Κυριακή 30 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Travel in a Car with Your Pet Cat: Pet Travel

Cat lovers hate to leave their feline buddies behind during car trips and holidays, but usually even a short car trips prompts cats to become almost feral – moaning, pacing, hissing and clawing. And yet these short trips to the vet or a petsitter’s house are an unavoidable part of a cat’s life. So how can we make the trip and pet travel as painless as possible for them and for ourselves? You can learn a lot about general cat care - including cat behavior tips that will help you reduce your companion's travel stress - from the excellent guide Cat Care Secrets.


Here are some pet friendly travel tips to help you learn how to travel in a car with your pet cat.

Cat carrier. A free-ranging cat within a car is a recipe for disaster. Contrary to what we might assume, the confinement will actually comfort your cat as she embarks on this strange journey. And if you give her the entire car, you will find safe driving to be far more challenging.

Before you take your cat for car rides, try to get her acclimated to the inside of her pet carrier. Put a blanket in it and place her inside for brief periods of time each day for several days. Lengthen the period of confinement each day until your cat seems at ease resting and smelling her scent in there.

Prepare for longer car trips by taking short, easy trips leading up to the big one. Your cat will grow more accustomed to not only the motions and noises of a car, but also the confinement within a cat carrier.
Make sure she’s not sitting slanted. Many car seats are actually slanted a bit and, if you place the cat carriers down the wrong way, it makes for a rather uncomfortable kitty car ride. While it’s true that cats have incredible balance and coordination, no cat wants to be constantly fighting against a slope as she also tries to compensate for the movements of the car.
Avoid loud music. Your car will already be filled with some startling noises for a cat. Don’t add to them by blasting music in the confined space as well.
Steer clear of bumps and potholes as much as you can. If there are smooth roads that can serve as an alternate route from the bumpier way you normally travel, opt for those alternates when traveling with your cat in the car.

Σάββατο 29 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Cat Museum lithuania

Cats Museum

It is almost 20 years already when the Cat Museum resounds Šiauliai city in all over the world. The museum was established in 1990 at the Center of Naturalists by Vanda Kavaliauskienė. She brought here her large collection of cats of various shapes, models and designs as there was no enough room left in her own apartment. It is a unique museum of its type in all Baltic states.


The Cat Museum includes more than 14000 exhibits. The first one was the black little kitty with yellow ribbon from Poland. It came to its hostess in 1962 and inspired her to begin collecting cats. The collection grew and turned into a convivial exceptional museum.
Nowadays not only various material cats are exposed there in the Cat Museum. Visitors can also get acquainted with cats breeding conditions, their species, character features. Statues, paintings, post cards, stamps, dishes, toys, pictures, books, even poems about cats are here available to see and to read. The exhibits came to the museum from all over the world: England, USA, Canada, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Cuba, African countries, Lithuania of course… The variety astonishes everyone. What is more, not only exhibits reveal the main idea of this house. Cats are everywhere you look. They are on the walls, in stained glasses of windows, banisters, lamps, chairs, carpeting… And the most important cat is the Director called alive cat Philomena. She meets guests, welcomes them, gently purrs. Despite the fact that she is already 15 years old one, she still perfectly performs her office as well as her forerunner cat Mickey used to.

The Cat Museum also organizes picture shows. Professional artists from France, USA brought here their works and called the expositions “Cats in music and art” , “Cat Mickey`s Sitting Room”. Moreover, special theme exposition of calendars with cats or cat paintings by children from all over the world are also being arranged there.

Lately, the Cat Museum was expanded and not only 3 halls of cats are waiting to be visited. There is also an alive corner called section where various exotic animals live. Visitors can see there a python, Lithuanian grass-snake, lizards, even a cute little monkey. The two different expositions perfectly complement each other as thousands of cats may wheel round the head so direct contact with other animals helps to recover from jolly dizziness.

Every year more than 10 000 tourists from all over the world come to visit the museum. Some of them come here not for the first time as watching an up growth of the museum is really exciting. It is especially exciting when people gift the museum with some special exhibits from far away countries. The establisher, administrator of the museum and Director Philomena are all very happy to feel the attention from cat lovers and these who sustain the really serving purpose. The Cat Museum corresponds and cooperates with cat lovers from France, Russia, Poland, Belgium, Brazil and some Mouse Museums in foreign countries.

The Cat Museum is open Tue-Sat, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The entrance fee is 2-4 litas.
Address: Žuvininkų g. 1, Šiauliai.

Πέμπτη 27 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Rusik

Rusik was the first and only Russian police sniffer cat at Stavropol near the Caspian sea. He made an important contribution in the search for hidden illegal cargoes of Sturgeon fish, an endangered animal species.

Rusik began his crimefighting career when he appeared at the police checkpoint in 2002. Following his adoption by the staff, Rusik demonstrated his ability to sniff out sturgeon-smugglers' stashes with astonishing accuracy. His talent for sniffing out poached fish soon found him taking over the job of the police's canine team member.


Rusik died in the line of duty on 12 July 2003, when he was hit by a car during an inspection. He had apparently found smuggled sturgeon in the same car some time before, according to personnel at the police checkpoint where Rusik worked. Some local sources expressed their belief that Rusik was the object of a contract killing, but the truth is still unclear. Rusik was a siamese with only a year's service. He died a few weeks after Barsik, another police cat who was poisoned with a mouse.

Τετάρτη 26 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Misty Malarky Ying Yang

Misty Malarky Ying Yang, a Siamese belonging to Amy Carter and former pet of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.



Amy Lynn Carter (born October 19, 1967) is the fourth child and only daughter of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. She entered the limelight as she lived as a child in the White House during the Carter presidency.

Τρίτη 25 Οκτωβρίου 2011

"Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but would deteriorate the cat." Mark Twain

The relationship between cats and people goes back some 5,00 years. While recent archeological evidence has raised doubts as to whether Egypt was the location of the first domestication of the wild cat it is relatively undisputed that the Ancient Egyptians were the first to embrace the cat on a society wide level.


It is generally believed that this relationship evovled from the mutual benefits that each participant received. The Egyptians being farmers needed to protect their crops and grain stores from rats, mice and other vermin while the cats found a ready food supply in these same vermin attracted by the Egyptian crops. That the cats also killed the poisonous snakes that afflicted the Egyptians was an added bonus. From a human perspective this makes perfect sense, the proverbial win-win scenario. The Egyptians had their lives and crops protected and merely needed to refrain from driving away the goose that laid the golden egg but whether or not an easy meal was reason enough for the wild cats to relinquish part of their autonomy we'll never know, the cats aren't talking. At any rate the bargain was struck and the rest, as they say, is history.

( Pictre from the Museum )

Κυριακή 23 Οκτωβρίου 2011

The Cat Cabinet Amsterdam

This small museum located in the old patrician house at the Herengracht in Amsterdam, in an area of town where today the banks and top attorneys have their offices, is entirely devoted to cats. Founded in 1990 by William Meijer, a wealthy Dutchman who in this way wanted to preserve the memory of his cat Tom also called after the American financier of the past - John Pierpont Morgan.


The Cat Cabinet specializes in art representing cats. There is an aura of specific sense humor not only in the theme of this museum, but also in a way this museum has been presented to the visitor. Sculptures, paintings, posters and books about the felines are exhibited in a serious, professional way - almost too serious not to provoke a smile on a visitors face. The museum often collaborates with the institutions of reputations as Rijksmuseum, Museum Van Gogh, Kunsthal. If we add that The Cat Cabinet published some years ago a wonderful Kat-alogus (Cat-a-logue), which is today a collector’s item, you should feel the mood of this presentation.

The house De Kattenkabinet is located in could be a museum on its own. It has been built for William and Adrian van Loon in 1667, as one of the two identical houses standing opposite each other at Herengracht 497 and 498. A draw decided which of the houses belonged to which of the brothers, and it was William who got the house in which today the museum is to be found. Among the famous people who in the past stayed here were mayor of Amsterdam Jan Calkoen and an American president John Adams. Throughout its rich history the house has been several times rebuilt and redecorated, to be finally brought back to its full splendor by its present owner. And although most of its rich interior is dated only from the 19th century, it is still interesting to visit.
Five exquisite cats live at the museum premises. You will feel their fragrant presence since you enter the building. You may also realize that while the museum has been located on the two lower floors of the house, while on the upper its owner still resides. And if he is not in journey, you may accidentally meet him on the stairs.
The feel: if you are weary of visiting numerous austere exhibits on art and history, De Kattenkabinet may bring you a nice change. Its theme may seem a joke, but the choice of the presented art works is remarkable, they way they are presented is amusing; the The Cat Cabinet quarters are unique. A must for all cat lovers.
Open:
Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. – 4.p.m.(during the week The Cabinet closes early!); Saturday and Sunday 12 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed on December 24th until December 26th (Christmas), December 31st and January 1st (New Year).

Admissions:
Adults - € 6; children up to the age of 12 years: € 3;
Groups (eleven visitors or more): € 4 per person.

Museum located in the old house which has not been yet adapted for the handicapped.

How to get there:
Cat cabinet AmsterdamWalking - from De Muntplein (5 minutes)
By tram - from the Central Station, lines 1, 2, 5, stop at Koningsplein, take left into the Herengracht, you will reach De Kattenkabinet after 3 minutes walk. By car – try to find a metered parking place in one of the canal streets in the area or leave your car in the big car park under the Stopera - Muziektheater/Stadhuis, Waterlooplein 1 (10 minutes walk).

Kuching Cat Museum

The Kuching Cat Museum is a cat museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. It was founded in 1993. It is owned by the Kuching North City Hall (DBKU). There are 2000 exhibits, artifacts, statues about cats from all over the world. According to Malaysian and Chinese beliefs, the cat is a lucky animal. The museum covers an area of 1,035.9 square meters in a hill overviewing Kuching called Bukit Siol. In 1987, the first cat show took place in Kuala Lumpur. On August 1, the same exhibition took place in Kuching when the city was referred to as "Cat City"



Arroun the wold are 2 many Cat Museum, we are goin to see many !!!!!

Σάββατο 22 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Oscar (bionic cat)

Oscar is a cat, owned by Kate Allan and Mike Nolan, who lives on the Channel Island of Jersey. In 2009 Oscar had both hind paws severed by a combine harvester. Since then he has undergone a pioneering operation to add prosthetic feet. The treatment has since been considered for use with humans.

Accident

In October 2009, at the age of two and a half years, Oscar had both the paws of his hind legs severed by a combine harvester while in a maize field near his home in Jersey. The legs were cut between the ankle and the foot. Oscar was later found by a passing cyclist who then brought Oscar to his owners' home. Mike Nolan, an IT manager in a bank, was at home when the woman brought Oscar; he said that at this point Oscar was covered in blood, and he was convinced the cat would have to be put down. He and Oscar's other owner, Kate Allan, took him to their local veterinarian Peter Haworth.

Treatment


Peter Haworth, a vet at the New Era Veterinary Hospital, dressed Oscar's wounds and administered cat painkillers making him comfortable within minutes. Haworth then referred Allan and Nolan to the Surrey-based neuro-orthopaedic surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick. There was a lot of communication between the Irish surgeon and the Jersey owners. After looking at x-rays and pictures Fitzpatrick decided Oscar would be an ideal patient partly due to his young age. Oscar was then flown to the United Kingdom mainland by air cargo although he had to stay in his box for eight hours during the journey.


New feet

Oscar's owners did a lot of "soul-searching" before deciding to go ahead with the operation. Kate Allan later said that the cause for her uncertainty was that the kind of operation planned had never been done before. Although the operation carried out by Noel Fitzpatrick was a world first, it mimics a natural process, being similar to the way deer grow antler bones, in the manner that the implants grow through the skin. The implants were both custom-made to fit into holes drilled into Oscar's ankle bones. They are known as intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prosthetics (ITAPs) and were developed by the head of University College London's Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Gordon Blunn and colleagues. They have a honeycomb structure which enables skin to bond with the implant to prevent infection. The implants are placed into the drilled holes which then allow for a "sock" to be fitted over them.

The ITAP technology is currently being tested on humans and a prosthetic has been made for a woman injured in the July 2005 London bombings. Fitzpatrick has said he would welcome a collaborative approach with other surgeons working on human amputations

Πέμπτη 20 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Figaro the Cat

Figaro is a fictional character who first appeared in Disney's Pinocchio.



History

He is probably best known as the pet cat of Mister Geppetto and Pinocchio too. Figaro has also starred independently in a number of Disney shorts, as the pet of Minnie Mouse, which was a common theme for Disney characters to be juxtaposed from movies to cartoon shorts. Three of the cartoons he appeared in were his own cartoons; "Figaro and Cleo" (1943), "Bath Day" (1946) and "Figaro and Frankie" (1946). Similar to Pluto, Figaro is one of the few Disney characters who is not anthropomorphized, but just a normal cat. In 1970s Disney mini comics Figaro not only "guest-starred" with other Disney characters/comics but had his own column on various Felines as "Figaro's Feline Friends". After nearly a 50-year hiatus of not being in any new Disney cartoons, Figaro, like many other Disney characters of the 1940s and 1950s, was cast as a customer in Disney's House of Mouse. While the video game Kingdom Hearts featured a level taking place inside Monstro's belly and included Pinocchio, Gepetto and Cleo, Figaro was absent (although he does appear in the manga based on the first game). Figaro's most recent appearance has been in several episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Τετάρτη 19 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Hodge (cat)

Hodge was one of Samuel Johnson's cats, immortalized in a characteristically whimsical passage in James Boswell's Life of Johnson.

Although there is little known about Hodge, such as his life, his death, or any other information, what is known is Johnson's fondness for his cat, which separated Johnson from the views held by others of the eighteenth century.
Life
Most of the information on Hodge comes from Boswell's account. It is in this passage that Johnson is claimed to have an affection for animals in general, or at least the ones that he kept:
Nor would it be just, under this head, to omit the fondness which he showed for animals which he had taken under his protection. I never shall forget the indulgence with which he treated Hodge, his cat: for whom he himself used to go out and buy oysters, lest the servants having that trouble should take a dislike to the poor creature. I am, unluckily, one of those who have an antipathy to a cat, so that I am uneasy when in the room with one; and I own, I frequently suffered a good deal from the presence of this same Hodge. I recollect him one day scrambling up Dr. Johnson's breast, apparently with much satisfaction, while my friend smiling and half-whistling, rubbed down his back, and pulled him by the tail; and when I observed he was a fine cat, saying, 'Why yes, Sir, but I have had cats whom I liked better than this;' and then as if perceiving Hodge to be out of countenance, adding, 'but he is a very fine cat, a very fine cat indeed.'


This reminds me of the ludicrous account which he gave Mr. Langton, of the despicable state of a young Gentleman of good family. 'Sir, when I heard of him last, he was running about town shooting cats.' And then in a sort of kindly reverie, he bethought himself of his own favourite cat, and said, 'But Hodge shan't be shot; no, no, Hodge shall not be shot.

The latter paragraph is used as the epigraph to Vladimir Nabokov's acclaimed poem/novel Pale Fire.

Johnson bought oysters for his cat. In modern England, oysters are an expensive food for the well-to-do, but in the 18th century oysters were plentiful around the coasts of England and so cheap that they were a staple food of the poor. Johnson refused to send Francis Barber to buy Hodge's food, fearing that it would be seen as degrading to his servant, so he would personally buy the food for Hodge.

Boswell also noted how Johnson went out to purchase valerian to ease Hodge's suffering as death approached. Although Hodge was not Johnson's only cat, it was Hodge whom he considered his favourite. Hodge was remembered in various forms, from biographical mentions during Johnson's life to poems written about the cat. On his death, Hodge's life was celebrated by an elegy by Percival Stockdale. In this poem the phrase "sable furr" indicates that Hodge was a black cat; also, the fact that Stockdale was Johnson's neighbour from 1769 onwards suggests that Hodge was alive at that time.

...Who, by his master when caressed, warmly his gratitude expressed, and never failed his thanks to purr, whene'er he stroked his sable fur.

Today he is remembered by a bronze statue, unveiled by the Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1997, outside the house in Gough Square he shared with Johnson and Barber, Johnson's black manservant and heir. The statue shows Hodge sitting next to a pair of empty oyster shells atop a copy of Johnson's famous dictionary, with the inscription "a very fine cat indeed".

Τρίτη 18 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Casper the Commuting Cat

Casper the Commuting Cat is an English non-fiction book by Susan Finden about her cat, Casper who attracted world-wide media attention when he became a regular bus commuter in Plymouth in Devon, England. The book was ghost-written by Scottish writer Linda Watson-Brown, and was first published in the United Kingdom by Simon & Schuster UK on 5 August 2010. Subtitled: The True Story of the Cat Who Rode the Bus and Stole Our Hearts, the book was translated into six languages, and was generally well received by reviewers.


Synopsis

Casper the Commuting Cat is the story of an adventurous cat, Casper, that the author, Susan Finden had adopted from a rescue centre in 2002. She describes how Casper liked to wander from her house and was not afraid of people or traffic. Casper used to walk into office blocks and doctors' consulting rooms and find a chair to sleep on. Then he started queuing with people at a bus stop across the road from his house and boarding buses that took his fancy. He would curl up on a seat and go to sleep, and when the bus had completed its 11 mile round-trip to the city centre and returned to his bus stop, the driver would let him off. Casper's commuting habits made him a celebrity and Finden describes the world-wide media attention that she and Casper received. In January 2010 Casper died after being struck by a speeding taxi while crossing the road outside his house. Finden tells how she coped with her loss and the renewed media attention that followed.

In addition to covering Casper's exploits, Finden includes in the book a brief story of her own life, and discusses the other cats she had adopted from rescue centres. Also present are several light-hearted chapters "written" by Casper from "the other side" in which he gives advice to other cats on how to handle humans, catch a bus, and deal with the media.

Δευτέρα 17 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Winston Churchill and marmalade cats at Chartwell

Stately homes left to the nation seldom have a permanent resident, bar the odd ghost, mouse or housekeeper. One National Trust house, however, goes out of its way to ensure it is always occupied - by a fat marmalade cat.


"Sir Winston requested in his will that there should always be a marmalade cat named Jock in comfortable residence at Chartwell," explains Victoria Leighton, part of whose job description is to look after the current incumbent, six-year-old Jock III. "We have to be careful where he goes, though, as his claws could do a lot of damage. We try to ensure he keeps to the garden, where he sits happily in the catmint or any patch of sunshine."

Sir Winston Churchill was silly about cats - particularly marmalade ones, which would sit next to him on a specially reserved chair. None of his spoilt marmalades were fond of the other furry creatures of Chartwell, though. Churchill reported to his wife in August 1954 that her Siamese cat Gabriel "gets on very well with everyone except his yellow rival", with whom the relationship could best be described as "an armed neutrality".

The great wartime leader was capable of dividing his favours, however, and was to be observed working at his memoirs with a budgerigar perched on his head, a ginger cat on his lap and a poodle asleep across his feet.

A ginger cat with white chest and paws was an 88th birthday present for Churchill in November 1962, and was promptly named Jock, after the private secretary Sir John Colville, known as Jock, who gave it to him. This cat was such a favourite that he is even seen sitting on Churchill's knee in his grandson Winston's wedding photographs. Jock was only two when Churchill died in 1965, but lived on until 1974 at Chartwell and is now buried in the pet cemetery there.

In compliance with Churchill's wishes, the National Trust - which inherited Chartwell on his death - has since acquired ginger cats called Jocks II and III.

Another good reason for barring Jock III from the main rooms may be the goldfish in what was Churchill's study. "When Sir Winston was at Downing Street," says Mrs Leighton, "some children knocked at the door to give him some goldfish they'd won at the fair. He soon became an expert and kept them ever after. So we maintain that tradition, too."

Denied the goldfish, Jock III has to content himself with tins of catfood and the occasional mouse from the garden. "He's certainly a mouser," says Mrs Leighton, "but I'm thankful to say he doesn't bring them indoors."

Κυριακή 16 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Ship's cat

The ship's cat has been a common sight on many trading, exploration, and naval ships, and is a phenomenon that goes back to ancient times. Cats have been carried on ships for a number of reasons, the most important being to catch mice and rats. These rodents, when aboard, could cause considerable damage to ropes and woodwork. More serious was the threat rodents posed to the stores the ship carried. Not only could they devour the foodstuff carried to feed the crew, they could cause economic damage if the ship was carrying grain or similar substances as part of its cargo. Rats and mice were also sources of disease, an important consideration for ships which could be at sea for long periods of time. Cats naturally attack and kill these rodents.


Cats have a high ability to adapt to new surroundings, and were therefore highly suitable for service on a ship. They also offered companionship and a sense of home and security to sailors who could be away from home for long periods, especially in times of war.

Σάββατο 15 Οκτωβρίου 2011

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.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief_cats.html#ixzz1asffiblB

Πέμπτη 13 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Cat in rome

In Ancient Rome cats were welcomed as vermin controllers but were given no great affection. Most representations of cats in Roman art show them in workaday situations with no suggestions of reverence or mystical powers, for example, a mosaic from Pompeii shows a pigeon being attacked by a cat. The cat is shown realistically and not idealized at all. The Roman Army however recognized the value of cats as store watchmen. They carried cats with them through Gaul and eventually to Britain. The Roman colonial families soon became avid pet owners (some even kept larger cats as well as the domestic variety). Today there is no doubt that some of their cats strayed and interbred with Felis Silvestris, which is the wild cat that was at that time common across the higher land of Britain and Western Europe. In the Fourth Century AD when the Romans retreated to Rome, they left behind their cats.

Funerary traditions in Ancient Egypt

Herodotus noted that cats that died anywhere in Egypt were often taken to Bubastis to be mummified and buried in the great cemetery, but this may or may not have been the case. At the burial site in Bubastis the Swiss Egyptologist Édouard Naville found more than 20 m³ (720 cubic feet) of cat remains but also a great deal of evidence of cremation. Naville found stacks of cat bones in many pits, the walls of which were made up of bricks and clay. Near each pit lay a furnace, its bricks blackened from fire. This discovery causes some problems. The mummification and preservation of the body was intended to make it possible for the deceased's ka to locate its host and subsequently be reborn into the afterlife. As the body would have to be intact for this process to occur, cremation would seem an undesirable way of dealing with the body of a sacred creature with a ka. Nevertheless, many cats were afforded the full embalming ceremony and buried in other great cemeteries along the Nile.



In her book The Cult of the Cat, Patricia Dale-Green states that, "The cat's body was placed in a linen sheet and carried amidst bitter lamentations by the bereaved to a sacred house where it was treated with drugs and spices by an embalmer". She goes on to state that although the cat of an Egyptian noble would receive more extravagant burial status, the body of a worker's cat would still be carefully prepared and the embalming carried out with the same conscientiousness as for a human body, often with provisions for the afterlife such as pots of milk and even mummified mice.

Nowhere, perhaps, is this appreciation shown more than in the colossal tomb at the temple of Bast discovered in 1888. This tomb, outside of Beni Hasan, held more than nineteen tonnes of animal mummies and remains, the vast majority being cats but a number of mongooses, dogs, and foxes were amongst the specimens that made it to the British Museum. The farmer who made the discovery sold most of the tomb's contents to be ground up as fertilizer, but fortunately a number of specimens made it into the hands of scientists for testing and examination. Some of these are on display at the British Museum.

The sole Egyptologist to visit the site, William Martin Conway, wrote: "The plundering of the cemetery was a sight to see, but one had to stand well windward. The village children came [...] and provided themselves with the most attractive mummies they could find. These they took down the river bank to sell for the smallest coin to passing travelers. The path became strewn with mummy cloth and bits of cats' skulls and bones and fur in horrid positions, and the wind blew the fragments about and carried the stink afar". (quoted in Tabor p26).

Recently, during the making of his documentary for the BBC, Cats: The Rise of the Cat, Roger Tabor discovered a further cat cemetery at Bast's temple. This find consists of a twenty centimetre-thick layer of compressed mummies which spans more than sixty metres in length.

Τετάρτη 12 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Cats in Egyptian mythology

Egypt was not always unified; initially, it was a land with many regional tribes and nomes. Many nomes had a totemistic system of religion, centering the worship of an animal as a spiritual symbol. Some peoples would choose a totem animal because of the services it provided, some for admirable qualities, some out of fear. Regardless, when war broke out between peoples, the tribe that won was able to demand more respect for their totem, and mandated its worship. Eventually an empire was formed under Menes circa 3100BC, and a more pluralistic form of totemism was established. Ibises, eagles, and beetles were among the totems worshipped alongside cats.



The Egyptians viewed their gods not as spirits but as intelligences that could be personified in a body. The earliest evidence of cats as deities comes from a 3100BC crystal cup decorated with an image of the lion-headed goddess Mafdet. The goddess Bast was originally depicted as a fiercely protective and warlike lion, like Sekhmet, but as Bast's image "softened" over time she became more strongly associated with domestic cats.

As cats were sacred to Bast, the practice of mummification was extended to them, and the respect that cats received after death mirrored the respect they were treated with in everyday life. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that in the event of a fire, men would guard the fire to make certain that no cats ran into the flame. Herodotus also wrote that when a cat died, the household would go into mourning as if for a human relative, and would often shave their eyebrows to signify their loss.

Such was the strength of feeling towards cats that killing one, even accidentally, incurred the death penalty. Another Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus, describes an interesting example of swift justice imposed upon the killer of a cat: about 60BC, he witnessed the chariot of a Roman soldier accidentally run over an Egyptian cat. An outraged mob gathered and, despite pleas from pharaoh Ptolemy XII, killed the soldier.

Τρίτη 11 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Cats in everyday life in Ancient Egypt

Wild cats naturally preyed upon the rats and other vermin that ate from the royal granaries.They earned their place in towns and cities by killing mice, venomous snakes, and other pests.They were worshiped by the Egyptians and given jewelry in hieroglyphics.
The two native Egyptian cat species were the Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) and the African Wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). The wildcat was largely domesticated; the jungle cat was not as docile, and was probably not especially helpful in the initial phases of domestication. The two species eventually fused to create a new breed of cat.
The change in temperament is attributed to heredity and tolerance of humans. Changes due to domestication follow a pattern similar to other domesticated animals including dogs (domesticated from wolves) and cattle.
n Cats: The Rise of the Cat, Roger Tabor suggests that the domestication process was due to two possible reasons. Breeding within itself, a large population of cats could develop, and would continue doing so at an exponential rate. Familiarity with human society was aided by the association of cats with the goddess Bast - Egyptian temple priests would often keep cats at their temple as a representative of the goddess.



In Wild Cats of the World, Mel Sundquist and Fiona Sundquist suggest that a likely route to domestication was rearing of kittens captured from the wild. Fashionable Egyptian society tamed wild animals of all kinds, including baboons, lions, and gazelles, in menageries at wealthy households.

Cats in ancient Egypt

Cats (Felis silvestris catus), known in Ancient Egypt as mau, were important in ancient Egyptian society. Beginning as a wild, untamed species, cats were useful for limiting vermin in Egyptian crops and harvests; through exposure, cats became domesticated and learned to coexist with humans. The people in what would later be Upper and Lower Egypt had a religion centering around the worship of animals, including cats.



Praised for controlling vermin and its ability to kill snakes such as cobras, the domesticated cat became a symbol of grace and poise. The goddess Mafdet, the deification of justice and execution, was a lion-headed goddess. The cat goddess Bast (also known as Bastet) eventually replaced the cult of Mafdet, and Bast's image softened over time and she became the deity representing protection, fertility, and motherhood.

As a revered animal and one important to Egyptian society and religion, some cats received the same mummification after death as humans. Mummified cats were given in offering to Bast.[citation needed] In 1888, an Egyptian farmer uncovered a large tomb with mummified cats and kittens. This discovery outside the town of Beni Hasan had eighty thousand cat mummies, dating to 1000-2000 BCE.

Κυριακή 9 Οκτωβρίου 2011

White Cats, Blue Eyes

Facts About White Cat Breeds

White cat breeds have blue eyes or odd colored eyes. Your white breed cat may have one blue eye and one green or yellow eye. It is seen that the cat with one blue eye may be deaf in the ear on the same side as the blue eye. Therefore, keep your white cat indoors most of the time as their deafness may lead to an injury or accident.
The ears of white cat breeds are prone to sunburn. The fur is thinner on the ear and therefore frequent exposure to the sun may cause skin cancer in white breed cats.
The Oriental White Short Hair cat breed is not prone to deafness like the other blue-eyed cats.
The deafness factor is seen in cats with white spotting factor (S) and the dominant white (W) cats. Deafness is not seen in albino white cats.

White breed cats have absence of melanin pigmentation. There are three genetic mechanisms that lead to solid white coat like:

Albino White: These cats have complete lack of pigmentation. They have pale blue eyes and this albino gene is a recessive gene.

Complete White Spotting: The cat may be partly white as the white spotting factor (S) may be incompletely dominant. In case it is complete, it may result in a fully white cat.

Dominant White: There is a mutation in the gene, that becomes a dominant gene in deciding the color factor. The resultant cat produces a white coat with blue eyes.

It is a superstitious belief in many cultures that white cats are lucky and a sign of good luck. Let us know a bit in more detail about the following white cat breeds.

White Persian Cat: These are the most popular cats and widely sought after white cat breeds. These royal divas are short and round with heads that are larger than most cats. They have the longest and bushiest coats within the long-hair group. These regal white Persian cats require extensive grooming, brushing and regular baths to keep their white coats free from matting and knotting. White Persian cats have loving personalities that prefer living in quiet and peaceful homes.

Tuxedo Cats: A Tuxedo cat must have solid black color throughout the entire body with few white patches on the chin, chest, belly and paws. The percentage of black color should be more than white. These white cat breeds look like they are wearing a tuxedo, hence the name. One should keep in mind that not all black white cats come under Tuxedo cats. They maybe bi-colored, having more of white than black or maybe half black and half white. Even those with a few black patches on white body are not considered Tuxedo cats.


White Siamese Cat: These white Siamese cats are breeds of the Oriental cats. These cats come from Thailand, known as Siam in the ancient world. Thus, the name Siamese cats. These cats have elegant, slim, flexible and well muscled body. The white Siamese cats have short, sleek hair and blue eyes. These cats love to be cuddled and can get very vocal when there needs are not met. These cats bond well with the owner and will remain loyal pets for life. These attention seekers are full of energy. White Siamese cat require less grooming compared to white Persian cats.

White Bengal Cat: These white Bengal cat breeds are medium to large, well muscled cats. They have short and dense coat. They are a cross between the Asian Leopard cat and a domestic cat. Their bellies are white and has spots. These intelligent, active and energetic cats love water. They mix along well with people and other pets. They have a penchant for climbing and a distinct voice that can be very vocal.

Few Famous White Cats
There have been quite a few white cats that have been lucky enough to gather some limelight on themselves. These fictional and non-fictional cats are famous and loved by everyone around the world.


Enjoras, a black kitten of white cat parents from Gautier's Ménagerie intime.
Jess, was the black and white cat belonging to Postman Pat.
Seraphita, a pure white cat who has a love for perfumes and the mother of three of Gautier's cats with Don Pierrot.
Sylvester, the black and white cartoon Tuxedo cat who sputtered the words "Sufferin' succotash!" when he was thwarted by his main adversary, Tweety Pie, the canary. We all love his million tricks that he keeps trying to get hold of the canary.
Snowbell, from the movie Stuart Little who was a white Persian cat who was embarrassed to have a mouse as the member of the family.
Felix the Cat , a true star of the silent era, he is one of the most famous cartoons worldwide.
Socks, the pet cat of Chelsea Clinton, who is the daughter of the former US President Bill Clinton.
Bob, a black and white cat who was a pet of Sir Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister.

White Cat Names
There are many popular cat names you can use to call your fluffy white cat breed. You can try calling your cat Cloud, Cotton, Casper. You can even try Snowy, Snowball, Snow White. How about, Vanilla, Vodka or Talcum? Moonlight, Milky and Mystique sound good too. You can come up with any traditional, elegant, sophisticated or funny cat names to call your white cat.

The fluffy white cat breeds are real heart stoppers, who are able to melt the hardest of the hard hearts. There are many white cat breeds that you can choose from as a pet. Few of the cat breeds mentioned above, also have coat colors other than white. A white cat will need more grooming and care as their coats tend to get dirty more quickly. Although cats are clean creatures, who keep licking their coats clean, you should not be lenient when it comes to pet care. You should take care of cat health as these animals are prone to many illnesses. Enjoy having these intelligent pets with distinct personalities as your pet with an attitude!

Σάββατο 8 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Black Cats

Black cats have been both worshiped and vilified for centuries, due to their association, right or wrong, with witchcraft. Their fans are almost legion today, compared to some other colors or color patterns of cats, but their popularity probably has nothing to do with folklore, but simply with their stunning beauty.

Depending on one's area of the world (and the century one lived in), black cats portend either good or bad luck. Did you know that in Asia and the U.K. a black cat is considered lucky? Or that finding a white hair on an otherwise black cat is considered good luck?


Learn more and perhaps enjoy a few chuckles over the complicated folklore surrounding black cats. Pictured here is Cosmo, who must be a very lucky cat. He has one white whisker which falls out then reappears in a different location.

Παρασκευή 7 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Do cats are jealous?

Believe it or not, cats can become jealous. Anything that means less attention or food for them can cause jealous behavior, whether it's a new animal,
Even you speak in telephone or do something else !!!!!
Some times they act like a litle kid , or baby

Πέμπτη 6 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Σε Αγαπαμε για παντα Λεριε

Ο Λεριος Ο γαλανοματης Γατος δεν ειναι πια με μας !! Απροσεχτοι οδηγοι, δεν βλεπουν που πανε, Κλασικα τρεχουν χωρις να κοιτουν μπροστα τους ΤΙΠΟΤΑ.
Οταν λεμε τρεχουν δεν λεμε για λεωφορους,απλα για μικρες οδους !!!!!
Δεν θελω να πω τιποτα αλλο, γιατι απλα κακος θα γινω.

Η κοινωνικη ευαιστησια σταματα οταν βγενουμε απο το σπιτι ???????????
Σκεφτειτε το σας παρακαλω πολυ, Οχι μονο για τα φιλαρακια μας που μας αγαπουν αλλα για ολα τα θεματα επανω στον πλανητη ΓΗ.

Why We Love Cats and Dogs

Some people are cat people, some are dog people. But regardless of which camp they fall into, most people are simply crazy about their pets. The connections people form with their cats and dogs are often the longest, strongest relationships in their lives. They are our soul mates, our best friends, sometimes even our surrogate children. What makes these creatures such key members of our families?


Perhaps it’s because our furry friends have long provided us with comfort, camaraderie, and unconditional love. Cats and dogs are our unending source of kisses, cuddles, slobber, claws, and laughs. Watch as NATURE shares the stories of pet owners and their beloved animals. From a very special dog named Jerry, to a cat that saved a man’s life, Why We Love Cats and Dogs presents a portrait of some of the most powerful and remarkable connections we experience as humans—the unbreakable bonds with our pets.
We give love and take love from our pet, we learn to leave together for many, many years.
And this is love.

Τρίτη 4 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Care of Newborn Kittens

The mother and her kittens should be left alone for at least the first 3 days. Restrain your enthusiasm and desire to handle them until they are at least a week old. keep the box in its dark location until the kittens have had their eyes open a few days - about 2 weeks. The mother will take care of all the kittens' needs - feeding, cleaning and toilet training for the first 4 to 8 weeks. You may want to purchase a litter box with lower sides so the kittens can climb in and out of it easily. As the kittens begin to toddle around on their own, they may nibble at her food. When they are about 4 weeks old, start offering them a dish of easy on the gums canned food or dry food moistened with water or mother's milk substitute (available in pet shops). The kittens will be waned and eating an entirely solid diet between 7 and 10 weeks.


Δευτέρα 3 Οκτωβρίου 2011

Care of Pregnant Cat

The first thing you should do if you suspect your cat is pregnant is take her to the vet for a prenatal check-up. The queen should continue to have exercise in order for her to keep muscle tone and to avoid gaining too much weight. Assuming you have a healthy cat, the best care you can give her is a diet high in nutrients, along with plenty of fresh, clean water. Approximately 3 weeks before she is due begin adding a premium kitten food to her diet. Each week increase the amount of the kitten food, so when she is in her final week of pregnancy, she is on all kitten food, and continue on it until after the kittens have been weaned. Feed small, frequent meals (approx. 3-4 meals a day). During the last week of pregnancy and the first 3-4 weeks of lactating, she may eat twice the amount she ate before pregnancy. As long as she is gaining a healthy amount and not becoming obese, she should receive the food.

If she has external parasites such as fleas or ear mites or internal parasites such as roundworms, discuss treatment options with your veterinarian. It would be preferable to treat her for these infections before she becomes pregnant. You should never administer any drug or supplement to a pregnant or nursing cat unless instructed by your veterinarian. This is especially important during pregnancy, where relatively safe and common drugs can be harmful.

A week or two before the kittens are to be born, you can prepare a delivery box for the birth of the kittens. You can use an old laundry basket lined with towels, or you can make one out of a cardboard box. It should be large enough for her to stretch out in with a little room to spare. Leave the top on so it's dark inside, but slit the edges on three sides so it hinges open. Cut an entrance in one end from the top of the box to within five inches of the bottom. That way mom can step over the edge to get in, but the kittens can't spill out. Put lots of shredded newspaper in the bottom and cover it with a soft towel or baby blanket. Place the box in a quiet spot away from traffic and drafts. Though you have done your best, when the time comes, she may decide not to use the box. During the final three weeks of pregnancy the mother should be separated from other cats in the household and should be kept indoors at all times.

Κυριακή 2 Οκτωβρίου 2011

More Cat Food

Dry food

Dry food (8-10% moisture) is generally made by extrusion cooking under high heat and pressure. Fat may then be sprayed on the food to increase palatability, and other minor ingredients, such as heat-sensitive vitamins, which would be destroyed in the extrusion process, may be added.



Wet food

Canned or wet food (75-78% moisture) generally comes in common can sizes of 3 oz (85 g), 5.5 oz (156 g), and 13 oz (369 g). It is also sold in foil pouch form by some manufacturers.

Energy requirement

The energy requirement for adult cats range from 60-70 kcal metabolizable energy/kg body weight per day for inactive cats to 80-90 kcal/kg BW for active cats. Kittens at five weeks of age require 250 kcal/kg BW. The requirement drops with age, to 100 kcal/kg BW at 30 weeks and to the adult requirement at about 50 weeks. Gestating cats require about 90-100 kcal/kg BW and lactating cats 90-270 kcal/kg BW depending on litter size.

Σάββατο 1 Οκτωβρίου 2011

History of the cat Food

The idea of preparing specialized food for cats came later than for dogs (see dog biscuits and dog food). This was very probably due to the idea that cats could readily fend for themselves. In 1837, a French writer critiqued this idea:

It is... thought wrongly that the cat, ill-fed, hunts better and takes more mice; this too is a grave error. The cat who is not given food is feeble and malingering; as soon as he has bitten into a mouse, he lies down to rest and sleep; while well fed, he is wide awake and satisfies his natural taste in chasing all that belongs to the rat family.

In 1844, another French writer expanded on this idea:

Normally in the country no care is taken of a cat's food, and he is left to live, it is said, from his hunting, but when he is hungry, he hunts the pantry's provisions far more than the mouse; because he does not pursue them and never watches them by need, but by instinct and attraction. And so, to neglect feeding a cat, is to render him at the same time useless and harmful, while with a few scraps regularly and properly given, the cat will never do any damage, and will render much service.

He goes on to say that it is all the more unreasonable to expect a cat to live from hunting in that cats take mice more for amusement than to eat: "A good cat takes many and eats few".
By 1876, Gordon Stables emphasized the need to give cats particular food:

If then, only for the sake of making (a cat) more valuable as a vermin-killer, she ought to have regular and sufficient food. A cat ought to be fed at least twice a day. Let her have a dish to herself, put down to her, and removed when the meal is finished. Experience is the best teacher as regards the quantity of a cat's food, and in quality let it be varied. Oatmeal porridge and milk, or white bread steeped in warm milk, to which a little sugar has been added, are both excellent breakfasts for puss; and for dinner she must have an allowance of flesh. Boiled lights are better for her than horse-meat, and occasionally let her have fish. Teach your cat to wait patiently till she is served—a spoiled cat is nearly as disagreeable as a spoiled child. If you want to have your cat nice and clean, treat her now and then to a square inch of fresh butter. It not only acts as a gentle laxative, but, the grease, combining in her mouth, with the alkalinity of her saliva, forms a kind of natural cat-soap, and you will see she will immediately commence washing herself, and become beautifully clean. (N.B.—If you wish to have a cat nicely done up for showing, touch her all over with a sponge dipped in fresh cream, when she licks herself the effect is wonderful.)


Remember that too much flesh-meat, especially liver,—which ought only to be given occasionally,—is very apt to induce a troublesome diarrhoea (looseness). Do not give your pet too many tit-bits at table; but whatever else you give her, never neglect to let her have her two regular meals.

In the same year, an ad for Spratt (better known for making dog food) said that their cat food entirely superseded "the unwholesome practice of feeding on boiled horse flesh; keeps the cat in perfect health." And in another book on cats Stables recommended the company's food:

Attend to the feeding, and, at a more than one-day show, cats ought to have water as well as milk. I think boiled lights, cut into small pieces, with a very small portion of bullock's liver and bread soaked, is the best food; but I have tried Spratt's Patent Cat Food with a great number of cats, both of my own and those of friends, and have nearly always found it agree; and at a cat show it would, I believe, be both handy and cleanly.

Spratt, which began by making dog biscuits, appears to also have been the first commercial producer of cat food.