Features of cat care

A cat is a domestic animal that has been domesticated by humans for a very long time. And these pets are kept in the house more often than others. Why? I think this happens for many reasons. The cat is a small, independent, clean animal; caring for cats does not require any special skills, and communication brings great pleasure.

Most of the animals tamed by man were needed by him as a source of food, assistants in hunting, that is, they brought real benefits. And man domesticated the cat much later than other animals - cows, horses, sheep, chickens, and others. Why and what is its benefit to humans? Perhaps she liked the person and became useful, and she threw in her lot with him. Other animals were influenced by humans and often changed while living with humans. But the cat, having become a human companion forever, remained independent, wayward, almost half-wild. Quickly getting used to its owner, the cat does not lose its independence. Apparently this is a feature of the cat type.

The domestic cat is a very independent animal, and I also consider it the most graceful, charming and affectionate. Cats are more likely than other animals to be kept indoors. How did she end up next to a person? What attracts most people to interacting with a cat? Let's try to figure it out. Having considered the history of domestication, behavioral characteristics, character traits and conducting several experiments.

Cats appeared on our planet earlier than people. After the era of dinosaurs. Nowadays, there are different predators, one of them is cats.

The cat belongs to the cat family. The cat family belongs to the carnivores. Includes large animals with long limbs, armed with claws and have long fangs. They are primarily nocturnal predators that stalk their prey, pounce and sink their fangs into their prey or tear it apart with their claws.

The cat family is very large. It includes very large, the most dangerous predators in nature, and smaller ones. The most agile, strong, jumping, huge and fast predators are the tiger, lion, panther, jaguar, puma, cheetah. There are smaller predators - lynx, Pallas's cat, jungle cat, which have settled almost all over the world, except for the Far North and the South Pole (Antarctica).

The domestic cat is similar to its wild relatives in body shape, but differs in size and coat color.

The cat is a small animal covered with thin fur. The average adult cat is about 50cm long from nose to tail. An average adult cat weighs approximately 3-5 kg. Domestic cats live up to 15-20 years, but if the cat is unlucky and lives on the street, then this period is shorter. Cats are warmer than people because their body temperature is 2 degrees higher.

Cats are predators and therefore have sharp teeth and claws with which they can cause harm if they want. But basically all this is for protection, hunting or playing. The fact is that cats love to play all their lives. Like children, only they will not grow up and will always play. Probably cats need this property instead of hunting.

It is very important to talk about cats' eyes. They are very sharp-sighted; they have a vertical pupil, and most importantly, cats can see in the dark. At the same time, the eyes “glow”, that is, they reflect light.

Cats' ears are also very sensitive. To hear better, cats move their ears and point them in the direction where the sound is coming from. In this case, the cat may not turn its head.

Cats also have whiskers and eyebrows, with which the cat seems to hear and feel.

The history of domestication of domestic cats

The domestication of cats occurred about 5 thousand years ago. The earliest depictions of cats were found in Egypt and date back to around the 3rd millennium BC. e. The Egyptians considered the cat a sacred animal and believed that deities could appear in the form of a cat. These animals lived in temples and were considered guards.

A long time ago in Egypt, on the banks of the Nile River, a favorable climate and fertile soils allowed man to develop these lands. Gradually, it was in this place that a whole state of the pharaohs was formed. Large harvests made it possible to feed the country and create grain reserves for future use, and the grain had to be protected from rodents - mice and rats. And only cats then could help preserve supplies. That's why the Egyptians treated cats so well and considered them a sacred animal.

Everywhere along the Nile River, the domestic cat was greatly loved and respected. Thanks to its mysterious nocturnal lifestyle and eyes that glow in the dark, it was declared a sacred animal and dedicated to the goddess of the Moon and fertility - Bastet, who was painted with a cat's head.

In some cities, temples of the “cat” goddess were even built. In honor of the sacred cats, performances were organized with singing, music, and dancing. Numerous wooden, bone, clay, and gold figurines of our favorite animals have survived to this day.

Cats were called “good spirits of the home.” The Egyptians believed that the soul of the mistress of the house after death moved into a cat - a clean animal that did not allow mice to run around the table. In those days there were cats in every family. People everywhere gave way to furry creatures, and in the event of a fire, first of all they took the cat out of the house, and only after that - things. After the death of the animal, a funeral was held and mourned as a member of the family.

Cats appeared on the territory of our continent much later; apparently the Egyptians did not want to share their secret of taming cats. Cats were very rare; they were probably sometimes brought by travelers. But later, when many rats appeared in Europe due to wars and diseases, people had to use the help of cats. They helped protect property and destroyed rodents that carried diseases.

Over time, a cat also appeared in Rus'. Both the peasant and the merchant respected the cat for its work. In the century before last, even palaces kept many cats to catch mice. The cat in Rus' has long been revered as the keeper of the hearth, a symbol of comfort. There was even such a sign: before entering a new house, they first let themselves in front. It was believed that she would ensure well-being. And where she lay down, they placed a bed.

We can say that in Russia the cat did not enjoy such reverence and respect as in Egypt, but it occupied a worthy place in the house.

A cat can express its feelings and mood by meowing or behavior. When in a good mood, a cat purrs, its fur is smooth, its whiskers point in different directions. An angry cat may growl, with the hair standing on end on the back of the neck, the whiskers and ears pressed to the muzzle.

Some cats are more talkative than others. Cats usually meow to attract human attention, such as to be fed or played with. A cat's meow can also mean a greeting or a signal for help. Cats are capable of creating different voices. Some of them are very harsh and unpleasant, especially during fights between cats. Small kittens make a thin squeak.

Domestic cats love to purr, which usually means that the animal is happy and in a good mood. Cats often purr to their kittens. When purring, a contented cat may close its eyes halfway.

When playing with humans, well-mannered cats usually hide their claws and play only with their paw pads. But if the cat does scratch, then the scratches take a long time to heal and therefore you need to immediately anoint them, for example, with iodine.

The tail is a very expressive tool in cats: a calm tail curled around the body or held high means a good mood. A cat may twitch the tip of its tail when it is angry or nervous. And when a cat gets very angry, the cat’s tail begins to beat and knock.

When a domestic cat is happy, it is petted and sometimes stretches out its paws, letting its claws in and out. It’s not clear why they do this, but apparently it’s nice for cats. It also happens that when a cat sleeps, it stretches out and spreads its paws in different directions. If you stroke the cat at this moment, it stretches out even more and releases its claws.

Even at home, cats often “wake up” to hunting habits; they are very attracted to all sorts of dangling and hanging objects, the animal perceives them as prey and begins to hunt or play. A toy can be any object - a rope, a bell, a ball rolling on the floor, tinsel from a Christmas tree, the hands and fingers of the owner, even your tail.