Help Cats
Every abandoned cat should get the chance of a new home.
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Although the cat is ‘domestic’, it has never been fully domesticated.
The **Cat **(*Felis catus) *is also called the house cat or domestic cat. This four-legged pet has been with humans for more than 10 000 years. There are about 600 million cats in the world, of which about 370 million are pets. About 74 million cats live in the USA, of which 42.7 million are in households.
Black Cat. Source: Pixabay
The domestic cat belongs to the subfamily of small cats (Felinae). It has a body perfectly adapted to hunting - flexible and muscular, sharp teeth and claws and excellent eyesight, hearing and smell. Nevertheless, it is very popular as a human companion for its affectionate nature and at the same time its willfulness.
Did you know… in a cat you have a piece of a large animal in your home? A cat shares 95.6 % of the DNA of a Tiger.
The cat has a long body with relatively short limbs, a short neck, a relatively wide and short head and a medium-long tail. It is on average 18 in long and 9 - 10 inches in height. The tail measures about 12 in. Males are usually larger than females.
Cats amble. This means that their left legs move forward at the same time, half a step ahead of their right legs. This is rather exceptional among animals.
Cat Senses
Cat's eye. Source: Pixabay
Sight Cats do not have sharp vision to see for miles, so if you stand more than 20 ft from your cat, he will probably see you as a blurry image. This is because they do not have muscles in their eyes to allow them to change the shape of the lenses to focus on objects at different distances. However, where cat's eyesight stands out is in poor light conditions. For easy orientation in the twilight and in the dark, 6 times less light is sufficient for cats than for people. This is due to the tapetum lucidum - the vascular layer behind the retina that reflects incoming light.
Cat's ear. Source: Pixabay
Hearing The domestic cat's hearing is sharpest in the range of 500 Hz to 32 kHz. It can detect an extremely wide range of frequencies from 55 Hz to 79,000 Hz. It hears a range of 10.5 octaves, while humans and dogs can hear ranges of about 9 octaves. Cats can detect ultrasound, which helps them especially when hunting rodents. Cats have more than 20 external ear muscles. They can point each ear differently. Therefore, they better identify the source of sounds.
Cat's nose. Source: Pixabay
Smell A cat does not rely on the sense of smell like a dog when hunting, but its sense of smell is still much better than that of humans. For example, you can see a cat with an open mouth receiving scents. It uses Jacobson's Organ for its sense of smell, whereby it can smell pheromones, for example.
Cat's tongue. Source: Pixabay
Taste Taste is probably the least developed feline sense. This is due to the fact that there are about 9 000 taste receptors on the human tongue, while a cat has only about 500 of these receptors. Cats recognize salty, bitter and sour tastes. They do not like food that is too acidic or bitter. Cats do not have receptors for sweet taste and therefore cannot perceive it.
Long sensitive hairs help cats with orientation. Source: Pixabay
Touch To help with navigation and perception, cats have many long, stiff, sensitive moving hairs (vibrissae) all over their bodies, especially on their faces (whiskers). These help with orientation even in complete darkness.
Cat on a fence. Source: Pixabay
Sense of Balance A sense of balance is typical for cats. This is mainly due to the ability to quickly process and respond to incoming impulses. The cat uses its tail to maintain balance. A cat has statokinetic receptors in its ears, which gives the brain information about the position of the body. Therefore, a cat can turn when falling from a height and usually lands on its paws.
**Did you know… cats make about 100 different sounds to communicate? Dogs make only 10. **
Cat Communication Domestic cats communicate with us in a wide range of ways, including purring, trilling, hissing, growling / snarling, grunting and many other forms of meowing. Their body language serves as indicators of mood and also as a form of communication. According to the position of the ears and tail, the relaxation of the whole body and the kneading of the paws, we know what the cat's mood is. The tail and ears are particularly important social signaling mechanisms in cats. A raised tail indicates a friendly greeting, and flattened ears indicate hostility.
Cat purring is worth mentioning. The purr vibrates at a frequency of 25 to 150 Hz, which is the same frequency at which muscles and bones regenerate themselves. The actual purr is difficult to explain, because the cat has no unique anatomical property that is clearly responsible for this sound.
Cats living in the wild live an average of 3 - 5 years, while home-bred neutered cats live an average of 15 years. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest living cat was Creme Puff, who was born on August 3, 1967 and lived to be 38 years old.
Conversion of cat age to human age. Source: viaGood
History of Domestic Cats Even though we call cats "domestic", we probably can't talk about domestication as in dogs. Even after several thousand years of living with humans, cats have retained far more features of their wild ancestors. It was originally assumed that their "domestication" began around 3000 BC in Egypt. However, this theory was dispelled by the finding of the remains of a cat almost 10 000 years old in the human Neolithic tomb on the Island of Cyprus. The cat was probably taken there from the Middle East mainland.
According to a study of mitochondrial DNA, the ancestor of the domestic cat is the African Wildcat (Felis lybica) with a high degree of certainty. Findings on the island of Cyprus correspond to this. Today, this subspecies inhabits the Middle East. Other domestic cat ancestors include the European Wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) from Europe, the Chinese Mountain Cat (Felis silvestris bieti) from China, the Asiatic Wildcat (Felis lybica ornata) from Central Asia and the Southern African Wildcat (Felis lybica cafra) from South Africa.
The Gayer-Anderson cat, British Museum. Source: Wikipedia
Probably the most famous period when cats gained popularity was in approx. 3000 BC in Egypt. It was also originally thought that domestication began there. For farmers, the cat was of great importance as a hunter of rodents, which threatened the storage of grain and food. The Ancient Egyptians worshiped cats as deities and believed that they had the power to protect man from evil. The presence of a cat in the house was a blessing. The most sacred were the black cats protecting the Egyptian temples. The cult worship of cats in Egypt is also proved by the goddess Bastet who was depicted as a small cat with a lion's head and later as a woman with a cat's head. Killing a cat was punishable by death.
Although the Egyptians were not the first to domesticate cats, they were the first to really purposefully breed and keep cats - this is also indicated by "records" from murals. The older ones show only a loose connection between humans and cats, while more modern paintings depict classic domestic cats under tables, begging for leftovers.
**Did you know… the Ancient Greeks and Romans kept weasels as pets, before cats? These were considered ideal rodent killers. **
Further evidence of the occurrence of domestic cats is from Greece in about 1200 BC, when Phoenician, Carthaginian and Etruscan traders introduced domestic cats to Southern Europe. During the Roman Empire, cats even reached northern countries, such as North Germany and Great Britain.
The domestic cat was also domesticated in Asia. In about 1000 years BC their breeding began in China and later also in India.
Did you know… the cat and the rabbit are called by the same name in Chinese - “mao”?
In the Early Middle Ages, the cat was a prized animal in Europe. According to the Order of Charlemagne from the 9th century, he lists the cat among the animals to be kept in every farm or monastery yard. Cats were protected by strict laws.
The turning point came from the 13th century, with the advent of the Inquisition. The Inquisition declared that the cat was possessed by evil spirits because it had a hellish fire in its eyes, and that it was the ally of witches and the Devil. At that time, cats began to be burned along with witches, and the black cat became a symbol of evil.
Despite the persecution of cats in the early modern period, sailors kept cats on their ships to hunt mice and rats. Thus, domestic cats also spread to North America, Australia and New Zealand.
In the 17th century, the traveler Pietro della Valle took the first long-haired cats from the Persian province of Chorasan to Italy. In the 18th century, all long-haired cats were called Angora after Ankara, the capital of Turkey, but gradually the division into Angora, Persian and Van cats was established.
Systematic cat breeding has existed in Europe for about 150 years. The first Cat Show took place at Crystal Palace in London in 1871. Several specimens of Siamese Cats, first imported to Europe at the time, also appeared. In 1887, the National Club of Cat Breeders was founded in London, which began to hold regular exhibitions. In 1895, the first Cat Show was held in the United States.
Feral Cats. Source: Pixabay
Feral Cats The issue of feral cats or stray cats is also related to the breeding of domestic cats. These are domestic cats that no one owns and that do not have a permanent home. They usually avoid contact with people. The line between a homeless wild cat and a stray domestic cat is quite blurred. A stray cat can become a domestic cat and later again a wild cat.
Such cats usually avoid contact with humans and can form small colonies, based on available food sources. Different types of hierarchies are observed in the colonies. Many colonies are cared for by volunteers who provide food, water, shelter and veterinary care to cats, including sterilization programs.
Countries around the world have different attitudes towards Feral Cats. In Italy, for example, wild cats have been protected since 1991 and it is illegal to kill them. In other countries, it is evaluated whether a cat is a stray or wild, according to its ability to socially interact with humans. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals **(ASPCA) **defines community cats as either cats that were born and raised in the wild, or domestic cats that have been abandoned or lost and have become wild.
In the United States, 68 % of animals euthanized in shelters are cats.
In 2020, 83 % of the 4.3 million cats and dogs that entered shelters in the United States were adopted. Unfortunately, 347 000 cats and dogs were still euthanized.
The issue of Feral Cats begins with cat owners. Without abandoning cats, there would be no Feral Cats in the wild. It is necessary to distinguish Feral Cats from stray cats. A Feral Cat was born outside as a wild cat, without any interaction with humans. A stray cat was born in a household and over time was either lost or abandoned by the owner.
Did you know… the most common concerns associated with free-roaming cats are the spread of diseases (58 %), abandoned litters (51 %), overpopulation (50 %), and safety of the cats (44 %)?
It is difficult to estimate the exact number of homeless cats. This is because they are cautious and hide away well. Nevertheless, it is estimated that in North America the number ranges from 50 to 150 million individuals, while other estimates say that there are about 30-80 million Feral Cats and another 40 million domestic cats with outdoor access. This large number of cats presents many problems to themselves and other animals.
A huge problem is their uncontrollable reproduction. More cats mean higher food demands and, in the case of diseases, their faster spread. Conservation biologists consider cats as one of the most invasive species on Earth.
According to IUCN data, Feral Cats contributed to the extinction of at least 14 % of the 238 extinct vertebrates worldwide. They currently threaten 8 % of the 464 species listed by the IUCN as critically endangered. On the other hand, it turns out that Feral Cats may have an impact on wildlife populations, but to a lesser extent than would indicate an emergency situation**.**
Let’s help find feral cats a new home! Source: Pixabay
Cats in Shelters During 2020, about 2.1 million cats and 2.2 million dogs entered American shelters. Although the incoming ratio is almost the same (49 % of cats and 51 % of dogs), cats are still euthanized more often in shelters - about 68 % of animals euthanized in shelters are cats (the remaining 32 % are dogs).
Did you know… color, not breed, plays a big role in the adoption of cats from a shelter? Black cats are the least likely to be adopted, thus have the highest rate of euthanasia.
The way to help feral cats is adoption and supporting local shelters.
The solution starts when people become aware of the problem. What can we do to help feral cats?.
Support Shelters Shelters for abandoned, sick or injured animals play a huge role in their rescue. Often shelters stand on the verge of life or slow death on the street. They provide the necessary healthcare, food and, after recovery, the possibility of adoption. In many cases, their work depends on the willingness and enthusiasm of volunteers who have their hearts in the right place.
Support the “No-Kill” Initiative It is important to fight for every abandoned animal to be given the chance of a new home. That's why the No-Kill shelter initiative was created in San Francisco. Such shelters are expected to save at least 90 % of the animals received, who will not be euthanized simply because there is no room for them. As Nathan Winograd wrote in 2010, "It does not matter if the animals are old, blind, deaf, missing limbs, or traumatized. All of these animals are worthy of our compassion, all of them can find homes, and all of them deserve to."
Food Programs Most homeless outdoor cats suffer from hunger. Food programs focus on cat communities, where volunteers feed cats, while monitoring their health to assist in a timely manner.
Castration Programs To reduce the number of homeless cats, it is necessary to start at the very beginning, i.e. where cats reproduce uncontrollably. Helping with the sterilization of cats in low-income groups and also where there are cat communities will improve the control of the population.
Did you know… one un-neutered cat, together with its offspring, can give birth to about 420 000 more cats in 7 years?
Trap-Neuter-Return Program In the Trap-Neuter-Return Program, community cats are safely captured and taken to a vet. There they undergo sterilization, are vaccinated and marked on the ear, before being returned to their outdoor communities.
Adoption Programs Raising awareness of the possibility of adopting a cat from a shelter can lead to a reduction in the demand for cats produced by uncontrolled breeding for profit. A large number of celebrities who are not indifferent to the fate of abandoned animals are also supporting the "Adopt, Don't Shop" project.
Veterinary Programs Homeless outdoor cats often suffer from many diseases or even injuries. Veterinary care will provide aid to needy animals, without which they would either die or have a poorer quality of life.
Chipping Cats If a cat strays, it can travel long distances. In those cases, cat chipping is a huge help. It is easy to determine whose cat it is and to return it to its owner in a short time. Cats with a microchip are 20 times more likely to be returned to their homes.
Everyone can get involved:
Adopt - Don't Shop! Thousands of cats are waiting for new owners in shelters across the United States - and worldwide - and would like to find new homes. About 1.6 million cats are adopted annually in the US in this way. If you want to have a cat as a pet, give one from a shelter the chance of a good home. Thus you will not support those people who merely breed cats indiscriminately for profit.
Sterilize If you have a cat, have it neutered. Neutered cats are calmer, do not tend to mark their territories and live to an older age.
Feed a Local Stray Cat Maybe there is a cat around you that does not belong to anyone. But this cat is hungry too. You don't have to save the whole colony, but even that one cat will be grateful for something to eat.
Even a Small Donation will Help A little money can make a big difference. You can support the neutering of wild cats, medicine for sick animals, or for their food - all for a few dollars per month. It's nothing to you, but it can dramatically change the lives of cats.
Dedicate your Time Shelters and other non-profit organizations often have programs where volunteers can join hands. You can help in clinics or outdoors, or get involved in organizing collections to help cats.
**Spread Awareness ** Use the power of social networks to tell your friends and acquaintances how complicated the issue of abandoned cats is and how important it is to assist. Many people certainly have no idea that there are many problems and concerns about the cat they see walking around the dumpsters.
