. CATS ARE BEST FRIENDS OF HUMAN BEINGS -The Cat was a pet at least eight thousand years ago because bones of cats, mice and humans were found buried together on the ancient island of Cyprus. In ancient Egypt, the cat was a pet at least five thousand years ago. The cat was considered to be a sacred animal in ancient Egypt. Cats are held sacred in Buddhism. Much appreciated by the Buddhists was the capacity of cats for meditation which they sensed in cats. The Birman cat descends from cats that were venerated as gods in the Buddhist temples. In Burma, the Burmese cats are held to be sacred. The Birman cat descends from cats that were venerated as gods in the Buddhist temples. The Buddhist priests believed that the faithful returned to earth in the form of a cat. In Buddhism, it is believed that on the death of a person who had reached the highest levels of spirituality the soul entered the body of a cat. It remained there until the cat died, when the soul entered paradise. Even today, in some Asiatic sanctuaries, divine powers are attributed to the cat and it is believed that in the hereafter the soul of cat speaks to Buddha in favor of its owner that still lives on earth. In Buddhist temples across Asia, cats are kept as mousers. Among the most charming of Japanese cats is Maneki-Neko, a small cat believed to ensure happiness and good luck. Japanese Buddhists venerate cats after their death. The temple of Go – To – Ku – Ji in Tokyo is dedicated to cats. Vested priests serve the temple and intone chants for feline souls. Crowded into the temple are sculptures paintings and relief carvings of cats. In each of these, the cat has a paw raised as if in greeting, the classical pose of the cat Maneki – Neko. Cats continue to be worshiped as deities in countries such as Thailand and China. The power of cats to see in the dark was also considered useful to hold evil spirits at way, since it was usually thought that eyes of cat were more active at night, the walls of many Asiatic houses were adorned with images of cats. In England, a black cat sitting in a house on a wedding day is thought to bring good luck. In Thailand, a Diamond eyed cat is believed to be a symbol of good luck. In South America, the Incas revered sacred cats, representations of which can be seen in pre-Columbian Peruvian artifacts. The earliest representations of domestic cat were Egyptian tomb paintings and sculpture. By the 5th century B.C., images of cats appeared on Greek coins, and later they were depicted in Roman mosaics and paintings and on earthenware, coins and shields. Cats have reputation for having nine lives. Cats are very affectionate towards human beings. The Siamese breed of cats are very affectionate towards people. Cats can recognize footsteps of their owner from hundreds of feet away. Cats are easy to care as compared to dogs. Outdoor cats bury their faeces. Cats groom themselves with their saliva. The cats tongue, saliva and paws help in grooming cats themselves. Cats groom themselves about twenty times in a day. Kittens start cleaning or grooming themselves at the age of one month. All cats generally do not need bath. Cats are easiest to care out of all domestic animals. Cats are most independent domestic animals. Cats do not need care and attention. Cats are also small in size. Cats also exercise themselves. Cats are most playful out of all domestic animals. Kittens play themselves by batting and tossing small objects, hunting and by jumping in and out of boxes. Cats love to hide in cardboard boxes, drawer or laundry basket. Kittens begin playing with toys at the age of four weeks and their enjoyment becomes more elaborate as they grow. Kittens that have free access to a terrace or garden will amuse themselves by running after a butterfly, bug, insect or leaf. Cats enjoy being stroked by their owner. The gestation period of a cat is 63 days. The average litter of cats consists of four kittens. Kittens are born blind, deaf and helpless. The eyes of kitten open at eight to ten days of age, and they begin to be weaned about six weeks after birth. The senses of kitten begin to function ten to twelve days after birth. Soon after birth the mother cat licks her kittens, this action cleans them and helps stimulate their circulation. After birth of kittens, the mother cat take them to safe places. Scientific studies have shown that stroking a pet cat or kitten and playing with a pet cat or kitten reduce stress and anxiety and lowers the blood pressure of its owner. Cats can also learn to live with other domestic pets. The fur of cats is soft and beautiful. Cats are comfort – loving creatures, seemingly addicted to warmth and luxury. Cats also seem to grow fond of their owners, adopting them almost as parents. Cats are available in many coat colours. Cats and kittens use litter boxes or toilet and unlike dogs, cats do not need to be walked. Dogs are not able to use litter box and toilet and dogs need to be walked. Kittens begin using litter box at just five or six weeks age. The litter boxes of cats should be filled with sand, regular clay, clumping clay or wooden pallets. Childrens and adults both enjoy playing with cats. Kittens should be domesticated at the age of two to four months. The weight of a newborn kitten is about hundred grams. Many cat magazines are published in the USA , UK, and other countries each year. Cats have been portayed in the works of many great artists including Leonardo Da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Paul Gauguin, Theodore Gericault, William Hogarth, Edouard Manet and Pablo Picasso. Most cats like to become friendly with human beings while few of them want to be left alone. Kittens are most playful out of all domestic animals. All kittens play by themselves by finding amusement or satisfaction with odd trinkets or by jumping in and out of boxes, hunting and poking, batting and tossing small objects. Kittens also exercise themselves. Keeping cats as pets can bring cheerfulness and for the aged, emotionally disturbed and prison population they bring about amazing transformation. Cats can be lifesaver for their owner. A cat of UK saved his owner’s life by signaling that the gas cooker had been left on with his paw. A cat named Mourka delivered vital messages from Russian scouts about the enemy’s gun replacements. According to news published in newspaper, in August 2000, a cat named Jessie saved her owner Margaret Hayward’s life by jumping up and down on her owner’s bed in order to wake her when the home caught fire. A cat named Scarlett of New York ran into a burning house five times in order to save her kittens. Some cats can protect their owner from thieves. A cat of UK actually alerted his owners to a real burglar by running up and down the stairs hissing and growling. A cat saved her kittens from a burning building. For any information about adventures of some extraordinary cats like bravery and homing instinct visit the website www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/excats/cats.html or website www.pbs.org/nature/excats. Cats are thought to protect humans from bad evils. Farmers and shopkeepers keep cats to protect food grains from rats as well as to prevent diseases like Plague which are spread by rats. Butchers, bakers, grocers, bookstore owners as well as restaurant owners and stationary store owners domesticate cats in order to keep their premises free of rats and mice. Due to the lack of cats, two thirds of the European human population died of the Plague in the past. Cats have been credited with the the ability to predict earthquakes. Cats can hear ultrasonic waves. Cats become intensely agitated before major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and severe electrical storms. In many cases, cats have been observed desperately trying to escape from inside buildings prior to an earthquake. Cats and kittens are very photogenic and can be easily be used to advertise any product like greeting cards, milk products, candy boxes, calendars, toys and food. Cat’s sense of hearing is one of the highest in animal kingdom. Cat’s sense of hearing is greater than human beings. The anatomy of cat is very similar to human beings. The Egyptian
word for cat is Mau. Cats were even worshipped as feline goddess Bast or feline goddess Bastet or feline goddess Pasht in ancient Egypt for more than two thousand years. The Feline goddess Bastet had body of a woman and head of a cat. The goddess Bastet was associated with fertility, motherhood, grace and beauty. It was believed that the goddess Bastet controlled the fertility of man and beast, cured illness and watched over the souls of the dead. The largest temple of goddess Bastet was built in the ancient city of Bubastis about 4500 years ago. Aelurus, an Egyptian cat god, represented the moon. In ancient Egypt, if a house caught fire, the rule went like this, save pet cats first and humans second. In ancient Egypt, a person killing a cat was punishable by death. In ancient Egypt, after death of cats, they were mummified and decorated, some with rock crystal. The dead bodies of cats were then wrapped in rich bandages of various colours. The mummified rats and saucers of milk were kept near cats. The faces of cats were covered by masks on which the nose, eyes, ears and whiskers were evident. The mummified cats were then placed in boxes made of wood or bronze. These boxes were then placed in cat tombs or pyramids. In ancient Egypt, the cat mummies outnumbered human mummies. In an ancient capital city of Egypt, more than 300000 cat mummies were found in 1890. The Egyptians believed that their gods took on the appearance of cats in order to pass down orders and omens. If a pet cat in ancient Egypt died, then all the family members used to shave their eyebrows as a sign of sorrow. If a pet cat in ancient Egypt died, then the entire family went into elaborate mourning with chanting and pounding of chests as an outward sign of grief. The Egyptians believed that divinities assumed the semblance of a cat, and so the high prists decreed divine orders and omens of the future according to its behaviour. The Egyptians considered that that the cat’s unblinking gaze gave it powers to seek out truth and to see into the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians used cats not only as hunters of mice but also as catchers of fish as well. The Egyptian Sun god Ra was believed to assume the form of a tomcat each night for his battle with the serpent of darkness. According to Roman Mythology, Diana the roman goddess of hunting angered the giants by taking a cat form. In India cats were mentioned in Sanskrit writings around 100 B.C.. The Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, of about 500 B.C., both contain stories about cats. The Indians at the time of Ramayana and Mahabharata worshipped a feline goddess of maternity called Sasti and for decades Hindus were obliged to take responsibility for feeding at least one cat. In India cats often played an important part in religious or occult ceremonies. Cats have the ability to predict earthquakes. Cats have barometric sensitivity or sixth sense. Cats can forewarn us of coming storm, coming rainfall and change in atmosphere. There is a popular notion that states when a cat licks its paw or puts it in its ear, it is a sign of rain or a change in atmosphere. Many legends, folklore, myths and superstitions are associated with cats. Cats appear in the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome. Cats are commonly mentioned in the fairy tales, folklore and legends of many countries. Some people thought that witches could change themselves into cats. Today, people in ,many societies believe that cats bring good fortune. Many people find cats mysterious because they move swiftly and silently and because their eyes seem to glow in the dark. Some people believe that a black cat crossing path of a person means bad luck. Some people think that cats possess magical powers while some people think cats as extraterrestrial creatures. Some people think that cats have the ability to predict future. All cats are believed to have nine lives. In parts of UK , a cat washing its face with water is said to foretell rain. In UK and Scotland, a black cat crossing path of a person means good luck. In America, white cats are thought to bring good luck. The Russian Blue breed of cats is considered lucky in Russia. Black cats in particular have long been regarded as having occult powers and as being the familiars of witches. White cats are thought to bring good luck in USA. The famous cats in cartoon include Tom, Garfield, Felix, Krazy kat, Top cat, Sylvester, Courageous cat, Pink Panther
, Cheshire cat and Azrael.