If you knew me personally, it would not
surprise you that I’d find a way to write about cats. I love them and
will probably some day wind up as the crazy cat lady down the
street that kids stay clear of 🙂
Anyway, I was watching television the
other night and Nat Geo’s Science of Cats was on. It inspired me to
do a little research on cats and their origin and came across a lot
of information that I just had to share.
Contrary to popular belief, cats are not all about themselves. They often like to do things on their terms but can you blame them? Don’t humans like to be touched on their own terms? I know I’d be annoyed if someone picked me up when I was taking a nap…
I digress. Cats remember the nice
things we do for them and return the favor. This relationship is much
more likely to occur with women. This may be in part
because the relationship is similar to that of a mother and child:
the cat is dependent on the woman for food and in return for the food
the cat provides love and attention to the woman. In short, studies show a
real relationship between cats and their owners that goes beyond
food.
Some studies have shown that women who
own cats are more likely to commit suicide. A parasite known as
Toxoplasma gondii is often found in a cat’s intestine and therefore winds up in litter boxes. An estimated one third of the population
has the parasite and most will never know it. But, it is not the
parasite that is the problem. It’s the bodies reaction to it. An
increase production in antibodies that fight the infection, leads to the increase in likelihood
of suicide. Furthermore, it’s theorized that those with the
parasite that commit suicide have other underlying problems that are contributing factors. So, an
already depressed person exposed to the parasite would be at higher risk than one
with no history of mental illness. And since more women tend to have
cats as pets than men and have a higher occurrence of mental illness, it makes sense that the study found the correlation in more women than men.
This parasite is also the reason why
pregnant women are advised to stay clear of kitty litter. But kitties
are not the only source of this parasite. Stay clear of consuming raw meats and
wear gloves in the garden. Bottom line though is… BE SANITARY!
Whenever there’s a chance that you can come in contact with parasites
and bacteria that are harmful, wash your hands and cook your meat to
the recommended temperature. Oh and if you slip your cat a piece of
chicken under the table on occasion, make sure it’s cooked; they enjoy the cooked meat and it’s a safer
option.
Alright… on to what I learned from
the show!
A vast study showed that all the
domesticated cats in the world are descendants of just a handful of
cats. This finding made it possible to determined the origin of the
cats we keep as pets today. It all started 12,000 years ago. That was
about the time in the Middle East’s Fertile Crescent that farming
started. Farming lead to storing food and settling down in one
location. With this stability came mice and what are cats great at?
Catching mice! It was a great relationship: cats killed the mice
therefore protecting the stored food. So, we can say that cats chose
to live with us and we opened our doors graciously. They are calm
animals, require little care and kill rodents. Not to mention they are adorable…
Throughout history, cats have been seen
in different ways. Ancient Egyptians held cats to the highest esteem. In fact it was punishable by death to murder a cat. Hundreds of
thousands of cats have been discovered mummified in the same manner
humans were. Even the goddess of love had the head of a cat. This praise continued in the Roman Empire; they
used cats as a symbol of liberty. In the Far East cats were
praised for protecting documents from rodents. On ships, cats were the common pet. They kept the stow away rats away from the precious food.
But this love and respect changed in
Europe during the middle ages. Cats became associated with witches and
the devil and were commonly killed on sight. Some historians and scientists believe that if they let them
live rats and mice wouldn’t have overrun the streets and the plague
wouldn’t have spread as quickly and easily. Jokes on them huh?
In the 18th century, cats made a come back as human companions and the superstitions surrounding cats nearly disappeared. Unfortunately, cats still carry remains
of the stigma that came about in the middle ages. Who doesn’t
remember Dr. Evil stroking his cat in Austin Powers? Or the movie
Cats and Dogs were the cats were the villains? Well, I say cats just
have a bad reputation. They are amazing and have very different
personalities. Truth is, some cats can be mean. But some dogs are
mean and some people are mean. My cats love to cuddle with you,
and one even plays catch. They love to be around you and greet you at
the door. Okay, so, the one meows every time you go in the kitchen
hoping that it’s time to eat but she’s the first one to lay with you
when you aren’t feeling well so I know it’s not all about the food.
Oh, that reminds me of another interesting
thing I read about a cat named Oscar who lives in a Nursing home in Rhode
Island for patients with late stages of dementia. While he keeps to himself mostly, he always makes rounds to each room checking
in on patients. Sometimes he stops in a room and stays with the
patient. He remains there until the patient dies. If he was denied
access to a room, he’d cry at the door to get in and spend time with
the dying patient. Of course to some people, this is creepy. If Oscar jumps on your bed, you know your time is running out. I personally don’t see it that way. He stays there, purring and cuddling up to the patient which is proven to provide comfort to them. And in their last hours comfort is all they have left. It’s nice to think they didn’t
have to die alone.
Alright, there are a variety of random
cat facts and stories I found. But I don’t think there’s
a cat that I’ve met that I haven’t liked for once reason or another
and I gladly wake up early every other Saturday (and if you
knew me you’d know this is hard for me to do) to clean up the cages
at Petsmart in Latham, and twice a week do the same at Petco in
Clifton Park. Just a note: both are satellite locations of the Mohawk
Hudson Humane Society. So, if you are looking for a new furry friend
I recommend adoption. There are hundreds of cats in our area along
that need good homes (sorry for the shameless advertisement…)