2/cats

to Kitty Corner

bar

a/purr/is/music/played/to/the/heart

Direct descendant of the Sphinx,
with hints of panther, tiger, lynx,
She lurks, she creeps, she stalks, she slinks,
at least that's what I've heard.

The bearer of bad luck is she,
imbued with haunting mystery--
But furry, purry Friend to me,
I can't believe a word.

K.E. Rawn bfly

bar

two/cats

The distant, great ancestors of the cat go back 45 million years ago, when a small, short-legged, weasel-like mammal called a Miacid roamed the earth.More direct relatives called Dinictis appeared 12 million years ago.By the Ice Age 3 million to 1 million years ago, cats similiar to our feline friends of today appeared.

The first people to domesticate cats were probably the Egyptians, who respected and worshipped them.Cats were first brought to Europe on trading ships around 900 B.C., and finally to North America by sailors during the 1600s and 1700s.The first domestic cats were striped brown and black, but by the 13th century, orange, black, white and longhaired cats had appeared.Many myths and superstitions have surrounded cats and many still exist today.Who hasn't heard the one about "a black cat crossing your path being bad luck"? This probably goes back to the Middle Ages when cats (especially black ones) were believed to be in league with witches.Or that "cats can see in total darkness"? In fact it's often a cats sense of touch not sight that enables them to move around in dark rooms.Their whiskers are sensitive to pressure and air currents and that helps them to pick out a clear path and to tell if they can get through a narrow space.Or how about the one "fighting like cats and dogs"? I can speak from personal experience when I say that one is definitely a myth.I have cats and dogs who get along wonderfully together.Or finally the ever popular "cats have nine lives"? When of course they only have one, the same as anything else.

Cats are a popular pet the world over, with the former Soviet Union leading the way with 45% of homes having at least one cat, followed by Canada and the United States with 33%, Switzerland with 26%, France 25%, Great Britian 21% and Germany 14%.And while it's true cats really only come in one basic form, there is still alot of variety within that form, because there are over 40 different breeds of cats!

Compiled from information taken from the:
Friskies Cat Club Newsletter
Gloria Green July,1998

save/a/paw/don't/declaw

bar

Cats and Catnip

If you've ever given your cat a catnip toy,
no doubt she was filled with joy and purred
and played with delight.Some studies show
that 70% of all cats fall under the spell of catnip,
even wild cats.It's believed that the intensity of
your cats response to catnip is something that they inherit.
flowers
The leaves of the catnip plant contain oils
that are inhaled by your cat when she is in contact
with it.It's the aroma from these oils
that stimulate your cat's nervous system
and makes them display that joyful behavior.