Spotted Cat Breeds

Are generally you seeking to be able to acquire a new cat soon? Wonderful! You ought to think about a
purebred kitty. There are numerous breeds that can be found in the following region, each and every with its own
characteristic appearance and temperament and historical past. Think very carefully concerning what you
would traits you would just like to see inside your current brand-new companion. Perhaps you would
care to consider things a bit various:

Ocicat

 The Ocicat were named after the Ocelot wildcat that is found from southwestern
Texas south to northern Argentina. The Ocicat, however, does not have any Ocelot blood
in them. They are entirely domestic bred. The first Ocicat was produced as a happy
accident in the early 1960s by breeder Virginia Daly who was was trying to breed a
Siamese cat with Abyssinian colored points. She did reach her goal, but in her second
litter she found a cream colored male with golden spots and copper colored eyes. She
named him Tonga. Her daughter called him Ocicat because he reminded her of a baby
Ocelot. Tonga was later sold as a pet and neutered.

 Fortunately, the same breeding pair that produced Tonga later produced a second
spotted male. His name was Dalai Dotson who became the foundation for the Ocicat
breed. The first Ocicat, Tonga, was exhibited at a cat show in 1965. The Ocicat registry
was established in 1966. The Ocicat was so striking and unique that other breeders were
attracted and joined Daley in establishing this beautiful breed. The breeder continued to
focus ion Abyssinians and Siamese for their foundation stock, but some American
Shorthair was introduced as well. The American Shorthair bloodlines introduced a
beautiful silver color to the ocicat.

 Ocicats are very lively and intelligent. They are also great talkers. They are loyal
and loving and tend to bond strongly to one person. Ocicats are very intelligent and will
make up new tricks to entertain themselves. Most of them know how to fetch. Ocicats are
another breed that doesn't like to be alone for long. Again, a feline companion will be
ideal for keeping your Ocicat happy.

 The Bengal

 Unlike the Ocicat, the Bengal has wild ancestry. The Bengal was produced by
crossing the Asian Leopard Cat, a small wildcat with domestic shorthaired cats. The
name Bengal was derived from the Asian Leopard Cats Latin name, Felis bengalensis. It
took the original breeder Jean Mill, several generations to produce a beautiful cat with
domestic and predictable personalities.

 In 1985 Mill showed her cats for the first time. There was some controversy over
the new cats. Some people felt it was unwise cross wild cats with domestics since many
wildcats are threatened species. Most people, however, were very taken with the beautiful
new cats. Mill was able to recreate a number of new Bengal breeders.

 The modern Bengal is a wildly beautiful cat with an affectionate personality and
great energy. Bengals form strong bonds with their owners and become faithful and
affectionate companions for life. Bengals love to climb and will do so given any
opportunity. You will routinely find them on top of bookcases, doors and dressers. They
are very curious and will rearrange the contents of any drawer the find open. Bengals are
playful well into old age and will pounce an anything that moves. From their Asian
ancestors, these cats inherited a love of water. Some will even join you for a swim in the
pool or hot tub.

 These very unusual cats are not everyone's' cup of tea. Give these very different
cats a closer look. Their unique appearances and lively personalities might just make a
great pet. These cats may be exactly what you are looking for in a new companion.

Cat Breeds Persian

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 Persian

    A very ancient breed of cat, the Persian was first mentioned in hieroglyphs
beginning at approximately 1684 B.C. The Persians' beginnings have long been lost to
time. The Persian was so named for their ostensible country of origin, the great ancient
empire of Persia which was located in around the modern country of Iran. The first
known Persian cats to arrive in Europe were brought by an Italian traveler, Pietro della
Valle, in the 1600s. Persians became very popular throughout Europe. At the first modern
cat show, held in 1871 in London at the Crystal Palace, Persians were a featured breed.
The show at the Crystal Palace, and the others that followed, served only to increase the
popularity of this already very popular breed. Queen Victoria herself adored blue
Persians.
        Persians are a wildly popular breed. They are, in fact, the most popular breed of
cat on the planet. Their long flowing coats and sweet faces immediately endear them to
so many people. Their personalities are gentle and affectionate. They are strong creatures
of habit and are most comfortable in secure environments with regular routines, but with
gentle support, they can adapt to a more lively environment if need be. Persians are soft
spoken cats with pleasant and melodious voices that many people enjoy. Their expressive
eyes charm people of all ages. Persians are built long and low with sturdy short legs.
They are not big jumpers but do enjoy lounging in their favorite strategic locations. They
can often be found beautifully draped on a sunny windowsill posing for sheer pleasure of
it. Friendly cats, Persians will seek attention, but not demand it. Persians have long been
a fixture in artwork. Their great beauty has earned them frequent roles in commercial
advertising and in movies.

    Persians need to be kept indoors, away from dirt and burrs that could knot up
those beautiful coats. Daily combing is a must to prevent snarled fur and hairballs. Those
huge beautiful eyes do tend to do a bit of tearing. Washing a Persians' face daily will take
care of tearing. A well bred Persian can be hearty and healthy. When properly cared for,
Persians can live to be 15 years old.

      The Persian is an extraordinarily beautiful breed and comes in an amazing variety
of colors and patterns. The registry divides their colors into seven categories: solid color
division, silver and gold division, shaded and smoke division, tabby division, particolor
division, bicolor division and Himalayan division. Each color and pattern exquisitely
beautiful.

    The Persian cat is an ancient breed whose winning ways continue to charm people
to this day. They appear in a rainbow of colors and patterns, one of which is sure to catch
your eye. Give the Persian cat a closer look. The Persian has long been a gentle, loving,
loyal companion to many people over the years. This cat may be exactly what you are
looking for in a new companion.

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
entire exercise.

Cat Mythology Cats as Deity

Cats as deities are most closely associated with ancient Egypt. The ancient
Egyptians had several feline gods and goddesses. Lions were said to guard the great god
Ra during his nightly journey through the underworld. The Egyptians had a fascination
with lions. They created their sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of Pharaoh.
Three lion goddesses existed in ancient Egypt. Sekhmet was a fierce and powerful
goddess. She was a war goddess who was sent by her father Ra to earth to destroy his
enemies. She is usually depicted as a woman with the head of a lion. Another lion headed
goddess was Tefnut whose name means moisture. She represented a primeval force of
nature. The third lion goddess was Mafdet who was the goddess of protection.
          Among her fierce sisters, gentle Bast may seem a bit out of place. Often shown as
a graceful cat wearing bracelets a broad collar and earrings, Bast was the protectress of
domestic cats and those who cared for them. Her principle gifts to the world were joy and
pleasure. She was a much beloved household deity. Her principle temple was at Bubastis
and was said to be one of the most beautiful and popular in all of Egypt. She had a
secondary seat in Memphis as well. There is some evidence to believe that the ancient
Egyptians believed that Bast and Sekhmet were actually two faces of the same divine
force. Sekhmet representing the violent aspect of the divine, and Bast, the gentler
qualities.

    Egyptian children were often consecrated to Bastand placed under her protection.
Bast was considered a divine mother and was sometimes depicted with kittens. When a
woman in ancient Egypt wanted to have children, she would often wear a bracelet or a
necklace depicting the goddess Bast with kittens. The number of kittens shown with the
goddess represented the number of children desired by the woman.  Ancient Egyptians
seemed to consider cats to be the height of beauty. The styles of makeup they used,
especially around the eyes, tended to give them a feline look.

      Cats were so highly regarded by the ancient Egyptians that the penalty for killing
one was death. When a family cat died of accident or old age, its' human family would
go into mourning. They would shave their eyebrows off to show their grief. Cats were
often mummified.  One royal cat was buried in a marble coffin. The hieroglyphs on her
coffin referred to her as "Lady Cat".

    Bast was said to be the wife of the god Ptah. Ptah was the creator god of the
universe. Ptah and Bast were said to have had a son, the fierce lion god Maahes. Maahes
originated as a Nubian god. During the New Kingdom, his worship moved northward
where he was incorporated into the Egyptian pantheon as the son of Bast and Ptah. On
becoming a divine mother, Bast became associated with the protectress of Lower Egypt,
Wadjet. They became linked as Wadjet-Bast. A similar association was created in the
Upper Kingdom By the combination of Sekhmet and the Upper Kingdom protectress
Nekhbet.

    The constantly changing nature of Egyptian religion can be rather confusing.
They had an inclusive attitude towards other gods and religions. The ancient Egyptians
freely adapted and adopted these others into their own cosmology. This attitude makes it
difficult for modern readers to understand. Most of us have been raised in religions
whose nature is highly exclusive. With an exclusive religion, outside influences are
rejected or even actively repelled. The Egyptians, as demonstrated by the story of Bast
and Maahes, had a very different way at looking at religion.

Cat Behavior

Cats are known as solitary animals. They don't hunt communally or share the
spoils of a hunt. Sometimes cats with adjoining territories will get together for a pleasant
evening grooming session, but on the whole they are not the most social creatures with
others of their kind. This general wisdom does not always seem to hold up.
     My barn cats are a single family descended from a lone female who wandered
onto our place one day and decided to stay. She and her children and grandchildren police
the local rodent population. Their behavior doesn't always match the solitary hunter of
common wisdom.

    The original female, Patch, used to like to take her kittens for daytrips around the
area. I've watched her bring her little brood back from wherever they've been in the
evenings. One evening I watched her stop and sit down near the edge of a small, lightly
used road running next to our farm. Two of her kittens stopped next to her. As she turned
her head one way and then the other, carefully looking for traffic, the kittens mimicked
her actions. The only one who didn't was the little orange tiger who became distracted by
a butterfly. Patch retrieved her wandering kitten and brought the whole family home.
Walks are still a part of kitten lessons.

      I recently watched Patch, her daughter and three of their kittens taking a walk
around the boundaries of our farm. Patch and her daughter led the way. The two younger
kittens were in the middle. The oldest kitten, not quite a year old brought up the rear.
When one of the younger kittens stopped too long, he tried to move them along. If he
couldn't then one of the mother cats would come back and get the little guy moving. I've
wondered what this little jaunt was about. Possibly Patch was showing the newest
members of her family where their territorial boundaries were?

    Some of the most interesting behavior I've seen regards family member who were
injured. One of Patches' sons is a big burley black and white adult tom. A very handsome
and friendly boy, he unfortunately has a talent for trouble. One day he came limping
heavily into the yard wailing at the top of his lungs. His mother and sisters raced up to
him as fast as they could. While he continued to cry, Patch began washing his face and
ears while his sisters lay down over top of him. They stayed that way for some time while
I called the vet. I'm happy to report that he recovered just fine with only a hitch in his
giddyup to remember his adventure by.

       Another of Patches sons, a brown and white tom just under a year old, got into a
fight with his eldest brother. During the fight his foot was injured and began to swell. I
found him limping along on three legs the following morning. I brought him onto our
porch where I could keep a close eye on him and he could recover without further
injuring his foot. While he was recuperating, various members of the family perched
outside the porch windows, keeping him company.

    These are just a few examples I've seen among my cats. Maybe they are unusual.
I've certainly never seen cats act this way before. Or maybe, just maybe, cats aren't such
social isolates as everyone's always thought!

A Short History Of Cats

  
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.
   

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

Shipley: Still Suffering From Writers Block

Skankenpuss: The Frankenstein Fur Monster Cat

A short while ago, I speculated about using all the fur the cats leave on my carpets to construct a whole new, better-behaved cat, who I would call Skankenpuss. I was not in any way being serious. Someone else, however, clearly had the same idea, and was.