Cat Breeds

American Shorthair

                Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a

purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own

characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you

would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would

care to consider:

The American Shorthair

                Originally known as the Domestic Shorthair, the American Shorthair is truly

America's cat. The Shorthairs' ancestors came to America from Europe with the early

settlers. Records show that the famous Mayflower had several working cats aboard her on

her famous voyage to the new world. Also, written records exist that mention the cats that

lived with the colonists at Jamestown in 1609. These cats were working members of their

communities and valued for their contributions to the well being of these early

Cat Breeds

Persian

                Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a

purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own

characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you

would characteristics you would like to see in your

new companion. Perhaps you would care to consider:

The Persian

                A very ancient breed of cat, the Persian was first mentioned in hieroglyphs

beginning at approximately 1684 B.C. The Persians' beginnings have long been lost to

time. The Persian was so named for their ostensible country of origin, the great ancient

empire of Persia which was located in around the modern country of Iran. The first

known Persian cats to arrive in Europe were brought by an Italian traveler, Pietro della

Valle, in the 1600s. Persians became very popular throughout Europe. At the first modern

Naming Your Cat

                With all apologies to T.S. Eliot, the naming of cats is not all that delicate a matter.

But some thought should certainly be given to it. Giving the cat a foolish or ugly name on

the spur of the moment because it sounds funny is no way to start a relationship. It

encourages a careless and disrespectful attitude toward the cat not only in yourself, but in

other people as well. A bad name encourages a bad attitude toward the cat. Fortunately,

coming up with a good name can be fun and there are endless possibilities for ideas.

                One very popular way for finding a good name is to look up the names of stars,

galaxies or constellations. You don't have to stick with just the major ones. Look up

some of the minor constellations and stars as well. You could find just the perfect name

in a constellation you had previously never heard of. You too may find you have a

Dorado or Indus on your hands. Another popular means of naming cats is using human

How Kittens Learn to Hunt

 Cats have been famous for hunting mice and rats for as long as cats and people

have been together. As strange as it may seem to some people, cats are not born knowing

how to hunt. It is a skill they learn from watching their mothers. If the mother cat is a

good hunter, then her kittens will learn to be good hunters. Interestingly, kittens seem to

learn the best from their mothers. They do not seem to learn as well or as quickly from

watching other adult cats.

                At about five or six weeks of age, a mother cat will begin teaching her kittens

how to hunt. At first she brings dead mice to the kittens. She will eat some of the mice in

front of the kittens. In this way she is showing them that mice are their prey and that they

are good to eat. As time goes on the kittens begin to play with the dead mice their mother

brings them. Before long the kittens are flinging the dead mice around and pouncing on

them. It's a good idea to stand clear of them when they're at this stage. You might get

smacked by a flying mouse if you don't!

Cat Behavior

  Cats are known as solitary animals. They don't hunt communally or share the

spoils of a hunt. Sometimes cats with adjoining territories will get together for a pleasant

evening grooming session, but on the whole they are not the most social creatures with

others of their kind. This general wisdom does not always seem to hold up.

                My barn cats are a single family descended from a lone female who wandered

onto our place one day and decided to stay. She and her children and grandchildren police

the local rodent population. Their behavior doesn't always match the solitary hunter of

common wisdom.

Basic Nutrition For Cats

 Cats are what are known as obligate carnivores. An obligate carnivore is one that

must east meat. You cannot just turn her out to graze in a pasture. The digestive tract of

cats has been shortened and optimized proteins from meat. They simply don't have the

dental or digestive apparatus to process plant materials. It's therefore surprising, given

their physical inability to process plants, that you will still find cats nibbling on plants

from time to time. There are many theories for why cats would nibble plants. They may

be trying to balance an upset digestion or add missing vitamins and minerals. Perhaps

they simply like the taste. Maybe it's a combination of factors. The jury is still out on this

matter.

Cat Breeds

Maine Coon Cat

                Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a

purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own

characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you

would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would

care to consider:

Maine Coon Cat

                The ancestry of these big, hearty cats from New England is unknown. Most likely

they came across from Europe with the early settlers as working cats on the ships. Some

of these long haired ship cats apparently decided to disembark in the new world and

made their home there along with the new colonists. Winter in New England can be

extremely tough. Only the strongest survived those early winters, human or cat. Once

they settled in to their new homes, these long haired cats began to thrive. The Shaggies,

as they were called then, became a familiar part of colonial life throughout New England.