History of Cats – Part 1

Posted by Jeanne on May 11, 2009

Astonishingly, little is known about the history of the cat. While her path has paralleled man’s for thousands of years, he has noted few milestones in their journey together. For this, it seems reasonable to blame the cat. Man has always been a fairly close observer of the world around him and an incurable diarist. If the ancestral cat does not appear in cave drawings or on clay tablets, it is very possibly because then, as now, she walked alone and seldom came when called. Out of sight, out of mind.

There is an Arab myth that the cat came into being on Noah’s Ark when one of the two lions sneezed and the first feline leaped out of his nose. As myths go, this is plausible enough, except that there is no suggestion as to how the premier cat managed to perpetuate the race.

Somewhat more scientific opinion holds that the cat became cat about 40 million years ago. She was not the cat we know today, but she was beginning to be. And, she had already come a long way from her starting point: Miacis, a weasel-like creature of the Eocene epoch (40 to 60 million years ago), who is also responsible for bears, raccoons, hyenas, dogs, and civets – an oddly assorted lot that is not even on speaking terms today.

Cats developed from the civet side of the family and are also distant cousins of one of the most fearsome beasts of all time, the saber-toothed tiger. Smilodon, the sabertooth, was a 14-foot engine of destruction with curving, six-inch fangs and a mean temper, who strode the earth for half a million years. Since he was padding around throughout the period in which the early apes learned to stand erect and become men, it is possible that he had much to do with the still-lingering human fear of cats.

How to Keep Your Cat from Scratching Your Furniture

Posted by Jeanne on May 4, 2009

Any time that you decide to take a pet into your home, you are taking the chance of having them destroy many of your belongings, including your furniture. What you need to remember, no matter how hard it might be at the moment, is that cats do have a reason for what they do.

One option to prevent your cat from clawing up your furniture is to have him declawed. It is not always the best option for your cat or for you. You really need to think it through before you have your cat declawed. It is possible to help your cat transfer his urge to claw your furniture into clawing something else such as a scratching post.

Many years ago when it was a common practice I had my indoor Siamese cat declawed, and he never realized he didn’t have claws. He constantly tried to sharpen his claws on the furniture even though his claws were no longer there!

It is possible to train your cat to use a scratching post for his stretching and scratching needs. This can be done quite easily by making the scratching post seem enticing. Some people choose to rub scents such as catnip or dressing it up with a toy or two to make it more appealing. You also need to keep in mind that you need to strategically place your cat’s scratching post in an area where he can use it whenever he wants to.

One of the keys to getting a scratching post that your cat will like is to make sure it is tall enough and sturdy enough. The great thing is that there are a variety of scratching posts available to fit every cat’s preferences. Also, make sure that you discipline your cat whenever you catch him scratching your furniture, and praise him when he is using the scratching post. Your cat will soon catch on that he will be petted and praised when doing what he is supposed to be doing.