The Wonder of Cats

by Peter Scottsdale

  Bad luck is associated with pink-eyed felines.

  It is bad luck to allow a cat to enter into a new home. Some think to avoid that is to have a cat enter through the window rather than the door.

  It is a legendary story that a mouse (or rat), was sent to get medicine for a sick Buddha but was killed by a cat, so the Buddha died. So the cat was the only animal not invited to Buddha’s funeral.

  Onboard a ship, it is good luck to have a cat along for the trip, so many sailors believe.

  An odd number of kittens in a litter means bad luck.

  Some believe to keep a cat from straying; its feet should be buttered. Sam sez, “That’s makes it slippery walking, but a tasty licking.”

  Rheumatism is caused in the leg that kicked a cat. Sam sez, “There’s a lesson here.”

  Cattle mysteriously die if the farmer has killed a cat.

  Some believe if a cat sleeps with the flat part of her head on the floor, it will rain. And the saying goes, “Cat on the brain, it’s going to rain.”

  It was believed that a cat could cure many ailments. If someone had a disease of the eye, a black cat’s head was burned to ashes, and the ashes blown into the eyes three times a day to cure the ailment. For shingles, cut off a cat’s ears or tail and mix the blood with milk and anoint the affected area for three days, in the morning and in the evening. If a sty is the problem, take a black cat’s tail and rub it against the sty to cure it. For whooping cough, take nine hairs from a black cat’s tail, chop them up, and soak them in water. Drink the mix and the whooping cough will be gone.

  Cats were believed to be in league with evil forces, because they could hunt in almost pure darkness. Sam sez, “’In league with evil forces?’ Maybe to a rodent. Otherwise, we be good kitties.”

  Feline Sayings & Proverbs

  In a 20th century expression, something new and popular was “the cat’s meow.”

  Cats sleep lightly and often, which led to the expression: “a catnap,” meaning a short nap.

  The expression “don’t let the cat out of the bag” originated in the 18th century when a cat was substituted for piglets sold in a bag. If the cat escaped the bag, the scam was up. Hence, the saying.

  In 1902, soon after the invention of pajamas, the saying the “cat’s pajamas” came into use, meaning perfect or remarkable.

  A safecracker is sometimes called by the nickname “a gaycat.”

  A heinous crime is, at times, called a “cat caper.”

  A thief who can climb easily, is light on his feet, and has amazing agility is a “cat burglar.”

  In the 1940s, the phrase meaning “let’s splurge” was “give the cat another goldfish.” Sam sez, “Yumm!”

  In the 1500s, the saying “care kills a cat” meant that “care” (or “worry”) was not good for your health. This phrase became “curiosity killed the cat” in modern times.

  The Italian way of saying “let sleeping dogs lie” is “don’t wake a sleeping cat.” Sam sez, “We need our beauty sleep, too.”

  A human who keeps up with the latest trends is a “hep cat.”

  “Cat on a hot tin roof” describes a human who is jumpy and nervous like a cat would be on a hot tin roof. It originated in Britain as “like a cat on hot bricks.” The saying became famous when Tennessee Williams used it in his play “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof.”

  The thought that cats are stealthy and sneaky when hunting led to the phrase “pussyfooting around,” meaning to behave stealthily.

  From cats arching their backs in anger, the saying “getting one’s back up” developed.

  In ancient customs, if a human lied he could get his tongue removed, leading to the expression “cat got your tongue.”

  A rich man is sometimes called a “fat cat.”

  “There’s more than one way to skin a cat” didn’t start with cats but catfish. Catfish are skinned using a variety of methods because their skin is so tough. Sam sez, “And they’re good eatin’ too.”

  A “cathouse” is another name for a brothel.

  Cats’ eyes shine and have a changeable luster, which led to the gem with the same qualities being named a Cat’s Eye.

  “Sitting in the catbird seat” became popular when Brooklyn Dodger’s radio broadcaster Red Barber used it in his radio program. It means to have a position of prominence or advantage.

  When an audience in a theater doesn’t like what they see, they may whistle at the performers, which is a “cat-call.”

  If you look messy, like prey a cat has captured and played with, you “look like something the cat dragged in.”

  When the boss is gone and the staff stops working and fools around, it is said, “When the cat’s away the mice will play.”

  “Beware of people who dislike cats” is an Irish proverb. Sam sez, “Good idea.”

  “The cat loves fish but hates wet feet” is an Italian proverb.

  “The borrowed cat catches no mice” is a Japanese proverb.

  “A cat is a lion to a mouse” is an Albanian proverb. Sam sez, “Mmmm, mice.”

  “To live long eat like a cat, drink like a dog” is a German proverb.

  “A lame cat is better than a swift horse when rats infest the palace” is a Chinese proverb.

  “A cat that is always crying catches no mice” in an Arabic proverb. Sam sez, “And is really hungry too.”

  “All cats are gray in the dark” is an English proverb.

  Cats’ Stats

  In a year, $2.15 billion is spent on cat food, and $295 million on cat litter.

  In the world, there are over 500 million domesticated cats with about 100 different known breeds.

  The American Pet Products Association reported from their 2013-2014 National Pet Survey that 45.3 million American homes have cats. Those households average 2.11 cats each, giving an estimated 95.6 million cats in the U.S.A. This does not include cats living in animal shelters looking for a forever home or feral cats cared for in cat colonies. Sam sez, “Me-WOW! That is a lot of shed fur.”

  According to the American Pet Products Association survey, the average cat owner has a higher family income than non-cat households.

  Cat owners spend an average $23.00 per gift for their feline.

  In the U.S., 32% of households have at least one cat according to the 2007 Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook.

  The American Veterinary Medical Association reports the average American cat owner spends $190.00/year on veterinary expenses on each feline.

  According to the ASPCA, cat and dog owners in the U.S. spent $23.2 billion on veterinary care in 2006.

  According to the APPMA, an estimated $43.2 billion was spent on pets in America in 2008.

  Fifty-three percent of Canadian households own either a cat or dog with 13% having both.

  According to an Ipsos Reid poll, 83% of Canadians say their pets are a part of the family. Four out of ten also say their pets can be a replacement for human company.

  About 65% of owners get their cats gifted to them from friends and family or from a shelter.

  For the Feline Record

  The longest-living cat was born on August 3, 1967 and lived until August 6, 2005 – an astonishing 38 years 3 days. Her name was “Crème Puff” and lived with her owner Jake Perry in Austin, Texas.

  The previous record was a British Moggy, in Devon, U.K. called “Puss” that lived to 36 years and a day.

  A tabby queen from Texas called Dusty holds the record for most kittens in a lifetime at 420 babies. Sam sez, “That’s one busy mom. Busier than the Octomom.”

  The record for most kittens in a single litter is 14 each for two queens in the 1970s.

  The world record, in the 1970s, for a cat freefalling and surviving is 16 stories by a puss named “Andy,” the cat of Florida Senator Ken Myer. However, a pregnant puss broke that freefall record after being knocked off a bridge in Portland, Oregon. And several days later gave birth to her healthy kittens.

  The record of longest cat tail in the
U.K. is fourteen inches. Sam sez, “That’s a tall tail.”

  On December 17, 2009, the tallest domesticated cat was measured to be 16.48 inches (41.87 cm). This tallest cat was a F1 Savannah cross, named “Scarlett Magic.” (Note: The F1 Savannah is the first generation wildcat/domestic cat hybrid and is considered a domestic cat according to The International Cat Association.)

  The most toes on a cat were a Canadian male Ginger Tabby named “Jake,” owned by Michelle and Paul Contant. He had seven toes per paw – total toes: 28. Each toe had its own bone structure, claw, and pad. This record was set on September 24, 2002.

  Towser, a tortoise-shell feline, holds the record of 28,899 mouse kills in a lifetime. Towser lived to be 21 years old, averaging four kills a day. She lived in a Scottish distillery. Sam sez, “Mmmm, mice!”

  Mickey, a male tabby of Lancashire, U.K., caught more than 22,000 mice in his 23 year hunting career. He died in 1968.

  Also, from 1927 to 1933, a female named Minnie caught 12,500 rats in the old White City Stadium in London, U.K.

  Look Out Below! Cat Falling!!

  Cats are survivors, living through great falls of more than forty feet, which led to the legend of cats having nine lives.

  About 90% of high falling cats in New York City survive.

  Cats are said to always land on their feet. When a cat falls, he uses his tail to right himself in mid-air. The cat turns his front quarters and head first then pulls the hind legs under so that he is facing the ground with feet down. When landing, the feline arches his back to absorb the impact.

  When a cat falls from a high distance, say from a tall apartment balcony, many survive the fall that would kill a human, with little or no injury, because he rotates his body as he falls and spreads his legs out. This gives the cat a parachute effect, giving drag and maximum wind resistance. When he lands, the elasticity and make of the skeleton, especially in his legs and feet, absorbs the heavy impact.

  Whereas a fall from a lesser height, say ten feet, can lead to injury as the cat does not have time to ride the wind and relax, therefore landing harder and possibly breaking a bone or being otherwise injured.

  So, cats are more likely to die from a fall of one or two stories than higher distances – this is because the cat may have more time to be able to prepare themselves for a landing from a higher fall.

  A cat’s inner ear helps the feline to right herself during a fall.

  It is believed that 120 feet is the maximum height a cat can fall and survive. However, air currents and ground surface play a role in cat fall survivals.

  The position a cat starts in falling can determine its survival possibilities. A horizontal position whether upright or upside down is best as the feline can position herself faster for the fall. Conversely, in a vertical position, the cat has a more difficult time righting himself for an effective landing.

  Hey, This Is My Place & I’m The Boss Here!

  Other cats will venture into another cat’s territory when he is regularly away, indoors or sleeping, and reduce the risk of being attacked or chased off.

  The dominant feline will patrol his territory mostly around dawn and dusk when prey is most active and other cats will give him unopposed right of access.

  Middening occurs when the cat deliberately defecates in an open area to prove territoriality.

  Cats spray indoors and out to mark their territory.

  A feline will spread her scent on people by rubbing the leg or offering and being stroked.

  Scent glands can be found all over the body and especially along the tail.

  When a cat grooms herself the scent is spread evenly across the cat’s body where it can be rubbed onto furniture, another puss, or her human.

  By spreading his scent, the feline develops a communal smell and strengthens the core of his territory.

  Scent producing glands are also concentrated under the chin, on the sides of the forehead, and on the lips which leads the cat to pushing and rubbing in those areas onto their human.

  Friendly cats greet people and other cats by presenting the underside of the chin to spread its scent.

  Scratching on posts or furniture is not only for keeping claws ready for action, it spreads their scent from glands situated on the sides of the pads.

  Paw glands help the cat to mark paths and walkways in and outdoors to mark territory and to return home to favorite sleeping and feeding places.

  Cats, who scratch many indoor places and near doorways, are marking their territory through scents glands in their paws and through the scratch marks left behind.

  Spraying is an act of marking territory by males and females and is not urinating.

  Spraying is done standing and facing away from the target. The cat stands a few centimeters away from a standing object like a fence post or tree with the tail up high and quivering at the tip, and shoots up to two milliliters of urine backwards in short spurts to spread the urine over the target.

  Spraying a post allows the cat’s scent to last longer than just smelling the air and may be smelt up to fifty feet away and last for weeks.

  Unneutered males spray more often and more pungently.

  Tomcats begin spraying at adolescence when male hormone production begins as the tom seeks to be socially active, attract females, and set territory.

  Cats spray at nose height to other cats in the area.

  It is believed the scent of the spray gives the finder all kinds of information about the sprayer including sex, rank, and sexual status, health, age, and the freshness of the spray will indicate its age.

  Fresh spray may mean “beware” while an older spray may mean “relax”.

  Cats spray throughout their territory; with many fresh marks, the cat feels confident in his territory.

  Virtually all cats – even fixed ones – spray outdoors.

  The more concentration of cats the more they spray, especially spayed females.

  Spraying can be an emotional response to certain conditions and changes, including aggressive arousal and marking a territory.

  Spraying may occur more frequently when the cat is anxious or vulnerable, having routines disrupted, are being punished, or there’s a new cat in the home.

  A cat door may result in the cat starting to spray indoors as the possibility of other cats entering the home through the cat door is now possible so the resident cat needs to affirm his territory.

  When a human cleans a sprayed chair, for example, with an ammonium cleaning product, the lingering smell to a cat is that of another cat who has sprayed there. The cleaner smells like urine to the resident cat because cat urine contains ammonia.

  While it is thought that males spray to mark their territory; it is also theorized that spraying is more like a calling card for other cats, telling them who’s been there.

  A tom will regularly mark his home unless he is fixed as a kitten.

  When a cat leaves its scent on you, it is a friendly gesture that the cat feels should be appreciated.

  Cats establish their territory to be able to sleep, eat, defecate, and recreate in safety.

  It is natural for a cat to have a territory.

  Indoor cats also have a territory albeit a small one, and, with multiple indoor cats, the territory is shared and mutually protected.

  Within their territory, cats establish a social position.

  Cats mark their territory by scratching and spraying urine on fences and trees. They also spread their scent from glands on their bodies.

  Rural cats can have territories as big as one hundred acres, with urban cats having smaller territories as small as a few feet.

  With indoor cats, the territory is shared where one cat gets the place at one time and another later.

  Cats have hierarchies (social positions) where there are rules.

  New cats to a territory usually must fight to establish a new territory.

  The strongest, toughest fighting tom is “head” cat in his territory and has power over all other cats i
n his area. A “head” tom can be overthrown and dominated or chased away. Toms often lose their status when neutered.

  Even though a tom may rule an area of land this does not give him preferential treatment when mating.

  A top queen within a territory is organized by how many kittens she has, the more kittens the higher the social standing. And when a queen is spayed, she loses her status.