What affects us affects cats
If you search the Internet for an answer to the question in the title, be prepared to be misled. I will explain what I mean. People expect to find a specific percentage, a definitive answer to the question. You won’t find one. I am convinced of it. I have spent a good 30 minutes …
There would appear to be no safe and comprehensive personality and behaviour testing procedures to assess dogs and cats at shelters with accuracy. Nathan Winograd, American’s expert on animal shelters, states that “current temperament testing regimes for dogs do not qualify as objective criteria as they have been found to be no better than …
A study (2017) discussed the differences in health and longevity between purebred and random-bred (also known as crossbred) domestic cats. It mentions that purebred dogs have been extensively studied and have wide variation in longevity and common diseases across breeds. In contrast, pet cats have been less altered from their wild ancestors and have …
Scientists at Queen Mary University of London found that insects have an ability called ‘nociception’ which allows them to “detect potentially or actually damaging stimuli”. Humans have a similar process as the source of signals which translate into a sensation that we regard as pain. The acute discomfort of pain is a warning to …
Dogs are more at ease travelling in electric cars (EVs) compared to conventional ones. Car sickness otherwise known as motion sickness is fairly common in dogs. Research indicates that it is also experienced by domestic cats. I’m focusing on dogs because a recent study which has yet to be peer-reviewed strongly indicates that dogs …
There are two important issues concerning domestic cat character: friendliness and socialisation. They do overlap but they are distinct. Whereas socialisation ‘acclimatises’ the kitten to the presence of humans and dampens down a cat’s fear of humans, friendliness can be inherited, and it is a personality trait which makes the kitten/adult bolder and more …
I see a distinct overlap between the behaviour of octopuses and the interactions of female and male humans! Yes, this is not about cats, but I hope that you don’t mind as I find it interesting. It is indirectly about cats because it’s about animals and there is need for humankind to understand animals …
Here are 53 facts interspersed with some thoughts of my own about cat hoarding. The facts come from studies and therefore they are scientifically based. There may be some overlap in these facts. The information comes from several scientific studies including those referred to in The Welfare of Cats. The facts are presented in …
