A Guide for Ailurophiles: Things You Need to Know About Cats
Cats have always been our intimate friends. A lot of people keep them as pets or feed them regularly as wild wanderers. They are everywhere: in homes, in yards, on television shows, and on the internet. In fact, there are approximately 600 million cats living across the globe with the USA being home to the largest number of these furry creatures. According to statistics, 94.2 million domestic cats live in US households, and 58 million feral cats live in natural places (Cvetkovska, n.d.). Due to the large population of cats in the world, animal lovers and protectors have long begun to learn about and become aware of the important existence of this special “feline faction”, the cat group. Let’s begin with the history of the group you are most familiar with: domestic cats.
Domestic cats were first introduced to ancient Egypt 40,000 years ago (perhaps even beyond that time), and the grave of the oldest pet cat in the world, which was found in Cyprus, was actually 9,500 years old! Cats were regarded as sacred creatures capable of bringing good luck to the people who kept them in Egyptian society. Noble families usually made jewelries for their cats and fed them special treats. After cats died, rich owners mummified their cats and shaved off their own eyebrows as a way to mourn their holy friend. When the Egyptian empire collapsed, cats were introduced to Romans as vermin controllers and traded to the East to India and Japan. Cats arrived in America during the 15th and 16th century on cargo ships to reduce disease and vermin (Cat’s Pride, 2014), and nowadays, they are spread across the globe, bringing happiness to hundreds of thousands of families and children.
Ailurophile refers to a person who is fond of cats. The word originated from Greek: “ailuro” means cat, and “phile” means “philo” -- loving, or a person who loves something. Today, cat lovers often adopt cats from animal shelters, receive them as gifts from friends, or buy them from pet shops. One thing to keep in mind is that we are not here to learn how to set up scratching posts, cat toilets, or cat crates before you welcome your cat home. Instead, we are going to learn some simple but useful facts and tips about modern domestic cats that you will need to know in order to prepare for their arrival or discover despite spending a long time with your cat.
Cats spend 70% of their time sleeping with an average of 15 hours a day and some sleepyheads even sleep 20 hours a day. Cats often sleep during the daytime to restore their energy for night hunting, though they rarely need to do this in the comfortable home you provided for them. When they sleep on you, it means they trust you and want to take a warm and soft spot in your lap or arms. However, if you notice they are sleeping too much in a day or more snoozing than usual, you need to bring them to your vet. Bad weather or change in health can both lead to extra snoozing during the day (Purina, n.d.).
Cats can only communicate with you. The “meow” sound is commonly understood as a universal cat language or a classic cat behavior. However, cats don’t normally meow to communicate with other cats. Instead, they develop special meow sounds which can only be deciphered by their owners and themselves. You usually get a meow once in a hundred hours because cats are very silent (DahI, 2015).
Cats live longer if you keep them indoors. Indoor cats live to their ripe age of 17 or more, but outdoor cats, especially in cities, live only an average of 2 to 5 years. Cars, pests, dangerous chemicals on your lawn, and potential cat abusers put outdoor cats in danger. If you live on grasslands or forests, your cats might be able to have more freedom to move around, but you still need to be careful with animals like foxes (AnimalFriends, n,d.). So why not just let them stay in your cozy house and bathe in the sunshine through the window’s glass instead?
White cats with blue eyes are prone to deafness. Researchers have found that 40 percent of white cats born with one blue eye, and 65 to 80 percent of white cats born with two blue eyes are deaf. Interestingly, some are only deaf in one ear, usually the one on the side of the blue eye. Cats deaf in one ear appear to be perfectly normal. However, precautions like cleaning ears, not exposing them to too much sunlight, and ear checks are necessary to keep them healthy and active. Try to keep them out of dangerous situations if they are completely deaf. There is no treatment for hereditary deafness (Cornell Feline Health Center, n.d.).
At this point, ailurophiles might ask for some benefits of owning a cat. Well, scientists have found that owning a pet cat can actually reduce your stress by reducing the cortisol level, a source of stress, in your body. A study by India University of Bloomington found through over 7,000 people that if you even just watch a cat video on Youtube, your stress level and negative feelings will be reduced. This, in turn, can lower your risk of getting cardiovascular disease by 30 percent. Their “meow” sound vibrates in the 12-140 HZ range, which is scientifically proven to have a positive effect on humans after bone or muscle injury. Kids spending time with cats under a year old are also less likely to develop different kinds of allergies. According to Marshall Plaut, M.D., chief of the allergic mechanisms section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "high pet exposure early in life appears to protect against not only pet allergy but also other types of common allergies, such as allergy to dust mites, ragweed, and grass." (Goodnet, 2018). Ailurophiles, you are lucky to have those furry creatures!
Despite all the benefits and interesting facts about domestic cats, wild or stray cats are also our friends who urgently need our care. Extreme weather like snowstorms in the winter may pose a great danger to them. Actions you can take include finding shelters for them with the help of animal protection society, giving them a new home to get through the storm, and most importantly, stopping people with aggressive, abusing behaviors towards wild cats. Let us work together to create a better world for them.
Helpline for stray cats in Toronto:
Sources:
https://www.thecut.com/2015/04/your-cat-is-trying-to-talk-to-you.html
https://www.purina.co.uk/cats/behaviour-and-training/understanding-cat-behaviour/cat-sleeping-habits
https://catspride.com/cat-matters/brief-history-human-ownership-cats/
https://petpedia.co/cat-statistics/
https://www.goodnet.org/articles/7-scientifically-proven-health-benefits-being-cat-owner