oriental: Similar to the Siamese in body type and personality, Orientals do not, however, share the characteristic Siamese coloring. They are slender yet hearty and are generally of a solid color or tabby-patterned in a variety of colors for both the shorthair and longhair varieties.

 Most cats, regardless of breed, have superb hearing and excellent night vision. Wikipedia reports that cats can hear from 55 Hz up to 79 kHz, whereas humans hear from 31 Hz up to 18 kHz and dogs hear from 67 Hz to 44 kHz. Cats probably use this ultrasound (high frequency) hearing ability while hunting, since many species of rodents make ultrasonic calls. Cats can also move their relatively large ears to help locate the source of the sound. As for vision, a cat's eye has a layer of extra reflecting cells which absorb light, so the cat can see well with one-sixth the light a human requires.

 At one period in history the cat was notable for not being there. In earlier times many people were superstitious of cats, associating them with witches in particular. During the Middle Ages some cultures were so afraid of the cat that they tried to destroy the entire cat population. With the cats gone, rats and their parasitic fleas flourished, leading to epidemics of plague or Black Death.

 Today, however, you will probably see a cat or lots of cats almost anywhere you go, except Antarctica. Cats enjoy the title of most popular pet in America, having overtaken dogs about 25 years ago when 50 million cats lived in American homes. Today more than one-third of American households own at least one cat. Finally if you do see a bunch of cats, what do call the group? A bunch of cats is a clowder. 

Click on the link below for an amusing minutes of cat adventures.

Dazzling Animals carries severalof the cats mentioned in the article above. Click on the Birman cats to go to the Dazzling Animals Jewelry cat category.