In 1932, Jeanette MacDonald posed with then famous cat, Puzzums who was kind of a big deal in old Hollywood. He earned $250/week to appear in films with stars like Will Rogers, Maurice Chevalier and Carole Lombard. The cat was … please continue reading
It probably goes without saying that both the wild ancestor of our domestic cats and our human ancestors come from the same area on the planet which means that we are programmed to prefer the same ambient temperature range. Research … please continue reading
The link is the promiscuous nature of the female urban cat when in heat. You have probably made the association between the words “cathouse” and “pussy”. If you haven’t, this is it. ‘Cathouse’ is a slang word to describe a … please continue reading
In the 1950s, more new cat breeds were created than at any time before or since. In those far off days, criticism of the cat for destroying wildlife was relatively uncommon. Of course this was well before the internet. Internet … please continue reading
The answer to this question is actually straightforward. Because of circumstance and because the Near Eastern wildcat can be domesticated, it was domesticated about 10,000 years ago. The Near Eastern wildcat (aka North African wildcat) is quite a small animal. … please continue reading
When did Breeding start? It started in the United Kingdom (specifically England) in the late 1800s and the first cat show was in 1871 at the Crystal Palace in South London. It was organised by the father of the Cat … please continue reading
How has the domestic cat evolved over the approximate 10,000 years of its domestication from the Near Eastern wildcat? We have the beginnings of an answer at least. In 2014 scientists collected DNA samples from cheek swabs of 22 domestic … please continue reading
Do wild cats shed as much as house cats? I have the best books on the wild cats and there is nothing in them on the speed at which the wild cat species shed fur, which is unsurprising because it … please continue reading
If cats are feline what are dogs? Dogs are “canine”. Below I set out the origin of the words “feline” and “canine”. Google also tells us that the use of the word canine has increased significantly from the 19th century … please continue reading
The cheetah is alone in the genus Acinonyx. A ‘genus’ is a rank in the classification of the species (taxonomy). It is a sort of group of cats with the same fundamental features and in this case it is a … please continue reading
