September 2010: Cats: Our Other Best Friends

"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." ~Albert Schweitzer

I’m a dog lover who lives with three dogs and six cats. Each cat boasts as different and unique a personality as one would expect to find in six people. Evie, our introverted Gray Shorthair, is extremely shy; she growls and hides every time a car comes up the driveway and stays well hidden until he visitor leaves (recently a friend stayed for 10 days and Evie came out only at night while my friend slept; she reappeared the minute she heard her car drive away). Basil, an extroverted Tiger Stripe, loves company and does whatever he can to draw attention to himself. Evie’s very affectionate; she just happens to be a possessive one person cat, while Basil, also affectionate, is an indiscriminate people lover. The other four fall somewhere in between, yet each is singular and distinctive in personality quirks and possesses his/her own individual likes and dislikes. And, though it’s assumed that cats don’t like dogs, and vice versa, I find the two species get along very well. 

Who are these creatures, described by some as aloof, cold and unapproachable, by others as loving, communicative, and loyal, (both groups probably agree that ‘enigmatic’ is a fitting adjective), and what makes a cat a cat? As members of Felis Catus, carnivorous mammals, cats hunt for prey, have retractable claws, eyes with slit irises and highly sensitive whiskers.

Like wild dogs, the wild cats’ first interactions with people were based on procuring & protecting food supplies. Traditionally believed to have originated in Egypt about 4,000 years ago, new archeological and DNA evidence shows domesticated cats can be traced back almost 10,000 years, to the Middle East, where they first appeared to play an important role in the early days of proficient farming. When Middle Eastern agriculture began to amass and store the surplus of their harvests, cats were attracted to the rodents feeding on stored grain. The rodents, a pest to farmers, were an attractive food source for wild cats. Since rodents not only threatened food supplies but also spread dangerous diseases, a cat’s services were viewed as so divine to ancient Egyptians, they forbade their transport out of the country and killing one was punishable by death.

As the domesticated cat population (along with human sea travel) grew, the ban on exporting cats was relaxed and their presence spread to Europe, where they interbred with indigenous wild cats. However, during the 1300’s, because of superstitious Medieval Age beliefs about how they looked (especially their eyes); cats were considered to be demonic. Scores were killed and as a result, the rodent population increased, which culminated in the Bubonic ‘Black Plague’ that swept across the continent. (Households that illegally kept their cats, however, seemed to fare better.)  

Throughout the coming ages, cats were far less selectively bred than were dogs and they more or less domesticated themselves. And though (or because) domestication produced fewer behavioral and physical changes, there are fewer academic and laboratory studies of cats and thus, other than anecdotal, less rigorously researched information is available.

However, with a population estimated at 600 million (compared to ‘only’ 400 million dogs), the housecat is by far the most popular pet on earth.

As all cat lovers and owners know, cats, as pets, aren’t very ‘labor intensive’. They naturally groom and bathe themselves; when given a clean litter box, they bury their own waste, they don’t need to be walked, and, if provided with sufficient food and clean water, they can be left alone for long periods. Cats easily adapt to small spaces like apartments, though it’s important, since they feel safest when positioned above potential ‘threats’, they be provided with at least one piece of climbable furniture, along with enough room to play. And, since your cat has had thousands of years of training to perform the only job it knows, your living space will be free, at no charge, of unwelcome guests like mice.

We’re delighted to retract last month’s notice about our furry clients’ kerchiefs. Our bandana seamstress found another source for affordable material and will continue to supply us (sorry, no bedcaps!).

Please note that our Dog Grooming Classes for Professionals will begin September 14. If you’re interested, please contact our Dumfries Salon at 703-221-3647.

~ Written by Rebecca Nilson ~

703-378-9500; featherlepetcarechantilly@verizon.net, 13881-A Metrotech Dr.

703-430-0414; featherlepetcaresterling@verizon.net, 113-B Edds Lane

703-221-3647; canineclipperschool@verizon.net 18016 Fraley Blvd.