Set a Cat on Fire

Cats are resilient and forgiving. They don't hold grudges even when a person or persons set a cat on fire. This is not that unusual. What I mean is that cruelty to cats and animals generally is not that unusual. It is often young people who do it. The horrible thing is that the person or persons who did this (see video below) wanted to be cruel to an animal and chose to set it on fire! Or did they actually realise that they were being cruel? Did they feel the pain or have empathy with the cat. What I mean is could they relate to the pain and distress that they were causing? I don't think they did.



In short, I don't think the people who did this really appreciated the significance of what they were doing. I think it is worth looking at the kind of person who would do this. The profile of the cat is totally predicable. We know what the cat is like - accepting of what happened, asking no questions but feeling acute discomfort with the possibility of succumbing to the injury. I am not sure at the time of writing this how the cat progressed. There was the possibility of infections despite the fact that he looks pretty calm about it all.

My thoughts are that the people who did this could be sociopaths. Sociopaths are people who are not able to empathize with the pain of their victims. If they are teenagers, then it will probably be a fixed trait. They will probably go on to do more of the same and the victim could be a person. Not that a person is any more or less important, for me, than a cat.

Sociopaths can also be called psychopaths. Of many antisocial traits they, suffer from, "early Behavior Problems/Juvenile Delinquency. Usually has a history of behavioral and academic difficulties, yet "gets by" by conning others. Problems in making and keeping friends; aberrant behaviors such as cruelty to people or animals, stealing, etc." - www.mcafee.cc (this linked page provides a full profile - opens in new window)

What else is of note about this incidence? Two things, it seems. The owners let the cat be an outdoors cat and they had to give the cat up to an human society as they could not afford the $2,000 vets bill. I wonder if either the vet or the human society could have done something about that?

As to being an outdoor cat, Puppy, as the cat was called, was a wanderer. Should people let their cats wander? It looks like it is a bad idea. We have created a world that is potentially hostile to the cat as the domestic cat is very vulnerable particularly when it has suffered declawing as it cannot defend itself when outside. See for example: Serval Cat Escapes.



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What is a classic tabby?

The classic tabby is a tabby cat, either, purebred or random bred, that has a blotched pattern. A blotched or classic tabby pattern is one of dark swirls and blotches as shown in the photograph.

The other two tabby patterns are the mackerel (stripes) and spotted. The Egyptian Mau, a purebred cat is the best known domestic cat that has a spotted tabby pattern. The picture on the right shows a purebred Egyptian Mau.

The tabby coat is arguably the most natural of all the cat coats because it provides the best camouflage, although the modern domestic cat is an urban cat.

See cat coats tabby for lots more on the tabby cat.

What is a pixie-bob?

Pixie-bob - Photo copyright Helmi Flick

The Pixie-bob is a purebred, domestic companion cat with a deliberately wild appearance. It is quite a rare breed.

I have a page on this cat: Pixie-bob. The second part of the hyphenated word "bob" refers to the bobbed tail - a shortened tail.

The first part of the word "Pixie" refers to the founding cat of this breed. That was her name. Carol Ann Brewer founded the breed.

Interestingly "Pixie" was a cat with a normal length tail. She was mated with a Manx cat, the famous tailless purebred cat from the Isle of Man to produce the shortened tailed cat. The Pixie-bob looks similar to the American bobtail.

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The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

What is a bobtail cat?

American Bobtail
Photo copyright Helmi Flick

A bobtail cat is a cat with a short tail. "Bob" refers to "bobbed" meaning shortened. The origin of the word "bob" in relation to tail length is interesting. It is a shortened version of the old Middle English word "bobbe" which meant a knob or cluster (1). When a tail is sufficiently shortened as in the Japanese Bobtail it looks like a cluster or knob of fur. Another American short tailed purebred, domestic cat is the Pixie-bob.

"Bobtail cat" usually refers to the American Bobtail, a purebred short tailed cat. The American bobcat is a species of lynx wild cat found in the USA. It too has a short tail. There is no connection between these two cats. The shortened tail is due to a natural genetic mutation. Sometimes breeders dock tails (shorten them surgically). You will see feral moggie cats with bobtails.

(1) Word Origins by Dhirendra Verma

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What is an angora cat?

Angora cat of 1895. Image in public domain

This is a tricky subject in my opinion. Although today the word "angora" usually applies to the Turkish Angora, a purebred cat that originates in Turkey and which is still found in Turkey.

The word "angora" used to mean a long haired cat. Well that is what I think. You will see old illustrations of cats that were all-white with long hair that look like modern traditional Persian cats that were referred to as "Angora cats". This terminology was used in the early days of the cat fancy, say the late 19th century and early 20th century.

I have a page on the Angora cat so I won't go on about it here!