Roaring Sound of Tigers

Technically tigers don't roar despite the roaring sound of tigers being so well known. The tiger roar differs with respect to certain "critical features"¹ to the roar of the jaguar, leopard and lion. The tiger is therefore not one of the roaring cats. However, the tiger does roar and these four wildcat species are the only ones that do.

Air is expelled through the open mouth while the mouth is progressively closed. People can hear the roaring sound of tigers 3 kilometers away. It is therefore a long range sound telling other tigers of the caller's presence, but also used in other contexts.

A tiger might roar:

• after killing large prey
• before mating
• during mating
• when a female is calling her cubs

The lion, leopard and jaguar employ a roaring sequence. The tiger rarely employs a "regular species-specific structure"¹. Videos of tigers roaring are often not misleading as the tiger is not technically roaring. The video below would seem to be a genuine roar.



Note: (1) Wild Cats of the World ISBN-13: 978-0-226-77999-7

Prusten Sound

The prusten is a sound made by certain wildcats when in close proximity with other cats that is of low intensity and short. It is a snorting call. The wildcats that make this sound are: clouded leopard, tigers, snow leopards and jaguars. The clouded leopard makes similar sounds to the tiger.

The prusten sound lasts less than one second. It is a soft sound a bit like a horse snorting. Air is expelled through the nostrils. The larynx plays a part too. It is used in friendly encounters. It serves a similar function to gurgling and puffing. In the early part of the video below the tiger does a prusten. Note: videos are sometimes removed by YouTube without notice.

Side Effects of Prozac in Cats

Side effects of Prozac® include: shaking, hyperactivity, restlessness and vocalising more than usual, loss of appetite and aggression, gastrointestinal upsets. Overdosing can lead to feline seizure¹.

Prozac® is Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It is prescribed to people for depression. In cats it is prescribed for what we consider to be behavior disorders such as not using the litter box appropriately². I would be very cautious about going to a vet to ask him or her to prescribe this drug. Other more practical and common sense reasons for "behavioral problems" should be explored first. It may be a simple case of misplaced human expectations.

Note: (1) Dr. Jon on Petplace.com. (2) Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook ISBN 978-0-470-09530-0.

How common is feline diabetes?

In the USA feline diabetes is very common. It is ranked in the top five most common feline disorders probably. It mirrors the situation with humans, incidentally. Is there a connection?

Dr. John Heinerman in his book Low Cost Natural Cures for your Dog and Cat Your Vet Doesn't Want You to Know refers to a conversation he had with the owner of a veterinary hospital in Las Vegas (Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital), Dr. JoAnne Stephanos. She says that birds get diabetes too, to an increasing level. She puts it down to the food they eat. Commercial bird seed is sugary and contains preservatives.

Modern cat food is convenient for us and the manufacturers but inconvenient for the cat. I am talking about dry cat food, called "kibble" in the USA. It too has a high sugar content as the manufacturing process demands it. Cats can't taste sugar. Dr. JoAnne Stephanos says that the cat's body reacts against the unnaturally high sugar content setting up an autoimmune disorder that destroys pancreatic insulin producing cells. Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins (Your Cat), argues along the similar lines (feline diabetes). People also give cats sugary treats for reward. This is inadvisable as the cat becomes dependent on a sugar fix.

Cats that are predisposed to getting feline diabetes might suffer the condition if consistently fed sugary food. It is unnatural for a cat to eat sugar in these concentrations. The high level of preservatives are an unknown danger too. The answer is to feed wet cat food and or carefully prepared and stored raw cat food.

Feline IBD might also be linked to modern unsuitable cat food. Some dry cat food is regarded as better than others.

What does 11 11 11 mean?

It means nothing as far as I am concerned if the last 11 signifies a year. Today is the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year of the 21st century. It is just numbers. This sequence happens every 100 years apparently. That does not make it special. People like to place significance on numbers. We are essentially superstitious and fearful. We seek comfort in the meaning that we give to numbers. It is all rather sad for me. Although I totally respect other people's thoughts about this sequence of numbers.

I remember when the second millennium came around, the year 2000. Before that date people were predicting melt down and Armageddon. They were saying that computers couldn't count beyond 1999 and there would be chaos. Many bought a year's supply of backed beans and Heinz tomato soup and headed for the hills of Montana whereupon after 2000 arrived and become history without so much as a ripple of distruption, they returned home with their tails between their legs.

It's just the human condition. 11 11 11 means precisely nothing if as I mentioned the last 11 signifies a year. However, the 11th day of the 11th month does mean something in the UK. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month marks the signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War One. Evert year we have a 2 minute silence at that time to remember those who gave their lives.