cat

CAT

Cat, Felis silvestris catus, is a carnivore. The word "cat" usually refers to the "cat" which has been tamed, but can also refer to the "big cats" like lions, tigers, and tigers.

Cats have been mixed with human life since at least 6000 years BC, from a cat skeleton on the island of Cyprus. Ancient Egyptians from 3500 BC have been using a cat to keep mice or other rodents from the barn manyimpan crops.

Currently, the cat is one of the most popular pet in the world. Cat lineage officially registered as Purebred cats or pure (pure breed), such as Persian, Siamese, Manx, sphinx. Cats like this are usually bred in the animal care official. The number of cats race is 1% of all cats in the world, the rest were crossbred cats with a wild feline or cat home.

Characteristic

Pet cat or house cat is one of the world's greatest predators. This cat can kill or eat a few thousand species, big cats are usually less than 100. But because of their small size, cats are not harmful to humans, the only danger that can arise is the possibility of rabies infection from cat bites. Cats can be fatal to an ecosystem that is not his natural home. In some cases, cats play or cause extinction. Cats catch and paralyze their prey in a similar way to the lions and tigers - to bite their prey's neck with sharp canine teeth that injure the spinal cord or cause to suffocate prey by destroying the throat.


Cats prey on a village house mouse (Rattus rattus diardii)


Cats are considered as "perfect carnivore" with teeth and digestive tract in particular. Premolar and molar teeth first formed a pair of fangs on each side of the mouth that works effectively as a pair of scissors to tear meat. Although this feature is also found in the Canidae or dog family, but this feature is better developed in cats. Unlike other carnivores, cats do not eat almost anything that contains plants. Bears and dogs sometimes eat fruit, roots, or honey as a supplement if there while cats only eat meat, usually fresh game. In captivity, cats can not be adapted to a vegetarian diet because they can not synthesize all the amino acids they need by eating only plants; unlike dogs, are often fed a mixture of meat products and vegetables and sometimes can be adapted to a vegetarian diet is total.

Despite having a reputation as a reclusive animals, cats usually can establish wild colonies but did not attack in groups like lions. Each cat has its own country (males who are sexually active has the largest area, being male sterile has the smallest area) and there is always the "neutral" where the cats can watch each other or meet without the territorial conflict or aggression. Outside these neutral areas, local authorities will pursue common foreign cats, beginning with the staring, hissing, growling up, and if the foreign cats stay, usually a short fight. Cats who are fighting to uphold the body hair and arch your back so they look bigger. The attack usually consists of a slap in the face and body with front legs sometimes with bite. Serious injuries due to fights in cats are rare because the losing party will usually run away after suffering several wounds on his face. Active males are usually more frequently involved in fights throughout his life. This is evident in the various wounds on the face, like a nose or ears. Female cat sometimes getting into fights to protect her children even sterile cat will defend small areas with persistent.

View of cats behavior of current, which is a wild cat ancestors of domesticated cats estimated to evolve at a desert climate. Cats pleased with the warm atmosphere and often slept under the sun. Litter is usually dry and cats prefer to bury them in sandy places. Cats can be frozen, not moving for a long time especially when you're stalking prey or getting ready to "pounce". In North Africa were found in wild cats that may be closely related to ancestral cat today.

Because it has a close kinship with the desert animals, cats resistance to heat and cold temperate climate rather limited. Cats are not resistant to fog, rain, and snow, although there are several types such as Norwegian Forest Cat and Maine Coon can survive and try to maintain normal body temperature, ie 39 ° C, in wet conditions. Most cats do not like to soak in water, with the exception of Turkish Van.


Four kittens were fed their mother.



Pregnancy or gestation period in cats range from 63 days. Kittens are born blind and deaf. Their eyes just opened at the age of 8-10 days. The kitten will be weaned by its mother at the age of 6-7 weeks and sexual maturity is reached at age 10-15 months. Cats can contain 4 as well as her womb the fetus has a special form with 4 different sections.

Cats typically weigh between 2.5 to 7 pounds and rarely exceed 10 kg. If fed too much, cats can reach 23 kg body weight. But this condition is very unhealthy for the cats and should be avoided. In captivity, cats can live for 15 to 20 years old, the oldest known cat 36 years old. Pet cats are not permitted to leave the house and sterilized to live longer (reducing the risk of fights and accidents). Wild cats that live in the modern urban environment to live only for 2 years or even less than that.

Pet cat who lived in the house must be given the litter box containing sand or special materials that are sold in pet stores. There should also be provided a special place for cats to scratch. This is important because cats need scratching activity is to shed the old layers of nails on the nails in order to stay sharp and maintained health. The absence of this special place will cause a lot of damage cat furniture.

Cats often choose food behavior. This is because they have a special organ of smell in the roof of the mouth called the vomeronasal organ or Jacobson's organ. When an organ is stimulated by a particular type of food, a cat will refuse food other than food.



Cat's eye. Note nictitans membrane of the white membrane on the inner corner of the eye.

Cats can see in very bright light. They have the iris or the iris of the eye to form a gap to be narrowed. However, it also reduces the narrowing of the field of view of a cat. An organ called the tapetum lucidum is used in environments with little light. These organs causes colored cat's eye when he was photographed with a flash. Like most predators, cats eyes facing forward, producing the perception of distance and reduce the size of the field of view. Cat's eye has a weak perception trikomatik.

When the light is too small to see, the cat will use the "whiskers" or misainya (vibrissae) to help determine the direction and the additional sense organ. Whiskers can detect changes very little wind, making a cat can detect objects around them without looking.

Cats have a third eyelid called niktitans membrane. The third eyelid is composed of a thin layer that can cover the eye and appear as a cat's eyes open. This membrane partially closed when the cat is sick. Sometimes a cat very sleepy or happy also shows this membrane.

A cat is often written "meow" in Indonesian. In the English language used in America, a cat is written "meow". In the UK alone, the writing is "miaow", "miaow" in French, "miau" in German, "it" in Japanese, and various other writing in various languages. Voice "meow" cat has various meanings depending on the pronunciation of the cat. Cats can also sound like a long snore often favored men. Because the sound is not a vowel sound, the cat may issue snoring and meowing at the same time.

Generally, all cats ears erect. Unlike dogs, cats with folded ears is very rare. Type the Scottish Fold is one of the cats with a rare genetic mutation of this. When angry or frightened, cat ears this type will be bent back while the cat let out a growl or hiss. When listening to a sound, the cat ears will move toward the sound source; cat ears can lead to the front, to the side, even if looking back.

Cats are clean animals included. They often take care of themselves by licking their hair. Saliva or their saliva is a powerful cleaning agent, but can trigger allergies in humans. Sometimes a cat vomit hairball or curler that collect in their stomachs.

Cats save energy by sleeping more often than other animals. Old cat to sleep varies between 12-16 hours per day, with the average 13-14 hours. But it is not uncommon for a cat who slept 20 hours in a day.




The types of pet cats
Ras

The number of cats around the world race very much. Each race has a special character, but because of the frequent cross-racial marriage, many cats are simply grouped into types of long hair and short hair, depending on the type of hair covering his body.

There are many kinds of races cats, some of them:

* Manx

Some people call it Rumpy. Short tail, brown fur color and lavender. Its loyal, friendly and smart.

* Maine Coon

Originally from Maine, U.S., descendants of Angora and American Shorthair. Its funny, shy but want to, and easy familiarity. Fur is thin, soft, and color vary.

* British Shorthair

Developed in the UK. This cat is calm, gentle, warm, and intelligent. Fur color is a plain (white, black, blue, red and cream), dichromatic, black, striped.

* Burmese (Burma)

These cats were bred by Dr. Thompson (USA) from the cat wong queens want (Burma) and Siamese. Mongoose brown, other colors of blue, champagne, lifa, red, brown, and blue turtles. jovial and funny character.

* Chinchilla longhair

This is the most elegant Persian cat. Ancestors from England. This race is divided into two kinds, namely bright chinchilla (true) and a rather dark (shades of silver).









Colors

Cats have many types of colors and patterns. These physical properties do not depend on his race. Domestic cats are grouped into the following types based on physical appearance:

* Short hair
* Long hair
* Oriental (not a specific race, all the cats who was slender, almond-shaped eyes, big ears, and fine body hair is short)

Genes that regulate the color and fur patterns in determining the physical appearance of the cat that distinguishes them into:

Telon or Calico
white with little black spots or orange (or blue or cream). Japanese people often refer to this pattern as mi-ke. Because the coat color genes linked with sex, that Calico cats are generally colorful females.
Tortoiseshell
black with orange and white colors scattered throughout the body. Cats that have black, bright orange, and dark orange called Calimanco or Clouded Tiger.
Tabby
lined with a variety of patterns. Classic pattern in this cat-shaped dots or circles. Tabby mackerel species have three lines that looked at his sides, making this cat like a mackerel.
Maltese
old name of the blue cat (gray).
Bicolor (two colors)
Tuxedo also called Jellicle cat or cat because it has black fur with a little white on the legs, abdomen, chest, and perhaps also in the face.

Domestication

Just as animals that have undergone domestication (domestication), cats living in mutualistik relationship with humans. But the history of this mutualism is much shorter compared to other domesticated animals and the domesticated cat is still debated. Because the benefits derived from the cat, the man let loose in a wildcat settlements. Ancestor of domestic cats are not too close to their owners, unlike other domestic animals. History is what might be causing the lack of a strong bond that has a cat to its owner. As a result, most cat owners think cats are animals that do not really care and independent. However, cats can be very close to the owner, especially if he grew up since childhood and often get attention.



Cultural aspects

In the past it was believed that the ancestors are Miacis cats, wild animals during the Eocene the weasel-like figure, approximately 50 million years ago.

The earliest record of cat domestication business is about the year 4000 BC in Egypt, when the cat is used to keep the grocery store from a rat attack. However, recently in a meal at Shillourokambos, Cyprus, 7500 years BC, in the framework of a cat buried with humans. Because mice are not native to Cyprus, this shows that at least at that time, there have been a cat domestication efforts. Cat skeleton found in Cyprus is similar to the species of wild cats who were the ancestors of domestic cats today. [1] [2].



A bronze mask used in the funeral cat mummies in ancient Egypt.


In the year of 1800 in a grave or rather "site" contained 300,000 mummified cats in the state is still intact, which indicates the cat was once a special animal. Ancient Egyptians considered cats as an incarnation of goddess Bast, also known as Bastet or Thet. The penalty for killing a cat is dead, and if there is a dead cat sometimes mummified just as humans.

In medieval times, cats are often considered to be associated with witches and often killed by fire or thrown from a high place. Some historians argue that superstitions like these that caused the Black Death plague spread rapidly. Black Death is estimated to be a plague in Europe in the 14th century. The rapid spread of this outbreak led to many people at that time believed that it was Satan who caused the disease. The statement mentions that the Pope cats who roam freely has been allied with the devil. Because of this statement, many cats were killed in Europe at that time. Decrease in the cat population led to increasing the number of mice, animals carrying a real plague.

Today, people still believe that black cats are bad luck while some who believe that a black cat brings good luck. Cats also are associated with magic. Black cat is often associated with Halloween. Adherents of Wicca and other neopaganisme believe that the cat was really nice, able to connect with another world, and can feel the existence of evil spirits.

In Asia, the cat falls into one of the Vietnamese zodiac. But the cat did not belong to the zodiac Tionghoa. According to legend, when the King of Heaven had a party for the animals to be selected to be the zodiac, he sent a rat to invite the animals that have been chosen. Part of this story is told in various versions, the rat forgot to invite the cat, rat cat cheating on party day, and many other variations. In the end the cat did not attend the party, not elected to the zodiac animals, so have hatred in mice.

In the Islamic Shari'a, a Muslim was ordered to not harm or even kill a cat, based on the hadeeth narrated by Muslim from the story of Abdullah ibn Umar [1] and Abu Hurayrah. [2]

Legal to sell and buy the cat was in the Islamic Shari'a is based on the proposition unlawful Prophet Muhammad and the rule fiqh (al-qawa'id al-kulliyah). Evidence of Muhammad hadith, narrated by Jabir bin Abdillah companions that the Prophet had forbidden the eating of cats and also prohibit eating cat prices. [3] Hadith Muhammad is a proposition illegitimate memperjual eat cats and cats buy. So Muslims are forbidden to trade the cat as they are forbidden to eat cat meat. [4]
Footnotes

1. ^ The story of Abdullah bin Umar, that Muhammad said, "A woman was tortured for confining a cat to death. Then she was going to hell for it, that is because when he did not lock him up and feed him nor give him a drink as he was not well off looking for food from soil insects. " Hadeeth narrated by Muslim No.4160.
2. ^ The story of Abu Hurayra, Muhammad said, "A woman was tortured for a cat is not fed and watered and he did not let it go looking for food from the soil insects." Saheeh Muslim No.4161.
3. ^ Hadith history Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim, hadeeth. See Imam As-Suyuti, Al-Jami 'al-Sagheer, Juz II, pp. 191).
4. ^ About the illegitimate eating cat Ash-Syarbaini see Al-Khatib, Al-Iqna `, Juz II, pp. 273; Shaykh Zakariyya al-Ansari, Fath Wahhab, Juz II, pp. 192.