What affects us affects cats
The Black Death — the mid-14th-century pandemic that killed perhaps 30–60 % of Europe’s population — is among the most devastating tragedies in human history. For decades, popular memory and many historical accounts depicted it as a tale of black rats, fleas, and filth: rats infested medieval towns, fleas carrying the plague bacterium jumped …
In a recent study published in the journal Ethology, researchers investigated how domestic cats (Felis catus) adjust their vocal behaviour when greeting their human caregivers, and found a notable difference depending on whether the returning person was male or female. (Phys.org) The study, led by a team including Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas at Ankara University, …
A new genomic study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge has revealed a remarkable overlap between the genes that influence human temperament and those that shape the personalities of our pets — in this case, golden retrievers. Analysing the DNA of around 1,300 dogs, the scientists identified genetic variants that correlate with …
Plants Under Stress Emit Ultrasonic Sounds Detectable by Animals: Insights from Recent Research Plants have long been considered silent organisms, communicating primarily through chemical signals such as volatile organic compounds or root exudates. However, emerging research challenges this notion by demonstrating that plants under stress emit ultrasonic sounds — high-frequency acoustic signals inaudible to …
A recent study published in PLOS ONE has detected microplastics in the placentas and fetuses of domestic cats during early pregnancy, raising concerns about environmental pollution’s impact on animal reproduction. The infographic below concerns and associated, earlier study from China. Study Overview Researchers from the University of Parma, Italy, led by Ilaria Ferraboschi, conducted …
The study titled “Behavioral responses of domestic cats to human odor,” published in PLOS ONE on May 28, 2025, investigates how domestic cats utilize their sense of smell to differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar humans. Conducted by researchers from the Tokyo University of Agriculture, the research aims to elucidate the role of olfaction in …
Survey Reveals Pets Are Preferred Over Spouses in Tough Times – but read about the bi-directional relationship in the second part of this article. A groundbreaking global survey has revealed that cats and dogs may offer more emotional comfort during stressful times than even our closest human companions. The study, conducted across 20 countries …
Here is an infographic which touches on a couple of essential factors in the successful reintroduction into the wild of tiger cubs orphaned in the wild and hand-raised by conservationists. And below is some more information to support the infographic which by necessity is a highly compressed summary of the process. I start with …
