Cats

In this episode of the I Can't Sleep Podcast, fall asleep learning about cats. You may be a cat lover or hater, but either way, the history of cats is fascinating enough to bore you to sleep. Hopefully, you learn something interesting before drifting off. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Bostor.

Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled,

Cat.

The cat,

Phylliscatus,

Is a domestic species of small,

Carnivorous mammal.

It is the only domesticated species in the family Felida and is often referred to as the domestic cat,

To distinguish it from the wild members of the family.

A cat can either be a house cat,

A farm cat,

Or a feral cat.

The latter ranges freely and avoids human contact.

Domestic cats are valued by humans for companionship and their ability to hunt rodents.

About 60 cat breeds are recognized by various cat registries.

The cat is similar in anatomy to other felid species.

It has a strong,

Flexible body,

Quick reflexes,

Sharp teeth,

And retractable claws adapted to killing small prey.

Its night vision and sense of smell are well developed.

Cat communication includes vocalizations like meowing,

Purring,

Trilling,

Hissing,

Growling,

And grunting,

As well as cat-specific body language.

A predator that is most active at dawn and dusk,

Crepuscular,

The cat is a solitary hunter,

But a social species.

It can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears,

Such as those made by mice and other small mammals.

It secretes and perceives pheromones.

Female domestic cats can have kittens from spring to late autumn,

With litter sizes often ranging from two to five kittens.

Domestic cats are bred and shown at events as registered pedigreed cats,

A hobby known as cat fancy.

Failure to control breeding of pet cats by spaying and neutering,

As well as abandonment of pets,

Resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide,

Contributing to the extinction of entire bird,

Mammal,

And reptile species,

And evoking population control.

Cats were first domesticated in the Near East around 7500 BC.

It was long thought that cat domestication was initiated in ancient Egypt,

As since around 3100 BC veneration was given to cats there.

As of 2021,

There are an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world.

As of 2017,

The domestic cat was the second most popular pet in the United States,

With 95 million cats owned.

In the United Kingdom,

26% of adults have a cat,

With an estimated population of 10.

9 million pet cats as of 2020.

Etymology and Naming The origin of the English word cat is thought to be the late Latin word catus,

Which was first used at the beginning of the 6th century.

It was suggested that the word catus is derived from an Egyptian precursor of Coptic,

Sou,

Tomcat,

Or its feminine form suffixed with T.

The late Latin word may be derived from another Afroasiatic or Nilo-Saharan language.

The Nubian word kadiska,

Wildcat,

And nobincadis are possible sources or cognates.

The Nubian word may be a loan from Arabic,

Kat,

Kit.

It is equally likely that the forms might derive from an ancient Germanic word,

Imported into Latin and thence to Greek and to Syriac and Arabic.

The word may be derived from Germanic and Northern European languages,

And ultimately be borrowed from Uralic,

Female stot,

And Hungarian,

Hölgy stot,

From Proto-Uralic,

Kadva,

Female of a furred animal.

A male cat is called a tom,

Or tomcat,

Or a gib,

If neutered.

An unspayed female is called a queen,

Especially in a cat breeding context.

A juvenile cat is referred to as a kitten.

In early modern English,

The word kitten was interchangeable with the now obsolete word catling.

A group of cats can be referred to as a clowder or a glaring.

Taxonomy The scientific name Phyllis Katus was proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for a domestic cat.

Phyllis Katus domesticus was proposed by Johann Christian Polycarp X.

Lerbin in 1777.

Phyllis Daemon proposed by Konstantin Aleksevich Satanin in 1904 was a black cat from the Transcaucasus,

Later identified as a domestic cat.

In 2003,

The International Commission on Zoology Nomenclature ruled that the domestic cat is a distinct species,

Namely Phyllis Katus.

In 2007,

It was considered a subspecies F.

Sylvestris katus of the European wildcat F.

Sylvestris,

Following results of phylogenetic research.

In 2017,

The IUCN Cat Classification Task Force followed the recommendation of the ICZN in regarding the domestic cat as a distinct species,

Phyllis Katus.

Evolution The domestic cat is a member of the Phyllida,

A family that had a common ancestor about 10-15 million years ago.

The genus Phyllis diverged from other Phyllidae around 6-7 million years ago.

Results of phylogenetic research confirmed that the wild Phyllis species evolved through sympatric or parapatric speciation,

Whereas the domestic cat evolved through artificial selection.

The domesticated cat and its closest wild ancestor are diploid and both possesses 38 chromosomes and roughly 20,

000 genes.

The leopard cat was tamed independently in China around 5500 BC.

This line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today.

In The earliest known indication for the taming of an African wild cat was excavated close by a human Neolithic grave in Shilo-Rocumbus,

Southern Cyprus,

Dating to about 7500-7200 BC.

Since there is no evidence of native mammalian fauna on Cyprus,

The inhabitants of this Neolithic village most likely brought the cat and other wild animals to the island from the Middle Eastern mainland.

Scientists therefore assume that African wild cats were attracted to early human settlements in the Fertile Crescent by rodents,

In particular the house mouse,

And were tamed by Neolithic farmers.

This commensal relationship between early farmers and tamed cats lasted thousands of years.

As agricultural practices spread,

So did tame and domesticated cats.

Wild cats of Egypt contributed to the maternal gene pool of the domestic cat at a later time.

The earliest known evidence for the occurrence of the domestic cat in Greece dates to around 1200 BC.

Greek,

Phoenician,

Carthaginian,

And Etruscan traders introduced domestic cats to Southern Europe.

During the Roman Empire they were introduced to Corsica and Sardinia before the beginning of the first millennium.

By the 5th century BC they were familiar animals around settlements in Magna Grisia and Etruria.

By the end of the Roman Empire in the 5th century,

The Egyptian domestic cat lineage had arrived in a Baltic sea port in northern Germany.

During domestication cats have undergone only minor changes in anatomy and behavior,

And they are still capable of surviving in the wild.

Several natural behaviors and characteristics of wild cats may have pre-adapted them for domestication as pets.

These traits include their small size,

Social nature,

Obvious body language,

Love of play,

And relatively high intelligence.

Captive leperdus cats may also display affectionate behavior toward humans,

But were not domesticated.

Keles cats often mate with feral cats,

Producing hybrids such as the Keles cat in Scotland.

Hybridization between domestic and other feline species is also possible.

Development of cat breeds started in the mid-19th century.

An analysis of the domestic cat genome revealed that the ancestral wild cat genome was significantly altered in the process of domestication as specific mutations were selected to develop cat breeds.

Most breeds are founded on random bred domestic cats.

Genetic diversity of these breeds varies between regions and is lowest in purebred populations,

Which show more than 20 deleterious genetic disorders.

Domestics Size The domestic cat has a smaller skull and shorter bones than the European wild cat.

It averages about 46 cm in head-to-body length and 23-25 cm in height,

With about a 30 cm long tail.

Males are larger than females.

Old domestic cats typically weigh between 4 and 5 kg.

Skeleton Cats have 7 cervical vertebrae,

As do most mammals.

13 thoracic vertebrae,

Humans have 12.

7 lumbar vertebrae,

Humans have 5.

3 sacral vertebrae,

As do most mammals,

But humans have 5.

And a variable number of caudal vertebrae in the tail.

Humans have only vestigial caudal vertebrae,

Fused into an internal coccyx.

The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae account for the cat's spinal mobility and flexibility.

Attached to the spine are 13 ribs,

The shoulder and the pelvis.

Unlike human arms,

Cat forelimbs are attached to the shoulder by free-floating clavicle bones which allow them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their head.

Skull The cat's skull is unusual among mammals,

And having very large eye sockets and a powerful specialized jaw.

Within the jaw,

Cats have teeth adapted for killing prey and tearing meat.

When it overpowers its prey,

A cat delivers a lethal neck bite with its two long canine teeth,

Inserting them between two of the prey's vertebrae and severing its spinal cord,

Causing irreversible paralysis and death.

Compared to other felines,

Domestic cats have narrow-spaced canine teeth relative to the size of their jaw,

Which is an adaptation to their preferred prey of small rodents,

Which have small vertebrae.

The premolar and first molar together compose the carnasial pair in each side of the mouth,

Which efficiently shears meat into small pieces,

Like a pair of scissors.

These are vital in feeding,

Since cats' small molars cannot chew food effectively,

And cats are largely incapable of mastication.

Although cats tend to have better teeth than most humans,

With decay generally less likely because of a thicker protective layer of enamel,

A less damaging saliva,

Less retention of food particles between teeth,

And a diet mostly devoid of sugar,

They are nonetheless subject to occasional tooth loss and infection.

Claws Cats have protractable and retractable claws.

In their normal,

Relaxed position,

The claws are sheathed with the skin and fur around the paws' toe pads.

This keeps the claws sharp by preventing wear from contact with the ground,

And allows the silent stalking of prey.

The claws on the forefeet are typically sharper than those on the hindfeet.

Cats can voluntarily extend their claws on one or more paws.

They may extend their claws in hunting or self-defense,

Climbing,

Kneading,

Or for extra traction on soft surfaces.

Cats shed the outside layer of their claw sheaths when scratching rough surfaces.

Most cats have five claws on their front paws and four on their rear paws.

The dew claw is proximal to the other claws.

More proximally is a protrusion,

Which appears to be a sixth finger.

This special feature of the front paws on the inside of the wrists has no function in normal walking,

But is thought to be an anti-skidding device used while jumping.

Some cat breeds are prone to having extra digits.

Polydactylus cats occur along North America's northeast coast and in Great Britain.

Ambulation The cat is digitigrade.

It walks on the toes,

With the bones of the feet making up the lower part of the visible leg.

Unlike most mammals,

It uses a pacing gait and moves both legs on one side of the body before the legs on the other side.

It registers directly by placing each hind paw close to the track of the corresponding fore paw,

Minimizing noise and visible tracks.

This also provides sure footing for hind paws when navigating rough terrain.

As it speeds up walking to trotting,

Its gait changes to a diagonal gait.

The diagonally opposed hind and fore legs move simultaneously.

Balance Most breeds of cat have a noted fondness for sitting in high places or perching.

A higher place may serve as a concealed site from which to hunt.

The cats strike prey by pouncing from a perch such as a tree branch.

Another possible explanation is that height gives the cat a better observation point,

Allowing it to survey its territory.

A cat falling from heights of up to three meters can right itself and land on its paws.

During a fall from a high place,

A cat flexibly twists its body and rights itself to land on its feet using its acute sense of balance and flexibility.

This reflex is known as the cat-riding reflex.

A cat always rights itself in the same way during a fall,

If it has enough time to do so,

Which is the case in falls of 90 centimeters or more.

How cats are able to right themselves when falling has been investigated as the falling cat problem.

Senses Vision Cats have excellent night vision and can see at only one sixth the light level required for human vision.

This is partly the result of cat eyes having a tapetum lucidum,

Which reflects any light that passes through the retina back into the eye,

Thereby increasing the eye's sensitivity to dim light.

Large pupils are an adaptation to dim light.

The domestic cat has slit pupils which allow it to focus bright light without chromatic aberration.

At low light,

A cat's pupils expand to cover most of the exposed surface of its eyes.

However,

The domestic cat has rather poor color vision and only two types of cone cells,

Optimized for sensitivity to blue and yellowish green.

Its ability to distinguish between red and green is limited.

A response to middle wavelengths from a system other than the rod cells might be due to a third type of cone.

However,

This appears to be an adaptation to low light levels rather than representing true trichromatic vision.

Hearing The domestic cat's hearing is most acute in the range of 500 Hz to 32 kHz.

It can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies ranging from 55 Hz to 79,

000 Hz.

It can hear a range of 10.

5 octaves,

While humans and dogs can hear ranges of about 9 octaves.

Its hearing sensitivity is enhanced by its large movable outer ears,

The pinnae,

Which amplify sounds and help detect the location of a noise.

It can detect ultrasound,

Which enables it to detect ultrasonic calls made by rodent prey.

Smell Cats have an acute sense of smell due in part to their well-developed olfactory bulb and a large surface of olfactory mucosa,

About 5.

8 cm2 in area,

Which is about twice that of humans.

Cats and many other animals have a Jacobson's organ in their mouths,

And that is used in the behavioral process of fleming.

It allows them to sense certain aromas in a way that humans cannot.

Cats are sensitive to pheromones,

Such as 3-mercapto,

3-methylbiton,

1-ol,

Which they use to communicate through urine spraying and marking with scent glands.

Many cats also respond strongly to plants that contain neptilactone,

Especially catnip,

As it can detect that substance at less than one part per billion.

About 70 to 80% of cats are affected by neptilactone.

This response is also produced by other plants such as silver vine and the herb valerian.

It may be caused by the smell of these plants mimicking a pheromone and stimulating cats' social or sexual behaviors.

Taste Cats have relatively few taste buds compared to humans,

470 or so versus more than 9,

000 on the human tongue.

Domestic and wild cats share a taste receptor gene mutation that keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules,

Leaving them with no ability to taste sweetness.

Their taste buds instead respond to acids,

Amino acids like protein and bitter tastes.

Cats also have a distinct temperature preference for their food,

Preferring food with a temperature around 38 degrees Celsius,

Which is similar to that of a fresh kill and routinely rejecting food presented cold or refrigerated,

Which would signal to the cat that the prey item is long dead and therefore possibly toxic or decomposing.

Whiskers To aid with navigation and sensation,

Cats have dozens of movable whiskers over their body,

Especially their faces.

These provide information on the width of gaps and on the location of objects in the dark,

Both by touching objects directly and by sensing air currents.

They also trigger protective blink reflexes to protect the eyes from damage.

Behavior Outdoor cats are active both day and night,

Although they tend to be slightly more active at night.

Domestic cats spend the majority of their time in the vicinity of their homes,

But can range many hundreds of meters from this central point.

They establish territories that vary considerably in size,

In one study ranging from 7 to 28 hectares.

The timing of cats' activity is quite flexible and varied,

Which means house cats may be more active in the morning and evening as a response to greater human activity at these times.

Cats can serve energy by sleeping more than most animals,

Especially as they grow older.

The daily duration of sleep varies,

Usually between 12 and 16 hours,

With 13 and 14 being the average.

Some cats can sleep as much as 20 hours.

The term cat nap for a short rest refers to the cat's tendency to fall asleep lightly for a brief period.

Fall asleep cats experience short periods of rapid eye movement sleep,

Often accompanied by muscle twitches,

Which suggest they are dreaming.

Sociability The social behavior of the domestic cat ranges from widely dispersed individuals to feral cat colonies that gather around a food source,

Based on groups of cooperating females.

Within such groups,

One cat is usually dominant over the others.

Each cat in a colony holds a distinct territory,

With sexually active males having the largest territories which are about 10 times larger than those of female cats,

And may overlap with several females' territories.

These territories are marked by urine spraying by rubbing objects at head height with secretions from facial glands,

And by defecation.

Between these territories are neutral areas where cats watch and greet one another without territorial conflicts.

Outside these neutral areas,

Territory holders usually chase away stranger cats,

At first by staring,

Hissing,

And growling,

And if that does not work,

By short but noisy and violent attacks.

Despite this colonial organization,

Cats do not have a social survival strategy or a pack mentality,

And always hunt alone.

Life and proximity to humans and other domestic animals has led to a symbiotic social adaptation in cats,

And cats may express great affection toward humans or other animals.

Aesologically,

The human keeper of a cat functions as a sort of surrogate for the cat's mother.

Adult cats live their lives in a kind of extended kittenhood,

A form of behavioral neotony.

Their high-pitched sounds may mimic the cries of a hungry human infant,

Making them particularly difficult for humans to ignore.

However,

Some pet cats are poorly socialized.

In particular,

Older cats show aggressiveness towards newly arrived kittens,

Which include biting and scratching.

This type of behavior is known as feline asocial aggression.

Domestic cats' scent-rubbing behavior towards humans or other cats is thought to be a feline means for social bonding.

Communication Domestic cats use many vocalizations for communication including purring,

Trilling,

Hissing,

Growling,

Snarling,

Grunting,

And several different forms of meowing.

Their body language,

Including position of ears and tail,

Relaxation of the whole body,

And kneading of the paws are all indicators of mood.

The tail and ears are particularly important social signal mechanisms in cats.

A raised tail indicates a friendly greeting,

And flattened ears indicates hostility.

Tail raising also indicates the cat's position in the group's social hierarchy,

With dominant individuals raising their tails less often than subordinate ones.

Feral cats are generally silent.

Host to nose touching is also a common greeting,

And may be followed by social grooming,

Which is solicited by one of the cats raising and tilting its head.

Purring may have developed as an evolutionary advantage as a signaling mechanism of reassurance between mother cats and nursing kittens.

Post-nursing cats often purr as a sign of contentment,

When being petted,

Becoming relaxed,

Or eating.

A mechanism by which cats purr is elusive.

The cat has no unique anatomical feature that is clearly responsible for the sound.

Grooming Cats are known for spending considerable amounts of time licking their coats to keep them clean.

The cat's tongue has backwards facing spines about 500 micrometers long,

Which are called papillae.

These contain keratin which makes them rigid,

So the papillae act like a hairbrush.

Some cats,

Particularly long haired cats,

Occasionally regurgitate hairballs of fur that have collected in their stomachs from grooming.

These clumps of fur are usually sausage shaped and about 2-3 centimeters long.

Hairballs can be prevented with remedies that ease elimination of the hair through the gut,

As well as regular grooming of the coat with a comb or a syph brush.

Fighting Among domestic cats,

Males are more likely to fight than females.

Among feral cats,

The most common reason for cat fighting is competition between two males to mate with a female.

In such cases,

Most fights are won by the heavier male.

Another common reason for fighting in domestic cats is the difficulty of establishing territories within a small home.

Female cats also fight over territory or to defend their kittens.

Neutering will decrease or eliminate this behavior in many cases,

Suggesting that the behavior is linked to sex hormones.

When cats become aggressive,

They try to make themselves appear larger and more threatening by raising their fur,

Arching their backs,

Turning sideways,

And hissing or spitting.

Often the ears are pointed down and back to avoid damage to the inner ear and potentially listen for any changes behind them while focused forward.

They may also vocalize loudly and bare their teeth in an effort to further intimidate their opponent.

Fights usually consist of grappling and delivering powerful slaps to the face and body with the forepaws as well as bites.

Cats also throw themselves to the ground in a defensive posture to rake their opponent's belly with their powerful hind legs.

Serious damage is rare as the fights are usually short in duration,

With the loser running away with little more than a few scratches to the face and ears.

However fights for mating rights are typically more severe and injuries may include deep puncture wounds and lacerations.

Normally serious injuries from fighting are limited to infections of scratches and bites,

Though these can occasionally kill cats if untreated.

In addition,

Bites are probably the main route of transmission of feline immunodeficiency virus.

Sexually active males are usually involved in many fights during their lives and often have decidedly battered faces with obvious scars and cuts to their ears and nose.

Hunting and Feeding The shape and structure of cats' cheeks is insufficient to allow them to take in liquids using suction.

Therefore,

When drinking,

They lap with the tongue to draw liquid upwards into their mouths.

Eating at a rate of four times a second,

A cat touches the smooth tip of its tongue to the surface of the water and quickly retracts it like a corkscrew drawing water upwards.

Feral cats and free-fed house cats consume several small meals in a day.

The frequency and size of meals varies between individuals.

They select food based on its temperature,

Smell,

And texture.

They dislike chilled foods and respond most strongly to moist foods rich in amino acids,

Which are similar to meat.

Cats reject novel flavors,

A response termed neophobia,

And learn quickly to avoid foods that have tasted unpleasant in the past.

It is also a common misconception that cats like milk or cream as they tend to avoid sweet food and milk.

Most adult cats are lactose intolerant.

The sugar in milk is not easily digested and may cause soft stools or diarrhea.

Some also develop odd eating habits and like to eat or chew on things like wool,

Plastic,

Cables,

Paper,

String,

Aluminum foil,

Or even coal.

This condition,

Pica,

Can threaten their health depending on the amount and toxicity of the items eaten.

Cats hunt small prey,

Primarily birds and rodents,

And are often used as a form of pest control.

Cats use two hunting strategies,

Either stalking prey actively or waiting in ambush until an animal comes close enough to be captured.

Cats use two hunting strategies,

Either stalking prey actively or waiting in ambush until an animal comes close enough to be captured.

The strategy used depends on the prey species in the area,

With cats waiting in ambush outside burrows but tending to actively stalk birds.

Domestic cats are a major predator of wildlife in the United States,

Killing an estimated 1.

3 to 4 billion birds and 6.

3 to 22.

3 billion mammals annually.

Certain species appear more susceptible than others.

For example,

30% of house sparrow mortality is linked to the domestic cat.

In the recovery of Ringed Robins and Dunucks,

31% of deaths were a result of cat predation.

In parts of North America,

The presence of larger carnivores such as coyotes,

Which prey on cats and other small predators,

Reduces the effect of predation by cats and other small predators such as opossums and raccoons on bird numbers and variety.

Perhaps the best known element of cats' hunting behavior,

Which is commonly misunderstood and often appalls cat owners because it looks like torture,

Is that cats often appear to play with prey by releasing it after capture.

This cat and mouse behavior is due to an instinctive imperative to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat.

Another poorly understood element of cat hunting behavior is the presentation of prey to human guardians.

One explanation is that cats adopt humans into their social group and share excess kill with others in the group according to the dominance hierarchy,

In which humans are reacted to as if they are at or near the top.

Another explanation is that they attempt to teach their guardians to hunt or to help their human as if feeding an elderly cat or an inept kitten.

This hypothesis is inconsistent with the fact that male cats also bring home prey,

Despite males having negligible involvement in raising kittens.

Play Domestic cats,

Especially young kittens,

Are known for their love of play.

This behavior mimics hunting and is important in helping kittens learn to stalk,

Capture,

And kill prey.

Cats also engage in play fighting with each other and with humans.

This behavior may be a way for cats to practice the skills needed for real combat,

And might also reduce any fear they associate with launching attacks on other animals.

Cats also tend to play with toys more when they are hungry.

Owing to the close similarity between play and hunting,

Cats prefer to play with objects that resemble prey,

Such as small furry toys that move rapidly but rapidly lose interest.

They become habituated to a toy they have played with before.

String is often used as a toy,

But if it is eaten,

It can become caught at the base of the cat's tongue and then move into the intestines,

A medical emergency which can cause serious illness,

Even death.

Owing to the risks posed by cats eating string,

It is sometimes replaced with a laser pointer's dot which cats may chase.

Lifespan and Health The average lifespan of pet cats has risen in recent decades.

In the early 1980s,

It was about 7 years,

Rising to 9.

4 years in 1995,

And 15.

1 years in 2018.

Some cats have been reported as surviving into their 30s,

With the oldest known cat,

Cream Puff,

Dying at a verified age of 38.

Spaying increases life expectancy.

One study found castrated male cats live twice as long as intact males,

While spayed female cats live 62% longer than intact females.

Having a cat neutered confers health benefits.

Because castrated males cannot develop testicular cancer,

Spayed females cannot develop uterine or ovarian cancer,

And both have a reduced risk of mammary cancer.

Disease About 250 heritable genetic disorders have been identified in cats,

Many similar to human inborn errors or metabolism.

The high level of similarity among the metabolism of mammals allows many of these feline diseases to be diagnosed using genetic tests that were originally developed for use in humans,

As well as the use of cats as animal models in the study of the human diseases.

Diseases affecting domestic cats include acute infections,

Parasitic infections,

Injuries,

And chronic diseases such as kidney disease,

Thyroid disease,

And arthritis.

Vaccinations are available for many infectious diseases,

As are treatments to eliminate parasites such as worms,

Ticks,

And fleas.

Ecology Habitats The domestic cat is a cosmopolitan species and occurs across much of the world.

It is adaptable and now present on all continents except Antarctica,

And on 118 of the 131 main groups of islands,

Even on the isolated Kerguelen Islands.

Due to its ability to thrive in almost any terrestrial habitat,

It is among the world's most invasive species.

As it is little altered from the wild cat,

It can readily interbreed with the wild cat.

This hybridization poses a danger to the genetic distinctiveness of some wild cat populations,

Particularly in Scotland and Hungary,

And possibly also the Iberian Peninsula.

It lives in small islands with no human inhabitants.

Feral cats can live in forests,

Grasslands,

Tundra,

Coastal areas,

Agricultural land,

Scrublands,

Urban areas,

And wetlands.

Feral cats Feral cats are domestic cats that were born in or have reverted to a wild state.

They are unfamiliar with and wary of humans and roam freely in urban and rural areas.

The numbers of feral cats is not known,

But estimates of the United States feral population range from 25 to 60 million.

Feral cats may live alone,

But most are found in large colonies which occupy a specific territory and are usually associated with a source of food.

Famous feral cat colonies are found in Rome around the Colosseum and Forum Romanum,

With cats at some of these sites being fed and given medical attention by volunteers.

Public attitudes towards feral cats vary widely from seeing them as free-ranging pets to regarding them as vermin.

One common approach to reducing the feral cat population is termed trap-neuter return,

Where the cats are trapped,

Neutered,

Immunized against diseases such as rabies and the feline panleukopenia and leukemia viruses,

And then released.

Before releasing them back into their feral colonies,

The attending veterinarian often nips the tip off one ear to mark it as neutered and inoculated,

Since these cats may be trapped again.

Volunteers continue to feed and give care to these cats throughout their lives.

Given this support,

Their lifespans are increased and behavior and nuisance problems caused by competition for food are reduced.

Some feral cats can be successfully socialized and retamed for adoption.

Feline cats,

Especially kittens,

And cats that have had prior experience and contact with humans,

Are the most receptive to these efforts.

Impact on Wildlife On islands,

Birds can contribute to as much as 60% of a cat's diet.

In nearly all cases,

However,

The cat cannot be identified as the sole cause for reducing the numbers of island birds.

And in some instances,

Eradication of cats has caused a mesopredator release effect,

Where the suppression of top carnivores creates an abundance of smaller predators that cause a severe decline in their shared prey.

Domestic cats are,

However,

Known to be a contributing factor to the decline of many species,

A factor that has ultimately led in some cases to extinction.

The South Island Pio Pio,

Chatham Rail,

And the New Zealand Mergenzer are a few from a long list with the most extreme case being the flightless Lylesrin,

Which was driven to extinction only a few years after its discovery.

One feral cat in New Zealand killed 102 New Zealand lesser short-tailed bats in seven days.

In the US,

Feral and free-ranging domestic cats kill an estimated 6.

3 to 22.

3 billion mammals annually.

In Australia,

The impact of cats on mammal populations is even greater than the impact of habitat loss.

More than one million reptiles are killed by feral cats each day,

Representing 258 species.

Cats have contributed to the extinction of the Navassa curly-tailed lizard and the Chaoninia cockatoo.

Interaction with humans Cats are common pets throughout the world,

And their worldwide population as of 2007 exceeded 500 million.

Cats have been used for millennia to control rodents,

Notably around grain stores and aboard ships,

And both uses extend to the present day.

As well as being kept as pets,

Cats are also used in the international fur trade and leather industries for making coats,

Hats,

Blankets,

And stuffed toys.

In shoes,

Gloves,

And musical instruments respectively,

About 24 cats are needed to make a cat fur coat.

This use has been outlawed in the United States since 2000,

And in the European Union as well as the United Kingdom since 2007.

Cat pelts have been used for superstitious purposes as part of the practice of witchcraft,

And are still made into blankets in Switzerland as traditional medicine thought to cure rheumatism.

A few attempts to build a cat census have been made over the years,

Both through associations or national and international organizations,

Such as the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies one,

And over the internet,

But such a task does not seem simple to achieve.

All estimates for the global population of domestic cats range widely from anywhere between 200 million to 600 million.

Walter Chendoa made his career photographing cats after his 1949 images of Loco and especially Charming Stray taken in were published around the world.

He is reported to have photographed 90,

000 cats during his career,

And maintained an archive of 225,

000 images that he drew from for publications during his lifetime.

Cat show A cat show is a judged event in which the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard.

It is often required that a cat must be healthy and vaccinated in order to participate in a cat show.

Both pedigreed and non purebred companion,

Maggi,

Cats are admissible,

Although the rules differ depending on the organization.

Competing cats are compared to the applicable breed standard and assessed for temperament.

Infections transmitted from cats to humans.

Cats can be infected or infested with viruses,

Bacteria,

Fungus,

Protozoans,

Arthropods,

Or worms that can transmit diseases to humans.

In some cases,

The cat exhibits no symptoms of the disease.

However,

The same disease can then become evident in a human.

The likelihood that a person will become disease depends on the age and immune status of the person.

Humans who have cats living in their home or in close association are more likely to become infected.

However,

Those who do not keep cats as pets might also acquire infections from cat feces and parasites exiting the cat's body.

Some of the infections of most concern include salmonella,

Cat scratch disease,

And taxoplasmosis.

History and mythology.

In ancient Egypt,

Cats were worshipped and the goddess Bastet often depicted in cat form,

Sometimes taking on the warlike aspect of a lioness.

The Greek historian Herodotus reported that killing a cat was forbidden,

And when a household cat died,

The entire family mourned and shaved their eyebrows.

Families took their dead cats to the sacred city of Bubastis,

Where they were embalmed and buried in sacred repositories.

Herodotus expressed astonishment at the domestic cats in Egypt because he had only ever seen wildcats.

Ancient Greeks and Romans kept weasels as pets,

Which were seen as the ideal rodent killers.

The earliest unmistakable evidence of the Greeks having domestic cats comes from two coins,

From Magna Gratia dating to the mid-5th century BC,

Showing Iocastus and Philanthus,

The legendary founders of Regin and Taurus respectively,

Playing with their pet cats.

The usual ancient Greek word for cat was eilouros,

Meaning thing with the waving tail.

Cats are rarely mentioned in ancient Greek literature.

Aristotle remarked in his History of Animals that female cats are naturally lecherous.

The Greeks later syncretized their own goddess Artemis with the Egyptian goddess Bastet,

Adopting Bastet's association with cats and ascribing them to Artemis.

In Ovid's Metamorphoses,

When the deities flee to Egypt and take animal forms,

The goddess Diana turns into a cat.

Cats eventually displaced weasels as the pest control of choice because they were more pleasant to have around the house and were more enthusiastic hunters of mice.

During the Middle Ages,

Many of Artemis's associations with cats were grafted onto the Virgin Mary.

Cats are often shown in icons of Annunciation and of the Holy Family and according to Italian folklore on the same night that Mary gave birth to Jesus,

A cat in Bethlehem gave birth to a kitten.

Domestic cats were spread throughout much of the rest of the world during the Age of Discovery as ships,

Cats were carried on sailing ships and controlled shipboard rodents and as good luck charms.

Several ancient religions believe cats are exalted souls,

Companions or guides for humans that are all-knowing but mute so they cannot influence decisions made by humans.

In Japan,

The Mineki Neko cat is a symbol of good fortune.

In Norse mythology,

Freya,

The goddess of love,

Beauty and fertility,

Is depicted as riding a chariot drawn by cats.

In Jewish legend,

The first cat was living in the house of the first man Adam as a pet that got rid of mice.

The cat was once partnering with the first dog before the latter broke an oath they had made which resulted in enmity between the descendants of these two animals.

It is also written that neither cats nor foxes are represented in the water while every other animal has an incarnation species in the water.

Although no species are sacred in Islam,

Cats are revered by Muslims.

Some western writers have stated Muhammad had a favorite cat,

Muezzah.

He is reported to have loved cats so much he would do without his cloak rather than disturb one that was sleeping on it.

The story has no origin in early Muslim writers and seems to confuse the story of a later Sufi saint,

Ahmed Ar-Refai,

Centuries after Muhammad.

One of the companions of Muhammad was known as Abu Hurayya,

Father of the kitten,

In reference to his documented affection to cats.

Reviews

Wow, I don't remember any of it. It must have been really good! Thank you.

Amazing. As always. And I love cats, but still I was powerless.

Thank you.

Thank you so much. I like cats but that was boring and I fell right to sleep. Your voice is perfect for trying to fall asleep and it has a great rhythm and tone. Your podcast is amazing, I love it. Keep up the good work.

Such a soothing voice and subconscious learning into the bargain!

I really appreciate these "meditations". I have been listening to a lot of meditations for sleep over the last several years but lately they haven't been as helpful. This is perfect. I noticed that you must work hard on the rhythm and tone of your voice to make it as sleep inducing as possible. Thank you.

Purrfect ! 🤣 I nodded off before the end. Thank You.

Fascinating! And sleep-inducing, because it took my mind off of all my other stuff. Thank you!

Thank you for volunteering to bore my brain to sleep. Very effective. And I got a good laugh when I woke up this morning. 😊😊😊👍

Hilarious concept..that worked. Z-z-z-z

My cat and I enjoyed this but the chihuahua feels left out.

That totally bore me to sleep lol 😄 I love these kinds of things so much because my head is full of random facts. Thanks 🙏 for helping me sleep.

I never knew there was so much to learn about cats! Thank you!

Thoroughly enjoyed this podcast always amazing info with all your episodes great listening I’m smiling to myself as I write to you, because I haven’t fallen asleep yet… thank you so much. Any stories on the “pig”. ( not the one who went to market). Thank you so much🙏🏻🌹

Sorry if I’m being rude but your boring voice really helps me fall asleep thank you Benjamin!

Fascinating! and yet boring at the same time. Thank you for yet another episode. My 11 year old son and I love these!

Your monotone reads never fail and are a brilliant idea... although sometimes the topic can be a little too fascinating, which makes it a little harder to fall asleep. Overall, 5/5!

My favorite.

I keep falling asleep, so I’ve never heard the whole thing.

Love it😻 Thank you🙏🏼

Loved it! Could you do one about horses? 🐎🐴