How Kittens Learn to Hunt

Cats have been famous for hunting mice and rats for as long as cats and people

have been together. As strange as it may seem to some people, cats are not born knowing

how to hunt. It is a skill they learn from watching their mothers. If the mother cat is a

good hunter, then her kittens will learn to be good hunters. Interestingly, kittens seem to

learn the best from their mothers. They do not seem to learn as well or as quickly from

watching other adult cats.

At about five or six weeks of age, a mother cat will begin teaching her kittens

how to hunt. At first she brings dead mice to the kittens. She will eat some of the mice in

front of the kittens. In this way she is showing them that mice are their prey and that they

are good to eat. As time goes on the kittens begin to play with the dead mice their mother

brings them. Before long the kittens are flinging the dead mice around and pouncing on

them. It's a good idea to stand clear of them when they're at this stage. You might get

smacked by a flying mouse if you don't!

After awhile, the mother starts bringing mice that are still half alive and releases

them for the kittens to practice. Very soon the kittens are leaping on and flinging these

mice around as confidently as they did the previous dead ones their mother brought them.

Then, mother start bringing live, healthy mice and releases them for the kittens to practice

on. The first time the mother cat releases a live mouse, and it tries to run off, there's

immediate bedlam among the kittens. Wildly excited, the kittens flying around trying to

leap onto the running mouse zigging and zagging between them. If the mouse escapes the

kittens, the mother will usually swat it back into play. By this time the kittens are so over

excited they're leaping at anything that moves. The mouse, a blade of grass, a blowing

leaf or even each other, are all fair game to the kittens. Not surprisingly, the mouse often

escapes during these early lessons.

As the lessons progress the kittens become more discriminating in their targets

and develop their skills in catching the quick and agile mice. These lessons don't always

go smoothly. One kitten got the surprise of her life when a large mouse she was chasing

suddenly sat up in front of her and began scolding her at the top of its' lungs. The mouse

was apparently so fed up with the whole business that it actually jumped at the kitten.

The startled kitten fell over backward and the mouse raced off to safety. Live and learn.

Eventually, the mother cat will decide that the kittens are ready for their first real

hunt. She will take them out to a good location that she knows will have plenty of mice

for the kittens to practice on. She does not demonstrate her hunting technique to the

kittens. Instead, lets them develop their own unique styles on these hunting forays. Each

kitten discovers the techniques that work best for them. By the end of their lessons the

kittens have become fine mousers in their own right.

Deworming Multiple Cats

Ah yes, everyone's favorite pet chore. One day you clean your cats' box and

discover little white chunks of what appear to be cooked spaghetti lodged in the feces,

that is, until one starts to move. You know then that it's time to deworm your cats. If your

veterinarian says that your cat doesn't have anything particularly tough or nasty then he

or she may recommend a regular schedule using commercial dewormers that can be

found readily in any pet store. Your veterinarian even may have a good general purpose

dewormer on hand for your use. Fortunately, there is a wide range of deworming

medicines available on the market. Most are liquid or pill form.

If you have only one cat, your task is relatively simple. Choose a dewormer that

your cat will find acceptable if not palatable. Many liquid dewormers claim to be very

tasty to cats. Unfortunately, many cats would vigorously disagree with that assessment.

In such a case, if you have access to a pill form of dewormer that your cat is willing to

swallow, you're in luck. If your cat won't swallow pills without major mayhem breaking

out and turns his nose up at every liquid dewormer you try, then you have a problem. If

you have more than one cat, it can become even more of an issue. If your cats will

happily take whatever you offer, then the only thing you have to worry about is keeping

the greedy guts from getting more than they should. But, If each of them has a different

idea as to what is acceptable (or not) for deworming medicine, then you have a major

headache.

Rather than cater to each cats whims and maintain a veterinary pharmacy worth of

dewormers in your house or routinely running your finicky feline into the veterinarian

every to he needs deworming, you might try a different route. You will need a liquid

deworming medicine and a syringe. Syringes are readily available in the livestock

medication section of farm supply stores. You only need the section with the barrel and

plunger. No needles are needed or should even be used. Syringes in farm supply stores

usually offer the two sections separately. Select one of smaller size. Your cat won't need

large amounts of medicine at any one time.

Measure out the proper amount of dewormer for your cat into a measuring cup. A

measuring cup usually comes in the package with a liquid dewormer. Take one of your

syringes and place the open end (where the needle would normally attach) into the

measuring cup and draw the medicine up into the barrel by pulling upward on the

plunger. Try to get it all at one time. You could do this task by increments but trying to

manage a squirming cat while refilling a syringe really is more difficult than it is worth.

Now restrain your cat gently and situate yourself so that you can hold the cat and use the

syringe easily. It could require some experimentation to work out a suitable position for

the both of you. . If you keep one hand underneath the cats head and cradle his chin it

will make this part of the task go more smoothly. Slide the end of the syringe a little bit

into your cat's mouth and slowly depress the plunger This will empty the medicine into

your cat's mouth slowly enough that he can readily swallow it without choking. Repeat

for each cat.

Naturally, your cat will not be particularly pleased with this method. He may

object rather strenuously. With repetition, however, you will become much smoother

with the task. You don't need to rush during this task. Take your time to discover what

will work best for you and your cats. Your cats will become more accustomed to it

despite themselves. This method will ensure that each cat, even your most finicky, gets

the proper amount of medicine he needs. And that, of course, is the whole reason for the

Cat Breeds

The Siamese

Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a

purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own

characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you

would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would

care to consider:

The Siamese

Famous in songs and movies, the Siamese cat was the Royal Cat of Siam. Though

their origins are uncertain, they were the companions of royalty and priests for centuries.

The cat was so highly valued that it was rarely given to outsiders. Siamese were first

exhibited at the famous 1871 London Cat Show at the Crystal Palace. People fell in love

with the new breed. Despite the difficulty in importing these highly valued cats, they

became wildly popular in Britain. The Siamese arrived in America in about 1890 and

quickly gained favor with cat fanciers here.

The Siamese cat is a real character. They are extremely lively, friendly, and

intelligent and they are very attached to their people. A Siamese cat is constantly in

motion. They seem to regard their people as belonging to them instead of the other way

around. They develop a lot of unusual skills. Siamese cats have been known to play fetch,

walk on a leash and chase dogs. One Siamese learned to play the piano. He sat on the

bench in front of the keyboard and used one paw to press each key to make a sound.

Siamese cats are also real chatterboxes and will talk to you about everything and

anything. When they are making a point, a Siamese cats' voice is powerful enough to

bend metal.

Siamese cats are sleek and svelte in appearance. Elegant and graceful they have

long bodies, long legs, and long tails as well. This breed has become divided into two

varieties: the extreme and the traditional. The extreme is a smaller, leaner, lighter animal

with males weighing 9 lbs at most and females 7 lbs. The traditional variety is rounder in

appearance than the extreme variety though still retaining the breeds' oriental elegance.

The traditional variety, also called the Old Style or Applehead is larger in size than the

extreme variety, with males up to 15 lbs and females up to 12 lbs.

Siamese are famous for their large, almond shaped blue eyes. The coat is short,

fine textured, silky and glossy. It lies close to the cats' body. However, the truly defining

feature of the Siamese coat is its color. There are four main colors: seal, chocolate, blue

and lilac. There is also one pattern called colorpoint. The points of the body, the ears,

face, legs and tail are more darkly colored than the body. There is a strong contrast

between the body color and the points. The color at all the points must be the same.

Interestingly, Siamese darken with age.

The Siamese cat is a breed whose noisy and cheerful ways continue to win

peoples admiration and affection every day. Give the Siamese a closer look. The breed is

intelligent and very affectionate. This cats' friendly and confident attitude can make it a

highly amusing family pet. This cat may be exactly what you are looking for in a new

Cat Behavior

More Oddities

In my previous article on cat behavior, we discussed some interesting and unusual

behavior displayed by the family of cats that live on my farm. That was only the

beginning. These cats seem to delight in unexpected behavior. I thought I would share a

few more gems with you.

There are three female cats on my farm. They consist of matriarch, Patch, and two

of her daughters. There have been other female cats on the farm, but I have been able to

find new homes for all of them. Cats, being solitary hunters, are not expected to show any

kind of social hierarchy. My three female cats do have a definite hierarchy. The top cat is,

of course, Patch. It's the two daughters that have been interesting. The older daughter,

Calico, is from Patch's first litter she had on the farm. She is a sturdy, healthy calico that

has not had any real problems. The second daughter is Little Girl. Little girl is a couple of

years younger than Calico. She is the smallest cat on the farm. A black cat with flashy

white markings, little girl is active and elegant.

Since her birth, Calico has been Patch's favorite daughter. Calico and patch hung

out together much of the time. Patch even allowed Calico to help her with her kittens.

When Patch wanted to go do something, Calico was right there to baby sit. Even when

Patch was there, Calico was often right there with her. She could often be seen washing a

kitten or even just providing a nice warm place for the little guy to sleep. When Little

Girl arrived things continued quite awhile in the same way. Little Girl grew up and had

her first litter of kittens. Calico, as occasionally happens with calico cats has turned out to

be sterile. She has never had any kittens. Because of that, when little Girl had her kittens,

Calico lost her favorite daughter status. With Little Girl's kittens, Patch became the

doting grandmother. She was always helping Little Girl with her kittens. The two of then

could often be see lying together, bathing the kittens or watching them play. Calico was

banished. She wasn't allowed anywhere near those kittens or any other litter since.

Calico didn't just lose kitten privileges. She wasn't even allowed to hang out with

Patch anymore the way she used to. Poor Calico, she was very upset. She knew exactly

who to blame for her predicament. Little Girl. Calico and Little Girl fought several times.

Unfortunately for Calico, Patch would sometimes jump in on Little Girl's side and run

her off. Calico was banished to hanging out with her brothers. It's been a couple of years

since then. Little Girl is still favorite daughter. Calico's position has eased somewhat.

Last summer, Little Girl allowed Calico to help her with her kittens once in awhile. Patch

has allowed Calico to hang out with her again from time to time. Who knows? One day

Calico may just be able to work herself back into her mother's good graces. Little Girl

seems to think so. She watches Calico very carefully. If she thinks things are going too

well for Calico, Little Girl will start a fight with her. Oh well, Life goes on.

It isn't only the girls showing some interesting behavior. This past year two

brown kittens were born. Thomas, a handsome cinnamon brown with lots of flashy white,

was born in the spring. Pudge is solid brown without any white at all and was late

summer. What is interesting about these two is that they are both fascinated by horses.

We have three horses and every day you can find Thomas or Pudge (or both) strategically

positioned to watch them. When I call the horses out of their pasture, often I find Thomas

trotting in along with them. If I throw hay into their mangers I have to check before I

throw. Quite often Thomas or Pudge will be sitting in the manger, ready for a close up

study of the horse. When the horses are grazing, Thomas will creep along, nose to the

ground until he's almost nose to nose with the horse. He will stay there for a few

moments until the horse gently swings his nose at the kitten to push him out of the way.

Pudge has recently developed a fascination with horse's tails. He will come right in

behind the horse's heels and start playing with the tail. Fortunately for him, the horses

have refrained from launching him into orbit.

Cats are funny and entertaining creatures aren't they. You just never seem to

know what they are going to do next.

Cat Breeds

American Shorthair

Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a

purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own

characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you

would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would

care to consider:

The American Shorthair

Originally known as the Domestic Shorthair, the American Shorthair is truly

America's cat. The Shorthairs' ancestors came to America from Europe with the early

settlers. Records show that the famous Mayflower had several working cats aboard her on

her famous voyage to the new world. Also, written records exist that mention the cats that

lived with the colonists at Jamestown in 1609. These cats were working members of their

communities and valued for their contributions to the well being of these early

settlements. Ever since that time, this breed has patrolled farms and stables for mice and

rats all over the country.

In the early 20th century, foreign breeds arriving on these shores threatened the

distinctive look and temperament of the native shorthair breed. Admirers of the American

Shorthair began acquire the finest examples of the breed that they could find. They set up

selective breeding programs based on these individuals to preserve this beautiful and

unique breed of cats. The breed was officially recognized by the Cat Fancier's

Association (CFA) in 1904 as one of its first five breeds. The very first registered

American Shorthair was named Buster Brown. In 1966 the breed registry changed its

name from Domestic Shorthair to American Shorthair. The move was made to accentuate

it all American heritage and to distinguish it from other shorthair breeds.

The American Shorthair is famous for its amiable temperament. Its' quiet

disposition toward children and dogs has made the American Shorthair a family favorite

for many years. This breed tends to be of moderate to large size, healthy, strong , well

balance and long-lived. They are independent, lively, playful cats that retain their

playfulness well into old age. The American Shorthair routinely is found in published

lists of the top ten most popular cats.

The American shorthair is an extraordinarily beautiful breed and comes in over

eighty recognized colors and patterns: solid colors, shaded colors, smokes, tabbies,

particolors and bicolors. One of the most beautiful color patterns is the silver tabby. The

silver tabby has dense black tiger type stripes over a clear silvery background. It way or

may not have white markings as well. So popular is this color pattern that more than one

third of all American Shorthairs are now silver tabby. This color is so striking that cats

that have it are often used in advertising or in the movies. The second most popular color

for American Shorthairs is brown tabby. A brown tabby has black tiger markings over a

brown background.

The American Shorthair cat is a sturdy American original with winning ways and

comes in a rainbow of colors and patterns. Give the American Shorthair a closer look. A

gentle, loving, loyal companion and also a fierce mouse hunter, the American Shorthair

can and has filled many roles over the years. This cat may be exactly what you are

looking for in a new companion.

A Short History Of Cats

It seems strange that there was ever a time when cats were not a part of our lives.

It's been less that 10,000 years since cats swaggered into our lives. Hardly an eye blink in

the grand sweep of life on this planet. Why were cats so late to join our team? The simple

answer is they didn't need us to survive. Cats were surviving just fine on their own. Then,

people invented agriculture. Agriculture resulted in large scale storage of grains which

attracted the usual and well know group of freeloaders, mice and rats. Grain attracted

rodents. Rodents attracted cats who consider them tasty meals. The result was that cats

set up housekeeping close to human settlements. Eventually, cats being cats, moved right

on in.

Who were these first cats? The first clue lies in where agriculture was first

practiced. Agriculture first took root (no pun intended) in the Middle East in a great

sweep from modern day Turkey to Egypt. Within this area ranges the African wild cat,

Felis libyca. African wild cats are slightly larger that our modern house cats and are

yellow in color with muted stripes. These cats have a docile, almost laid back nature.

Interestingly, these cats still tend to live and hunt near human dwellings today. Locals

still like to catch and rear young wild cats as pets. When mature, wild cats raised by

humans tend to behave very much like our familiar housecats. A very good case can (and

has) been advanced designating Felis libyca as the principal founding population for

domestic cats. At least two other varieties of wild cat are speculated to have contributed

to the genetic make up of domestic cats. One is Felis silvestris, The European wildcat

who appears to have contributed darker markings and a peppery spirit to the African wild

cat base. Also, from Asia, comes the Pallas or Steppe cat (Felis manul) that appears to

have contributed long-haired coats to the mix.

The early period of domestication of cats is vague with only patches of evidence.

However, by 6,000 B.C. statues found in Anatolia (modern Turkey) show women playing

with domestic cats. Cats had clearly become common and affectionate pets by that time.

The earliest written records about cats appear by approximately 4,000 B.C. in Egypt

where they were frequently kept to hunt mice and rats from stored grains. It was a good

time to be a cat in ancient Egypt. Domestic cats were thought to be the embodiment of

the goddess Bast (or Bastet). There was a necropolis at her principal temple at Bubastis

that contained mummified cats.

Romans spread the domestic cat northward into central Europe and westward to

Britain during the expansion of their empire. Cats were quickly adopted and admired as

great hunters. And they continued to move north and east in Europe. The Vikings used

cats as both rodent hunters and pets. The Viking goddess of love and war, Freyja, was

associated with cats. Huge winged cats drew her chariot. It also became the custom to

give new brides a kitten in her name.

The Middle Ages it were a very bad time to be a cat. Cats were said to be witches

familiars, in league with the devil. Because of this superstition, cats were routinely killed

during festivals. Sometimes they were even burned alive or thrown off tall buildings. The

Europeans paid heavily for their cruelty to cats. The deaths of so many cats allowed the

rodent population to rise out of control, bringing in the Black Death which killed so much

of the European population. Eventually, the cats' cleanly ways and hunting prowess

redeemed them in the eyes of the people of Europe. By the 1600s, people in France began

putting little holes near the bottom of their doors to allow their cats to enter and leave as

they please.

In Asia cats continued to be familiar hunters and cherished pets. Cats were often

subjects for drawing and painting in China. In Japan, cats in the form of Maneki Neko,

usually portrayed as a sitting cat with one paw raised and bent, are considered good

fortune. They are often found in businesses to draw in money.

The history of cats is a fascinating one, worthy of much more in depth study. It

fosters an appreciation for the personalities and talents of our pets.

Basic Nutrition For Cats

Cats are what are known as obligate carnivores. An obligate carnivore is one that

must east meat. You cannot just turn her out to graze in a pasture. The digestive tract of

cats has been shortened and optimized proteins from meat. They simply don't have the

dental or digestive apparatus to process plant materials. It's therefore surprising, given

their physical inability to process plants, that you will still find cats nibbling on plants

from time to time. There are many theories for why cats would nibble plants. They may

be trying to balance an upset digestion or add missing vitamins and minerals. Perhaps

they simply like the taste. Maybe it's a combination of factors. The jury is still out on this

matter.

Fortunately these days, we don't have to go out and hunt for food to feed our cats.

There are a large number of very good, nutritionally balanced foods available in pet

stores to satisfy any cats' tastes. Try to feed good quality food. It really does make a

difference in the health and appearance of your pet. Pick one that your cat likes and stick

with it. Cats don't actually need a lot of variety. Changing their food constantly tends to

just make them picky eaters.

Nutritional requirements for your pet will vary by age and size. What she needs as

a kitten will be very different than what she will need as an adult. Be sure to follow the

instructions on the bag to avoid feeding too much or too little. The average adult cat will

need about one cup of food a day. Cats appreciate consistency in their feeding schedules.

Try to feed them at the same time each day. Also, try to keep their bowls out of high

traffic areas. It's hard to eat your dinner when people are stepping on you!

Try not to feed your cat people food. Some things, such as chocolate and raw

liver, are actually toxic to cats. Others cause digestive upset. Remove the bones from any

cooked meat you might want to give to your cat. Poultry and pork bones in particular are

given to splintering and can injure your cat.

When you need to switch from one type of food to the other, do so in a gradual

process. Shifting gradually from one to the other over the course of a week will help

prevent digestive upsets. You may need to switch foods because your store may stop

carrying the brand you like or perhaps your kitten has grown old enough to graduate to

adult food. Do the changeover slowly and your cat will thank you for it.

Feeding treats is something for you to decide if you want to do it. Some people

are dead set against them. Others lavish treats on their pets at every opportunity. There

are many good cat treats on the market today. Read their directions carefully. You don't

want to overindulge your cat and turn her into a furry beach ball with legs. The only other

thing that a cat requires is water. Do your best to keep a nice fresh supply of water

available for your pet. With a little thought and planning you can keep your pet healthy

and happy for a long time to come.