All you need to know about cats

All you need to know about cats

    As of today, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reports that, “around 74 to 96 million cats are owned in the United States and that approximately 30% to 37% of all households have a cat”. But does someone know where did they came from? Their history starts at the time of ancient Egyptians 4,000 years ago. Egyptians domesticated them to control vermin, in this case, rats. Their ability to control the rat population and reduced the spreading of diseases and deaths changed the quality living of Egyptians. And the History of Cats stipulates that, "Cats become the sacred creatures representing life. In that time, it was illegal to sell a cat outside of Egypt. If a cat were killed by someone, they were immediately given the death penalty. The Pharaohs were mummified and buried with statues of cats, which represented good luck and safety to the afterlife. Five hundred years B.C. they were given to the Emperor of China, during the Song Dynasty." There they reproduced with many other local breeds and even with wildcats which produce some of the breeds known today.

    According to The International Cat Association (TICA), “there are 63 breeds of cats from the ancient Abyssinian to the most newer breeds like the Lykoi cat, and including wild looking Chausie and Bengals.” The top two breeds that have being on record since 1871 for being the most common ones in the United States are the Persian and the Maine Coon. Other common breeds are: The Exotic, Siamese, Ragdoll, Birman, American Shorthair, Sphynx, and many others. Now talking about when kittens are born. The pregnancy of a cat is between 62 to 67 days or 9 to 10 weeks. It may be noticeable after three weeks when the female cat nipples change their color from white to a rosy pink. One characteristic that warns us to know that she’s in labor is that 3 or 4 days before the big day she stops eating, that is because it helps with the contractions. A female cat can have three to five kittens. 

     Now passing to an important necessity of a cat, their nutrition. Cats can be fed with dry or canned food, but they require a high level of protein. Protein provides them energy and is essential for growth and development. Also minerals and vitamins are important because it helps with their metabolism, bone structure and muscle tissue. Other characteristic about cats is that they have a low thirst drive because they fulfill their water requirements by eating fresh raw food. 

     Is well known that cats don’t like water that much, but why? In the words of Jet Perrault, “one is that the cats fur becomes waterlogged, which weights down your cat. While the top layer of its fur is water-resistant to a degree, if the whole coat is drenched, your pet will be uncomfortable.” Other reasons are that some cats may not like being submerged in water simply because they have never experienced it before. But although they don’t need a bath regularly, is important to prevent fleas. Also regular brushing offers benefits such as the removing of dead hair and dirt, and prevents mats and tangles.

   And last but not least, here are some advantages, disadvantages and interesting facts about cats. First, some advantages are: they’re very clean animals, they wash themselves, they don’t need that much attention and considering the most important one, they catch rats and prevent their contamination. Moving on to the disadvantages: some people can be allergic to them, their claws can be dangerous and lead to serious scratches, and because of their curiosity, they can ruin some furniture with them. Some interesting facts that may not be known about them are: they can conserve energy by sleeping for 13 to 14 hours a day, male cats are called Tom, while females are called Molly or Queen. Cats are very sneaky, they have a powerful night vision, have an excellent hearing and smell sense, their jaws only move up and down, not sideways like dogs or humans. And cats have a life time of 12 to 15 years. Other facts about cats can be found on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5RErqM1RZk.

Works Cited

Animal Facts. Fun Cat Facts for Kids. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016,       http://www.sciencekids.co.zn/sciencefacts/animals/cat.html

Bright PhD, E., Author. Love That Pet. Cat Grooming Basics. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016, http://www.lovethatpet.com/cats/grooming/grooming-tips/

“History of Cats”. The-Cat- Guide, http://the-cat- guide.com/history-of- cats.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016

Perrault, J., Author. Petful: Why do Cats Hate Water?, 2013, http://www.petful.com/behaviors/why-do- cats-hate- water/

Schultze, K., Author. Feline Nutrition Foundation. Your Cat’s Nutritional Needs: The Basics, 2015, http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/your- cats-nutritional- need-the- basics

SciShow Kids. “3 Cool Facts About Cats!”. YouTube. Accessed 20 Oct. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5RErqM1RZk

The International Cat Association. What Makes TICA Different?. Accessed 16 Oct. 2016, http://tica.org

“The 10 Most Popular Cat Breeds”. Catster, http://www.caster.com/cat-breeds/most- popular-cat- breeds. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016