The
most-commonly kept pet these days is the cat and lots of them are
kept by single people with careers.
A welcoming miaow might be nice to come home to, but those who leave
their cat alone all day will probably have noticed some less than
happy signs.
Torn furniture, scratched doors and little pools where they never
expected it.
The reason? Your cat is bored and unhappy. Most people at least follow
the RSPCA advice, which is to keep two cats as company for one another.
If you can't let them out, then you have to make their lives as rich
as possible.
This is easier if you select an appropriate breed. The choice is almost
- though not quite -approaching that of dogs, where there seems to
be a breed or type to suit the personal circumstances of even the
most eccentric taste.
Cat
in a Pot!
Cat
lovers should steer clear of Vicenza in Italy. For historian Professor
Sartore is bringing out a book - "The Traditional Food and Cooking
of Vicenza".
And amongst its recipes is "Il Gato Intecia" - Cat in
a Pot! Needless to say, it has outraged animal welfare societies
in Italy. Gianluca Felicetti, of the Italian Anti-Vivisection League,
has hinted that legal action may be taken against Professor Sartore
and the publishers.
The ill-treatment and killing of cats is expressly forbidden under
a 1991 law.
Birman
Rescue on 01389-841240
Cats as Garden Predators
At times,
wildlife conservationists put themselves on a collision course with
cat lovers, including me, by exaggerating claims that domestic pets
are a major cause of mortality of garden wildlife.
There is a degree of truth in this but it infuriates cat owners when
simplistic calculations are carried out - if each cat catches three
birds a week that's 130 a year and there are 4 or 5 million cats in
this country, therefore...Of course it doesn't work like that.
Cat-Human companion communication
Many
people think that cats seek out people who don't like them and look
for attention.
But a seminar in Prague last week completely disaproved that theory.
Scientists from the Instiutute of Anthrozoology at Southampton University
described the results of their study on human-companion animal communication.
They found that cats actually spent more time looking at people
who like them and would glance at them more frequently.
They were more more likely to turn away from those who disliked
them and put their tails up.
Most of our cat-owning readers would agree with this I'm sure.
However, I would also add that the saying "It's rude to stare"
is taken very seriously in the animal world, especially by cats
and dogs.
Staring, or a prolonged fixed gaze on a human or animal by another
human or animal, is taken as a sign of very unnatural interest,
usually some form of aggressive threat.
If you want to build up trust with any animal, don't stare.
Do as they do, which is to glance at you from time to time while
otherwise looking past you into the distance.
External
Resources and Contacts
Scottish
Rex Cat Club
Anyone
interested in the Scottish Rex Cat Club can contact the secretary
Anne Ross at
"Straven",
Lewis Crescent, Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire.
Richard
O'Grady, is Honorary President of the Scottish Rex Cat Club and
has always been fascinated by these highly-unusual cats with their
felt-like or curly coats.
Singapura
Many of
the small "newer", breeds of cats, especially those with short or
curly coats, are ideally suited to live their lives totally indoors
- the Rex springs immediately to mind.
Most Oriental and pedigree types and Persians could not be risked
outside in an urban environment - their beauty and value would be
immediately apparent to the unscrupulous.
In
the last week, I've heard about yet another new breed, the Singapura,
which seem very suited to an indoor lifestyle. The cat is called
after the Malay name for Singapore, the breed's home.
The
first Singapuran cats to appear in the West were imported into America
in the mid-1970s, having been found living in Loyang in the North
East of the island. The breed was developed from these five original
cats, plus a further cat imported into the States in 1980.
The-look
of the cat remains totally unaltered today - compact, muscular,
with clean limbs and a long tail.
There is only one colour, Sepia Agouti, and they are quite
small.
Females weigh four to five pounds and males six to seven pounds.
A striking feature of the breed are the very large almond-shaped
eyes.
The short, tight coat requires little grooming.
They have very musical voices and are ideal house cats, since they
love human company.
There are very few at the moment in Scotland and the Scottish representative
of the Singapura Cat Club is Gillian Greer, who can
be contacted on 01505863023.
Secretary
of the Singapura Cat Club for the UK is Debbie van den Berg, of
437 Whippendell Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, Wd1 7PS.
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