Understanding Cats

Understanding cats - This is another fine photograph by probably one of the best cat photographers anywhere (the best, I think, is Helmi Flick). The photograph is copyright (Flickr Name) foturasfelinas. Her real name is Giane Portal. She says in the caption below this picture that in order to understand a cat you must realize that he has his own gifts, his own viewpoint and even his own morality. I read this as saying that cats have their own feelings, which many times are based on the same or similar principles and causes and effect as ours. When you look at this picture do you see an angry cat? If you do you might be frightened of cats. We must never allow cats to falsely reflect our own anxieties.

Understanding cats is something that you would have thought all cat breeders would be good at. This is not the case, I feel. The vast majority will though be well versed in a cat's ways. But do they get into a cat's head?

I wonder if the very nature of cat breeding is an obstacle to understanding cats. In order for a cat breeder of purebred cats to produce cats that are desirable she has to ensure that her cats are as much of the correct "type" (appearance) as possible with reference to the breed standard.

She can only do this if she breeds closely, meaning line breeding or inbreeding. If you breed from a good looking cat you want all the good characteristics from that cat in your cats. This means breeding from a narrow number of fine looking original cats. That kind of breeding is liable to bring out the good and bad of the particular cats concerned. You increase the chances of a recessive gene that carries a negative characteristic making its presence felt when you line breed. Yet all cat breeders must breed this closely.

What happens to the cats that are inevitably produced that are well below standard? Strictly speaking they need to be "culled" to ensure that the poor quality is weeded out thereby gradually eliminating the carriers of the poor genes and strengthening the narrow gene pool in which breeders work. This way you gradually improve the breeding stock.

The problem as you can see is that the breeder has to be ruthless enough to remove cats. Culling in this instance does not necessarily mean killing. I expect, cat breeders find homes for cats that are not desirable but this can't be the case all the time. Some cats get killed I am sure.

When you kill cats it seems that you are beginning to treat animals in your charge in a way that distances you from their feelings. They become objects, a product. It is this which is one of the root problems with cat breeding, which by the way I support, provided breeders see the wider issues.

Cats are driven by the same feelings as humans (remember we are animals in the true sense too - no we were not created by God in the garden of Eden, sorry. Apparently 80% of North Americans believe that God created mankind). When a cat is bad tempered you may think that she is just plain bad tempered. But the common sense reason is that there is some underlying cause. Cats are reactive and natural. Perhaps she doesn't like something in the home she lives in. This may be making her upset, nervous. When we as humans are anxious and nervous we can become aggressive and depressed. This makes us behave less well than we otherwise would. The same applies to cats.

If we want to understand cats we need to understand ourselves and remind ourselves that cats are very similar to humans physiologically and in may areas psychologically. That is why they are used in animal testing experiments but that is another story.

From Understanding Cats to Animal Testing

Non-Shedding Cat Breeds

Non-shedding cat breeds are a myth. It is obviously natural to shed hair. Humans do it as well. One of the biggest downsides of living with a cat is the hair, it's everywhere. You get used to hoovering it up though. Cats can be a bit messy. Some (but few) cat breeds shed less than others.

Cat hair. Image: Cornell University.

The first group of cats that come to mind are the hairless cats :). Simple really isn't it. Even hairless cats have some (but very little and downy) hair. Logic dictates though that if a cat has less hair there is less to shed. There are no non-shedding cat breeds just as there are no totally hypoallergenic cats despite claims to the contrary (although Allerca cats - Life Style Pets Inc. claim their cats, the Ashera GD, Allerca GD and Chakan GD are hypoallergenic).

The hairless cat breeds are the Sphynx, Don Sphynx and Peterbald (semi-hairless). These are all rare cats and realistically indoor cats.

The Rex cats shed less than normal due to the nature of their coat. Cats normally have three layers to their coats, a top layer the guard hairs, the middle layer are called awn hairs and the undercoat which is down hair. Some cats have less layers. The Turkish Angora has no undercoat, for example.

The Devon Rex does not have guard hairs so the coat feels soft (guard hairs are what you'd expect, harder to protect the fur). The coat is curly and sparse and low shedding. Not only does this make this breed one of the best in terms of shedding she is also better for people allergic to cats. Another cat with the Rex gene mutation causing the curly coat is the Cornish Rex. There are two other well-known Rex cats, the Selkirk and the LaPerm but these are not low shedding cats, although the Cornish Rex apparently is low shedding as she is missing both the guard and awn hairs (see below). Another Rex cat incidentally is the German Rex.

The Devon Rex can become hairless (rarely) due to a disorder called Hypotichosis at 6 months old. If that was to be the case you would have found a cat that is nearly one of the mythical Non Shedding Cat Breeds. In my opinion the cats with no undercoat (single coated cats) shed less. They are also much easier to comb and flea comb. Moggies can be single or double coated. The difference is quite noticeable. An example of a purebred cat with a single coat is the Oriental Shorthair. There are others.

One last point, a good healthy diet will result in normal shedding and regular grooming will help remove the dead fur. This will minimize shedding or put it another way you are controlling the shedding to a degree. Cats like being groomed provided it is done gently and it is a great way to bond. My cat asks for it and she gets it. There is one well known tool that gets at the loose hair in the undercoat that I have found is routinely recommended at that is the FURminator deShedding Tool with 1-3/4-Inch Edge for Cats. Used regularly it should help minimize shedding.

Non Shedding Cat Breeds to Cornish Rex

Bengal Cat

The Bengal Cat used to be the exotic cat. There was a fascination with the idea of creating a hybrid by mating a wild cat with a domestic cat; bringing the wild into the living room. Cat lovers could have a little bit of nature in their home. Humankind has always struggled to master nature. Nature will always have the upper hand. Here, though, was an example of humankind mastering nature, manipulating it and controlling it by creating in, an almost god-like way, a sociable, socialized cat with a streak of wild nature locked within him, coursing through his veins.

Bengal cat. Photo: Helmi Flick.

The Bengal cat was and still is full of "bling" and zing. This cat is very inquisitive - that comes from the wild cat in him, the need to be alert and on guard to successfully survive. It also demonstrates intelligence and finely honed senses and skills. That said all domestic cats have fantastic senses that we can only dream about. Bengals are very athletic and can move quickly. They can be found perched up on high. I am thinking of photographs that I have seen of a Bengal cat on top of a door (or in a Christmas tree). That's the wild cat in him again - great climbing skills.

The Bengal cat is a cat that made a big impact when the breed was developed back in the 1970s. At that time there was a fascination with the early offspring, called F1 and F2s, the first and second generations from the wild leopard cat. The question was, what kind of cat was this? Well, a pretty normal cat really. Although the male F1-F3 are sterile.

The early days raise some questions of ethics to be honest. We know Jean Mill had the vision to create and develop this massively popular breed but she started in a way that calls into question some finer points of the rights and wrongs of human behavior. She is revered and has just retired. Whatever the good and bad of her program, pushed the correct buttons in terms of commercial success.

To me, the Savannah has taken over the mantle of the number one exotic cat (and there are many, including, for example, the Toyger, and Chausie). The Toyger has no wild blood while the Chausie is a classic wild/domestic hybrid; but both to me could be classified as exotic. Why? - because of their appearance. Both reflect the wild cat appearance, the Toyger a mini-tiger and the Chausie the Jungle cat.

F1 Savannahs are mightily impressive, large cats with the phrase, "I am all cat", written all over them. This is a highly commercial cat too, being "transformed" into the Ashera GD, the hypoallergenic wild cat hybrid from LifeStyle Pets (Allerca Cats). Is the Ashera GD a F1 or F2 Savannah? Don't know but probably yes.

I mention the Savannah as the Bengal cat has now become more of a standard domestic cat. The breeding program now is to mate Bengal with Bengal cat. But has the program gone wrong? I had thought that Bengal cats where free of genetically based illnesses. But apparently not. In the cat fancy we know that the gorgeous Maine Coon (what a tragedy) has a high incidence of the heart disease called HCM (causing thickening of the heart wall). This potentially fatal condition now haunts the Bengal cat breeding fraternity. How prevalent is it? - we don't know. But it is, it seems, fairly widespread.

This is really hurting the breeding program. Getting real again - I can't help but think that this is a result of Bengal Cat breeders not keeping their eyes on the ball and the wider issues. I am sure that the wild ancestor to this breed does not suffer from HCM so the condition has been "bred and spred" in effect by breeders who have sadly been less than watchful. There is also of course the motivation to keep problem areas quiet, in the breeding program. This is good commercially on a short term basis and profoundly bad for all and in every respect on a long term basis.

The pain that can be caused to an adopting family when their cat dies prematurely of an illness such as HCM is unpleasant to say the least. Most importantly though is the cat; we shouldn't be bringing cats into the world that have a fatal medical condition. We shouldn't even take the risk of bringing a cat into this world with such a condition. There are though many fine Bengal Cat breeders. Here's one and here's another.

Despite all that, this cat is hugely popular and there are many well known personalities who keep this breed of cat, Justin Hawkins and Jemima Khan are two examples. It isn't just the flashy coat, be it spotted or marbled or whether she has glitter or not. It's the personality that really counts.

I can remember making a video of my neighbors Bengal, Daniel. He is about twice as alert as my girl moggie and three times as quick. But he doesn't like his space invaded - check out the video to see what I mean.

Shocking to me is the fact that there are many wonderful Bengal cats that are abandoned by people who have probably found this cat a bit of a handful. Moral - you'll need to be a cat lover and be able to provide input and have some space to keep a Bengal cat. Ideally and this is by far the best solution, I think, you should have the means and space to build a substantial enclosure fully Bengal proof. That will bring peace of mind for you and contentment for him. Indoor cats are safest. Another option that comes to mind is leash training. Bengals are OK I understand for leash training (i.e. more trainable than a typical mixed breed cat). But you can't beat a nice big enclosure.

There is still far too much cat cruelty in the world. Some people hate cats (and I hate them). Some eat cats (shame on them). There is too much danger out there for domestic cats. We made a dangerous world for them, I am afraid.

Photographs:
top - copyright Helmi Flick - this is a classic Helmi, so very much her photography and so very much the best on the Internet.
Cat on leash copyright Princes Milady reproduced under CC
Cat in tree - copyright MysteryFaery reproduced under CC
Cat near window copyright diverevan reproduced under CC

Bengal Cat to Home Page

Cat Heart Disease Nutrition

Photo copyright tanakawho

Cat Heart Disease Nutrition is sensible to consider as something we can do to help our cats if they are diagnosed with heart disease.

There are commercially available pet food products for cats and dogs with heart disease. This food contains low salt and low protein. One type of food that it is probably sensible to change from is dry food. Elizabeth Hodgkins, a US based vet with a lot of experience in cat food, makes a very good argument for not giving dry cat food to cats. I discuss a bit about that on the main site.

As cats naturally eat a diet high in protein, Elizabeth says it is not productive to restrict protein in a cat with heart disease (she disagrees with the big pet food manufacturers). However, the restriction of salt may be necessary but it depends on a number of factors. If low salt is prescribed by your vet, one way to lower the salt level is to mix in foods high in protein an low in salt. She recommends cooked egg white, which contains no phosphorous (which promotes kidney health). Egg white is high in protein and if mixed in with regular wet canned food will dilute the salt level in the food and increase the protein level.

The potential trouble is that salt adds taste and perhaps our domestic cats have become habituated to the taste of salt through eating commercial cat food. If she doesn't find the food palatable she wont eat it and maintaining weight is important as weight loss can accompany cats with heart disease.

Cats with heart disease can live good lives.

Source: "Your Cat" by Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM (I would recommend this book).

From Cat Heart Disease Nutrition to Bengal Cats and HCM

Grooming Your Cat

Even though cats are constantly grooming themselves, they often require a little help from their human companions, particularly the longhairs, such as the Persians. When grooming your cat, I think that it is important to not only concentrate on the coat, but to also pay attention to your cat’s eyes and ears.

Whether your cat is a purebred or of a mixed breed, the key to grooming your cat, lies in the strength of its coat. Those cats that have a very short, single coat such as the Siamese, Burmese and Cornish Rex, require very little grooming. Cats such as American Shorthairs, British Shorthairs and Scottish folds, with dense coats, require grooming on a monthly basis. Semi-longhaired cats such as Maine Coons need to be combed (and bathed if you wish) on a more regular basis. It is those cats such as the Persian breed that have a long coat, that need to be combed at least once every two days and their faces.

This type of cat should also be bathed on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. It is also important to clean the cat’s ears, when undertaking the bathing and grooming process.

The largest grooming obstacle is the coat of a cat, which can fall victim to shedding clumps of matted hair that are of a greasy consistency and stuck to your cat’s coat. These clumps are otherwise known as mats. Ensure that you comb the cat using gentle strokes from front to back, comforting your cat at all times with a gentle voice. Comb the cat as much as necessary in order to eliminate shreds and knots and to prevent them from building up. Whenever possible, always use combs and brushes that are specifically designed for grooming your cat.

Combs by the name of ‘greyhound combs’ are the best possible type that can be used on longhaired cats. A majority of these combs come with a colored anti-static coating and go through the mats on the coat with ease. Another great brand of comb is that of the ‘Pro Tech Comb’ which can be purchased from a majority of veterinary surgeries and catalogues. The 7.5 inch by one inch comb is the best size to use on longhaired cats that have thick coats. Combs that are 4.5 inches by one inch are great for using on all breeds. These combs are available with fine or coarse teeth.

Your cat can experience mats, even when it is the most well-groomed feline that you have ever known. This is especially common during seasonal shedding. If you find clumps of dry, tangled hair on your cat’s fur, it is recommended that you don't attempt to cut them out. This is of course important as you can quite simply slip and cut the skin of your cat. It is always advised to eliminate the mat by grooming the cat’s coat with a grooming comb.

Using one hand, hold the hair as close to the base as possible, ensuring that you are not directly pulling on the cat’s skin. In the other hand take the grooming comb and use the tip of that comb to pick gently at the mat until it begins to loosen slightly. It can be easily combed out once it has begun to break apart from the coat. This should be repeated when necessary.

As stated above, it is important to check your cat’s eyes. Eye matter can cause a great problem in big-eyed and short-nosed cats. The large eye opening along with the small distance from the tear ducts to the nose in certain cats, results in their being an area for more tears to occur than usual. Rather than the tears falling into tear ducts, they fall directly over the lower eyelids. It is when the tears come into contact with the air that they oxidize, which results in the area below the eyes turning brown in color and creating a substance that is glue-like. This substance needs to be cleaned out in order to keep the area healthy.

Always use a soft washcloth or cotton square which has been dipped in tepid water to undertake this form of cleaning. Wipe your cat’s eyes across the lower eyelid with the damp cloth whilst holding her head. Always ensure that you do not directly rub the eyeball. Allow the moisture to soften the matter in the eyes and then return to wipe the eyes again. Ensure that each time you rub the eye of the cat you use a clean piece of cloth.

When bathing your cat, it is always advised to use the kitchen sink or bathroom basin. Ensure that you place a non-slip mat on the bottom of the sink or basin to prevent the cat from slipping. If your cat normally wears a collar, then remove this before bathing.

It is imperative to use shampoos that are designed specifically for cats, as human shampoo can irritate the skin. Ensure that the water is not too hot or cold, it should generally be the same temperature as your cats body temperature. Wet the coat thoroughly before adding the shampoo. Talk to the cat at all times to reassure it and keep it calm. Shampoo firstly along the back and neck area, avoiding the eyes and then work your way over the entire body.

Once the cat has been washed all over, then proceed to rinse off all of the shampoo. Gently squeeze the coat to get rid of most of the water, then proceed to pat the cat with a soft towel. If your cat will tolerate a hairdryer, then of course this is the quickest way to dry it. Once the cat is completely dry, then comb through the coat once again, which will remove any hairs that were missed before bathing.

Grooming your cat should be done on a regular basis in order to keep its coat glossy and healthy.

{this article was written for Freddie and is approved by him}

Photographs
top copyright and By *B.G. Lewandowski*
second down copyright and by yajico
third down copyright and By Bonnie and Victor Cats
bottom copyright and by ChrissieWiz

From Grooming Your Cat to British Shorthair cat