The History of House Cats

The History of House Cats

It may be that “nobody owns a cat,” but scientists now say the popular pet has lived with people for 12,000 years.

On any of the surprising number of Web sites dedicated entirely to wisdom about cats, one will find quotations like these: "As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat" (attributed to Ellen Perry Berkeley); "The phrase 'domestic cat' is an oxymoron" (attributed to George F. Will); and "A dog is a man's best friend. A cat is a cat's best friend" (attributed to Robet J. Vogel). Of course, there is such a thing as the domestic cat, and cats and humans have enjoyed a mostly symbiotic relationship for thousands of years. But the quips do illuminate a very real ambivalence in the long relationship between cats and humans, as this history of the house cat shows.

The Mystery of the Ancient House Cat

It has taken a while for scientists to piece together the riddle of just when and where cats first became domesticated. One would think that the archaeological record might answer the question easily, but wild cats and domesticated cats have remarkably similar skeletons, complicating the matter. Some clues first came from the island of Cyprus in 1983, when archaeologists found a cat's jawbone dating back 8,000 years. Since it seemed highly unlikely that humans would have brought wild cats over to the island (a "spitting, scratching, panic-stricken wild feline would have been the last kind of boat companion they would have wanted," writes Desmond Morris in Catworld: A Feline Encyclopedia), the finding suggested that domestication occurred before 8,000 years ago.

In 2004, the unearthing of an even older site at Cyprus, in which a cat had been deliberately buried with a human, made it even more certain that the island's ancient cats were domesticated, and pushed the domestication date back at least another 1,500 years.

Just last month, a study published in the research journal Science secured more pieces in the cat-domestication puzzle based on genetic analyses. All domestic cats, the authors declared, descended from a Middle Eastern wildcat, Felis sylvestris, which literally means "cat of the woods." Cats were first domesticated in the Near East, and some of the study authors speculate that the process began up to 12,000 years ago.

Civilization's Pet

While 12,000 years ago might seem a bold estimate—nearly 3,000 before the date of the Cyprus tomb's cat—it actually is a perfectly logical one, since that is precisely when the first agricultural societies began to flourish in the Middle East's Fertile Crescent.

When humans were predominantly hunters, dogs were of great use, and thus were domesticated long before cats. Cats, on the other hand, only became useful to people when we began to settle down, till the earth and—crucially—store surplus crops. With grain stores came mice, and when the first wild cats wandered into town, the stage was set for what the Science study authors call "one of the more successful 'biological experiments' ever undertaken." The cats were delighted by the abundance of prey in the storehouses; people were delighted by the pest control.

"We think what happened is that the cats sort of domesticated themselves," Carlos Driscoll, one of the study authors, told the Washington Post. The cats invited themselves in, and over time, as people favored cats with more docile traits, certain cats adapted to this new environment, producing the dozens of breeds of house cats known today. In the United States, cats are the most popular house pet, with 90 million domesticated cats slinking around 34 percent of U.S. homes.

God and Devil: The Cat in History

If cats seem ambivalent towards us, as the quotations from cat fan-sites indicate, then it may be a reflection of the wildly mixed feelings humans, too, have shown cats over the millennia.

The ancient Egyptian reverence for cats is well-known—and well-documented in the archaeological record: scientists found a cat cemetery in Beni-Hassan brimming with 300,000 cat mummies. Bastet, an Egyptian goddess of love, had the head of a cat, and to be convicted of killing a cat in Egypt often meant a death sentence for the offender.

Ancient Romans held a similar—albeit tempered and secularized—reverence for cats, which were seen as a symbol of liberty. In the Far East, cats were valued for the protection they offered treasured manuscripts from rodents.

For some reason, however, cats came to be demonized in Europe during the Middle Ages. They were seen by many as being affiliated with witches and the devil, and many were killed in an effort to ward off evil (an action that scholars think ironically helped to spread the plague, which was carried by rats). Not until the 1600s did the public image of cats begin to rally in the West.

Nowadays, of course, cats are superstars: the protagonists of comic strips and television shows. By the mid-90s, cat services and products had become a billion-dollar industry. And yet, even in our popular culture, a bit of the age-old ambivalence remains. The cat doesn't seem to be able to entirely shake its association with evil: After all, how often do you see a movie's maniacal arch-villain, as he lounges in a comfy chair and plots the world's destruction, stroke the head of a Golden Retriever?

Source: smithsonianmag.com 

The 10 Incredible Ways Your Cat Shows You Love

Even though my cat can’t speak aloud, she is constantly trying to find ways to communicate with me. Whether my cat is “meowing” because she’s hungry, or pawing at my legs because she wants attention, she finds ways to let me know exactly what she is thinking. While I can’t read her mind, I know that she is also constantly finding new ways to tell me she loves me. And just as there are specific behaviors through which a dog communicates love, there are specific, unique ways that our cats are saying “I love you.” This exclusive list of behaviors delves into the incredible ways that our cats attempt to communicate their love for us. And while I knew a few of these already, most of them were quite surprising. In fact, I was shocked by just how often my cat has been trying to show me how much she loves me!

1. Kneading Your Legs

Kneading is when your cat uses their paws to push in and out against a soft surface, such 
as your lap. This is one of the main ways your cat tries to say “I love you.” According to 
PetMD, “If your cat is curled up and kneading your lap while you’re petting him, he’s 
returning the affection and telling you he loves you right back. Unfortunately, this can 
be quite painful, since the happier he is, the harder he’ll dig in with his sharp nails.” They recommend that you ease the painful part of this kneading by “placing a thick, soft barrier between the cat and 
your lap.”

2. Bringing You a Present

You may be familiar with your cat bringing you presents, such as toys or small, dead animals. 
This is your cat’s way of showing love. Certified Animal Behavior Consultant Amy Shojai
writes, “Cats love with gifting. Mighty hunter cats that catch everything from toys to bugs, 
mice or frogs, often share the bounty with those they love. Kitties who present you with this bounty deserve praise.” While it might seem odd, Shojai says, “They wouldn’t bring these 
special gifts if they didn’t love you.”

3. Head-Butting You

Head-butting may seem like an odd behavior, but it actually shows that your cat truly cares
about you. According to Mother Nature Network, “Cats have secret glands concentrated on certain parts of their bodies, including their cheeks and heads. When your kitty rubs her
head or face against you, she’s marking you with her scent and claiming you as part of her
family group.”

They continue, “This scent is a source of both comfort and familiarity for your kitty.”

4. Staring Into Your Eyes

Staring at you and slowly blinking is a way in which your cat shows you great affection.

Dr. Karen Becker writes, “This might be the display of cat love that is easiest for humans to understand. If your kitty first stares at you, then blinks, then opens his eyes wide, then slowly blinks a second time, he’s telling you he loves and trusts you.”

She says this is an extreme sign of affection. “It’s the equivalent of being kissed.”

5. Showing You Their Belly

The flashing of the stomach is one way that your cat is saying “I love you.”

According to IHeartCats.com, “Like most animals, cats do not show their stomachs to
just anyone. If your cat rolls over on its back to give you a flash of that fuzzy belly, this is
an indication that they feel comfortable around you.”

They continue, “Not only this, but they feel loved and protected by you, rendering
themselves defenseless while on their backs.”

6. Curving the Tip of Their Tail

The tail can actually be an incredible barometer into how your cat feels about you.

In an essay entitled, Ask a Behaviorist: How Do Cats Show Affection to People?, Catster
writes, “Kitties express happiness and warm feelings by fluffing out the base of their tails
while subtly quivering them. Simultaneously, they hold their tails upright with a slight
curve at the top.”

They continue that this tail curve “is sometimes called the happy tail dance.”

7. Nipping You

Don’t get mad, because gently nipping at your finger is another way your cat is saying
that they love you.

According to Dr. Karen Becker, “This show of love from your kitty can prove to be a
bit painful... [but] your cat really doesn’t understand her love bite isn’t always
pleasant for you.”

These love bites can also be seen as your cat interacts with other cats. “Kitties nip
each other affectionately, and their skin is tougher than ours.”

8. Rubbing Against Your Legs

When your cat just can’t seem to get enough of your legs, that is likely a sign of true love.

Dr. Karen Becker writes, “Rubbing against another creature is how cats show affection.
If your kitty rubs up against your leg... he’s putting his scent on you as a way of
claiming you as his own.” This is quite similar to the head-butting behavior.

“It’s important to your relationship and bond with your cat to allow him to rub
against you.”

9. Purring

You’ve heard your cat purr before, but you may not have realized that this was a love purr.

According to certified expert Amy Shojai, “Cats love with purrs. Her purrs can mean
a variety of things, from delight to expressions of concern. And kitty purrs range from
soft and subtle to Mack-truck loud.”

In case you had any doubt, she writes, “When your cat purrs in your presence, you
can be sure she’s expressing her love for you.”

10. Following You Around

If your cat can’t seem to get enough of your company, you know you have a loving connection.

According to the Mother Nature Network, “If your feline friend follows you from room
to room, jumps onto tables and counters to be near you, and always seems to be
right where you step, she clearly enjoys your company.”

A good test is if your cat continues to follow you, “especially if it’s not near feeding time.”

Paying attention to these common cat behaviors is the best way to be sure
that your pet truly does love you.

Source: Phil Mutz, writer at LittleThings.com

Pet Obesity

Pet Obesity

According to research from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), 58 percent of cats and 53 percent of dogs in the U.S. were overweight in 2014. Obesity in pets is a growing problem, and the repercussions are serious.

The root of the problem
Why are so many pets overweight? Experts have theorized some causes of the ever-expanding waistlines of our pets.

Food = love? Food is often associated with love, and because we love our furry family members, we want to show them that love by giving them extra food, treats, and sometimes food intended for human consumption, which is generally higher in calories and fat than pet food.

Early spay and neuter. While experts agree that early spay or neuter is good for population control and for the long-term health of pets, science is demonstrating that the hormone changes associated with early spay and neuter lead to decreased caloric requirements. Because of slower metabolic rates, animals who are spayed and neutered require less food to maintain a healthy weight.

Lack of exercise. As we lead busier lives than ever before, many pet owners hope a run in the yard for Fido is enough exercise to keep him healthy. For most dogs, this isn’t adequate. Dogs require our participation and interaction. Some dogs love to swim, others prefer to fetch, and some breeds, especially herding breeds, do best with a physical job. For many dogs, however, a simple daily walk is all that is required for them to stay at their ideal body weight.

Exercising a cat isn’t quite as simple. The experts agree that cats are healthiest and safest indoors, but an indoor-only kitty can become a lazy kitty, which can lead to weight gain. One way to exercise your indoor cat is to hide a small percentage of her food in a food puzzle or food-dispensing toy. Her innate prey drive will be activated as she “hunts” for her food, forcing her to be more active.

Play is important for cats, too. Use toys that require your cat to chase and jump.

A change in the norm. Over the years, our idea of a normal weight has changed. As the waistlines of both pets and humans have expanded, we’ve become accustomed to weighing more. What was once an animal of average weight today may seem to be underweight because our perception has evolved. The problem is, this new “normal” isn’t healthy.  

Lack of pet owner knowledge or understanding. To complicate the pet obesity problem, many pet owners don’t know their pets are overweight. The APOP survey also revealed a “fat pet gap,” in which 90 percent of owners of overweight cats and 95 percent of owners of overweight dogs incorrectly identified their pets as falling within the normal weight range.

People don’t pack on the pounds overnight, and the same is true for our pets. Because weight gain is gradual, and we see our pets every day, it might sometimes be difficult to notice when a pet has become overweight. And for cats and small dogs especially, a few pounds can make a big difference.

Consequences of pet obesity
Overweight and obese dogs and cats are more likely than their slimmer counterparts to suffer from arthritis earlier in life. Some types of cancer are also more prevalent in overweight and obese pets.

Among overweight cats in particular, diabetes is rampant.

Overweight and obese cats can have difficulty grooming themselves, which is bad for their physical well-being and their psyche, as self-grooming is a fundamental part of being feline. Not fitting easily into the litter box can cause some overweight or obese cats to have accidents outside the box.

Veterinary behaviorist Karen Overall, DVM suggests that some obese dogs and cats are actually clinically depressed. Their daily activity is often limited to taking brief jaunts in the yard or to the litter box for bathroom breaks, eating, sleeping, and eating some more.

How to prevent pet obesity
Your veterinarian plays an important role in the health of your pet and can help you keep your furry friend at a healthy weight. While pet owners generally don’t weigh their pets consistently, your pet will be weighed at each veterinary visit. If your veterinarian notices your pet’s weight is increasing, she should discuss it with you.

Your veterinarian can provide guidance about the right diet for your pet, including the type of food, appropriate amount, and frequency of feedings. Exercise should also be discussed with your veterinarian.

If your pet is already overweight, it is important to consult with your veterinarian about the proper way to help him get back into the healthy weight range. Crash diets aren’t healthy for anyone, but for cats especially a crash diet can trigger a sometimes-fatal liver disease.  

Losing weight is never easy, but it can be done safely and effectively with assistance from your veterinary health care team.

Steve Dale is a certified animal behavior consultant, author of a syndicated newspaper column (Tribune Content Agency), and the host of two national radio shows, including Steve Dale’s Pet World on WGN radio in Chicago, Ill. 

©iStock/Tarik Kizilkaya

Source: AAHA 

Homemade Pet Diets: What You Should Know

Homemade Pet Diets: What You Should Know

I often hear from pet owners who want to start preparing homemade food for their pets. Their motivations vary; in some cases, they have been spooked by news stories about pet food recalls and want more control over the ingredients in their pets' food. Other times, they are concerned because their animal won’t eat the special diet prescribed for a medical condition, and they want to know if there’s something tastier they can make themselves.

People have been feeding dogs table scraps (or sometimes the best from their own larders) for centuries. Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, was known to feed his Greyhound, Eos, a diet that included regular servings of pâté de foie gras. Talk about rich!

We know much more now than we did a century ago about the dietary needs of our pets. There’s a multitude of commercial pet diets that are complete and balanced for different life stages or made to help treat certain health conditions, such as kidney disease, urinary stones or food allergies, to name just a few, as well as foods that contain organic ingredients.

Nonetheless, you may be thinking about feeding a homemade diet. I’ve always said that if you can make food for a human infant, you can make food for a dog or cat. That said, pets, especially cats, do have specific nutritional requirements — it’s not just a matter of mixing up some hamburger meat, rice and veggies and plopping the blend into your pet's bowl. I talked to my friend and colleague, Dr. Tony Buffington, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, about the pros and cons of a homemade diet and some common-sense guidelines if that’s what you want to feed.

Is a Homemade Diet Right for Your Pet?

A homemade diet can be suitable for a healthy adult dog, but it’s riskier for a puppy. Growing pups are still developing bone and muscle, and nutritional excesses of certain minerals can cause serious orthopedic problems. Until your veterinarian tells you it’s time to transition your dog off puppy food, stick to a commercial food formulated for puppy growth or for all life stages.

A homemade diet can also be riskier for a pet with a health problem, especially if diet is an integral part of management or treatment. Sometimes, however, those animals turn up their noses at commercially available veterinary foods. If that happens, especially if the animal is very old or very sick, Dr. Buffington says that having him eat anything is better than nothing.

Before you start your pet on a homemade diet, start with a trip to the veterinarian to rule out any hidden health issues. Your pet should have a thorough exam, a blood panel and possibly other diagnostic tests to make sure he’s in sparkling good health. Once you make the switch to homemade food, the physical exam and test results can serve as a baseline against which you and your veterinarian can judge how well your pet is doing on the diet. 

While you're in the office, be sure to talk to your veterinarian about why you want to feed a homemade diet. She may be able to draw on her experience with other clients — or even her own pets — to advise you about the best way to proceed.

What Should You Feed?

Your veterinarian may not be able to formulate a complete and balanced diet for you, but she can refer you to a board-certified veterinary nutritionist or a service like Balance IT, either of which can help to construct a custom homemade diet for your pet that takes into account factors such as size, age, gender and body condition (underweight, overweight or just right), as well as the ingredients you want to use. In addition to providing appropriate recipes, a nutrition service may sell vitamin and mineral supplements that help ensure the recipe provides complete nutrition.

Depending on which route you take, you may pay a fee to the nutritionist or service for formulating one or more recipes, or the recipes may be free, but there may be a charge for supplements. Don't balk at the bills: Pet food companies build the costs of their research into the price of the food, but whether you buy prepared food or make it yourself, you are paying for the expertise to ensure that your pet eats right.

A nutritionist or service will help you formulate a balanced diet for your pet. The biggest mistake people make is feeding only a single ingredient, such as chicken breast, because “that’s all he’ll eat.” That’s not a balanced diet. But be cautious about mixing it up too much: When you cook for yourself, you probably enjoy experimenting with your recipes and adding new ingredients, but doing so with your pet’s food can unbalance the recipe and cause problems for your pet. Instead of tweaking individual recipes, gather an assortment of recipes based on different ingredients, so you can rotate your pet's menu and offer him a variety of appropriate, healthy choices. 

Another mistake pet owners make is trying to force pets to conform to their own philosophical beliefs. It’s fine for you to be a vegetarian or vegan, but for your cat, it’s a recipe for disaster. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must have meat in their diets to survive and thrive. 

How Much Is Enough?

When you look at a bag or can of pet food, there’s usually a recommended daily amount based on a pet’s weight. But these standard serving sizes don't work for every pet. Each animal is different, even if they are the same breed, size or age. Your individual pet may need more or less than the recommended amount of food, and sometimes you have to fiddle with how much you give before you find that “just right” amount. The same is true with homemade diets.

“The starting point is going to be plus or minus as much as 50 percent for any individual animal,” Dr. Buffington says. “If the calculated amount per day is 400 calories, for example, you can have animals who might eatonly 200calories a day or animals that are really active, who eat 600 calories a day. No one can tell that without feeding the animal and looking at his body condition.”

When it comes to body condition, you should be able to feel (but not see) your pet’s ribs and backbone as you’re petting him, he should have a visible waist when viewed from above, and the abdomen should tuck up behind his rib cage and in front of his hind legs when viewed from the side.

To make sure your pet is thriving on your home cooking, repeat the exam and diagnostic tests in six months to see if he is doing the same, better or worse. “It’s just a little bit of insurance that if something is going wrong, you can pick it up as quickly as possible,” Dr. Buffington says. “If everything is still normal, that’s another level of confidence that everything is going well.”

Source: VetStreet

BY DR. MARTY BECKER DVM | OCTOBER 12, 2015  

Summer Safety Tips

Summer Safety Tips

It's starting to get hot out. Okay, okay, it is hot out. It's only going to get hotter as we head into summer. We all know that as it warms up, our pets need to have fresh water at all times and a shady area to go to so they can cool off. But there are so many other things to take into consideration for your fur-babies when the weather starts to heat up. For instance, if your pets don't have that fresh water and shade, they can actually have a heat stroke. Which leads me to the next thing. Pets in cars. It happens every year. Animals, and kids, die in locked cars every year. "But I left the windows cracked!" Yeah...have you sat in a car with the windows cracked for 10 minutes? In the sun? When it's "just" 80 degrees out? You start to get miserable after just 10 minutes! Imagine how you'd feel after 30! So, with these things in mind, we're gonna move on to this list of do's and don'ts for your furbaby in this heat.

1. Access to fresh water everywhere. One bowl on the porch isn't gonna cut it. Put it in the shade and then add a couple more around the yard. 

2. No pets left in hot cars. Period.

3. Make sure your playful pet doesn't overexert themselves. This means you may have to limit their exercise if you have a super playful pup.

4. Walk your pets in the morning or later in the evening. If that asphalt is too hot for the back of your hand, it's too hot for their little feet!

5. Protect your pet from sunburn. Yes, you read that right, sunburn. If your furbaby is a hairless breed or has lighter hair, it's easier for them to burn. Take precautions to protect their skin. And don't shave your pet.

6. All pets are susceptible to heat stroke, but those with flat faces are more susceptible since they can't pant as effectively. 

7. Keep your pets away from fireworks. Most pets don't like the noise anyway, but fireworks are toxic to your pets.

8. Pets and BBQ grills and food don't mix. Grills can get knocked over and most of the foods and drinks found at BBQ's are toxic to pets. 

9. Keep all lawn, garden, insecticides and rodent killers away from pets. 

Know the Signs and Symptoms of Overheating and Heat Stroke

Excessive panting and trouble breathing, excessive drooling, discolored gums, mild weakness and mobility problems, confusion, vomiting, diarrhea, and high temperatures. If your pet is showing any of these symptoms, please get them to a vet immediately. 

How Often Should my Pet Get a Checkup?

Checkup Schedule

There's a few things to factor into when your pet should get a checkup. Age and breed are the first two things to consider when your pet should get a checkup. Then if your pet has a chronic illness, that is going to be a factor, especially as they get older and the illness progresses. For healthy pets, annual exams should do it until they get to be of senior age. Once they hit the senior age of 7, they should be seen twice a year.

Birth to 1 year

Puppies and kittens are going to need to be seen every 3-4 weeks for vaccines until they are 16 weeks old. Puppies will get their rabies and a 7 in 1 or 9 in 1 vaccines, which includes protection against distemper, adenovirus, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, and several strains of leptospira. Kittens will get tested for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. Once these tests come back negative, your kitty will vaccinated for leukemia as well as rabies, herpes, calici, and distemper. A heartworm and flea-and-tick preventative will also be started and a follow up in 6 months should be scheduled. This is when spay or neuter may be discussed, if not done during the first few visits. 

1-7 years

Your furbaby is officially an adult. Yearly checkups are recommended with head to tail physicals with bloodwork being done on any issues your vet may have noticed during the exam or concerns you've shared. Booster vaccines should be done every 3 years unless your state law says otherwise. 

7 years and older

This is when your pet is considered a senior. Twice a year exams are recommended at this age. They will still get vaccines every 3 years. You should expect to have bloodwork and urine done to check your pets thyroid, liver, and kidney functions. Be sure to mention an out of the ordinary behaviors to your vet as well. If Fluffy isn't as active as they were last week or you notice she's drinking more water, or not drinking any water, not eating, or not excited about going on those daily walks anymore, there could be a problem with her kidneys, she could have developed arthritis, or have another underlying issue going on that should be address. As always, no matter what age your pet, if you suspect something is wrong, take them to the vet even if it's not time for their annual exam.

Top 5 Reasons Fluffy Isn't Using the Litter Box

Yuck! The cat "missed"! 

If you find that your cat is using anything to go to the bathroom except the litter box there are many, many reasons why.  Here are 5 of the top reasons why your cat may be not using the litter box. 

1. UTI - Yep. Cats get them too!  A trip to your vet can help you determine if this is the cause and give you treatment to take care of the infection.
2. Did you get a new litter with that fancy scent?  Yeah, your cat hates it.  Try an unscented litter.
3. When was the last time you cleaned your box?  You may have a picky cat that really just wants to do their business in a nice clean fresh box! 
4. STRESS!  Yes, your cat can get stressed too.  New house? New baby? Did you get a dog? Or a new cat...don't be too surprised if your beloved feline protests in the form of peeing in the sink. 
5. Do you have a covered box?  Many cats hate them. Think about it as going into a port-a-potty in your own house....yeah, we can't blame them for hating it! 

Service Animals

Service Animals

Animals are often trained for many purposes.  We have work animals like farm dogs that herd and protect livestock, horses are trained for derby and shows as well are farm work and riding.  In short, animals are not just pets, they are vital parts of our daily lives.  One of the most important forms of working animals is service animals. 

Their Job

Service animals have many responsibilities that include

• Assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks.
• Alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds.
• Providing non-violent protection or rescue work.
• Pulling a wheelchair.
• Assisting an individual during a seizure.
• Alerting individuals to the presence of allergens.
• Retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone.
• Providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities.
• Helping individuals with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. (http://adata.org)

Importance

These animals are extremely important to their owner and are well trained.  It's important to have respect for these animals and their owner as they will sometimes be in places you don't typically expect to see an animal.