Domestic Cat:Felidae Felis Felis Sylvestris lybica cattus
A
small, usually
fur covered
mammal on four legs. A round head accompanied by
pointy ears and long
whiskers used to assist with
hunting sits on the animal's
shoulders.
Cats can travel at relatively
fast speeds averaging perhaps 5-10mph. They hunt at all times of the day, mostly after
dark, preying on small
birds and mammals.
Cats are a largely
solitary creature,
calm, composed and
alert. They can develop a strong
relationship with
humans, creating a bond that lasts for the
life of the cat.
Cats sleep in small periods over the course of the day, rather than sleeping for one long time as a human does. They have very keen senses, especially at night.
Cats, contrary to popular belief, do get along with
dogs. Often, they will help the dog notice
disturbances in the night, as the cat has much better ability to notice things at that time.
A domestic cat can
live almost anywhere in the
world, barring the poles, deserts and the
bottom of the
ocean. They are usually found in the homes of humans, but can also survive in cities, forests, and other locales. They are one of the most adaptive creatures, and can be found on every continent except
Antarctica.
-=A
brief history=-
5000 years ago, a group of
nomads in what is now
Egypt gave up
their wandering practices. They settled down, and began to
grow their own
food; grains and other hardy plants. Not having any other way, they had to store their
surplus food out in the open.
Varmints (
rats,
mice and others), discovered this store of fresh
nourishment, and ate it.
Along came a small animal the African Wildcat, attracted by the large amount of easy
prey (the varmints), to the Egyptians homes. The people noticed that the Wildcat ate the mice, and encouraged it to stay by tossing it a
fish head every once in a while. This was a good deal for both the cat and the men:The cat got
free, easy food; the men got rid of the mice.
Quickly, the cat became domesticated. As it spent more and more time around the humans, it began to
trust them more and more. At first it let the humans come a bit closer, then closer, and finally to
touch and
pet them. This relationship developed into the
affection we share with cats today.
For years, the domesticated cat was revered amongst the Egyptians, they devoted
gods to cats and worshipped them as
deities. Everyone wanted a cat, because everyone had mice to fend off.
This love of cats spread to many parts of
Eurasia, including the Far East and Central Europe. In Europe, the closest thing to a cat goddess was the Norse's Freya, for whom
Friday (Freya's Day) was named. When the
Christian church came into
power, it frowned upon gods such as Friday, and designated her day as "
Black Sabbath."
The cats received the bad end of this
deal, they were persecuted and tortured, much as the
Witches in Salem, but we'll get to that later. It became a Christian law that cats were not to be bred, and were instead to be killed, yet they still thrived.
This is where the connection between "Witches" and cats comes from. Some
women would care for and raise cats, despite the religious laws. Some man would come along and trash her
property, because of her irreverence. The next day a
bucket of
waste would fall on his head. Since "
bad things(tm)" only happen due to another "bad thing(tm)" or a
Curse, the man must obviously have been cursed by the "Witch."
Another group that ignored the laws against cats (along with those barring
profanity and
sex) were the Sailors. They prized the cats for their ability to get rid of undesirable creatures on a boat, and the cats quickly gained a high
respect amongst the men. In fact, not a few mutinies were caused simply by the
captain's
kicking of the cat.
Eventually, the bad connotations of the cat were
lost in Europe, and they were appreciated once again. The "
black cat"
superstition stems from
England, and there, in fact, a black cat is in fact good luck.
The bad connotation of cats emerged during the Salem Witch Trials, where they were often associated with and hung beside their masters. This was merged with the black part of the English belief, and spawned one of the most well known superstitions.