...Cats Help Improve Our Moods and Help Us Deal with Stress Do you know just 15 to 30 minutes of quality time with a cat can calm your nerves and boost your mood? There’s even chemical evidence. When you spend time with a cat, your production of serotonin, a chemical that boosts feelings of well-being, goes up, and your cortisol levels go down. Cortisol, along with high blood pressure, is a result of stress, and can lead to high cholesterol and hypertension. This means that spending time with a cat can keep you healthier in the long run. DID YOU KNOW? A 20-year study found that people who owned a cat were 40% less likely to die from a heart attack. J Vasc Interv Neurol. 2009 January; 2(1): 132-135. PMCID: PMC3317329 Detecting Seizures More and more stories are cropping up about cats that can tell when their owners are about to have seizures and will do their best to warn them. While scientists suspect this ability has something to do with detecting biochemical scents, how it works remains a mystery. BBC News, “Pet cat ‘senses’ Bournemouth owner’s epilepsy.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-12740040. Pets Can Be Good for Our Children * When kids imagine how a pet feels, it may help them learn to empathise with their peers and take their feelings into account. * Teaching children to confide in their pets as if they were friends may help children recover from trauma. * Children who own pets may have higher self-esteem. * Teaching kids to care for a...
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...about cats. I have had a cat as a pet for at least 30 years. They are wonderful and I know I will always have one in my life. I think cats make the perfect pet because they are self sufficient, intelligent, and good companions. The first reason I think that cats make the perfect pet is because they are self sufficient. Cats can take care of themselves. When we take cats into our homes as pets, they don’t require much attention. Another good example of why cats are self sufficient is because they are clean animals and they bathe themselves quite often. Cats also have a built in deodorizer in their saliva and this deodorizer always makes their fur smell nice and fresh. One more good reason that cats are self sufficient is because they do not have to be let outdoors to go the bathroom. That is because cats almost instinctively know how to use the indoor litter box. All we have to do is show them where the litter box is and they will automatically go to it every time they have to use the bathroom. Another example of how cats are self sufficient is the fact that we don’t have to play with them when they are bored. Cat’s can amuse themselves for endless hours by watching the birds play in the yard or chasing a shadow on the wall. Another reason that cats are self sufficient is because even though indoor cats depend on us for food and water, we can leave a cat alone indoors for a few days. All that is needed to leave a cat alone is food, fresh water, and a litter box. My cat has been...
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...The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or housecat[5] to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and ability to hunt vermin and household pests. Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years,[6] and are currently the most popular pet in the world.[7] Owing to their close association with humans, cats are now found almost everywhere on Earth. Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felids, with strong, flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey. As nocturnal predators, cats use their acute hearing and ability to see in near darkness to locate prey. Not only can cats hear sounds too faint for human ears, they can also hear sounds higher in frequency than humans can perceive. This is because cats' usual prey (particularly rodents such as mice) make high frequency noises, so cats' hearing has evolved to pinpoint these faint high-pitched sounds. Cats rely more on smell than taste, and have a vastly better sense of smell than humans. Despite being solitary hunters, cats are a social species and use a variety of vocalizations, pheromones and types of body language for communication. These include meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting.[8] Cats have a rapid breeding rate. Under controlled breeding, they can be bred and shown as registered pedigree pets, a hobby known as cat fancy...
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...homes around the world have at least one cat living inside as a pet; in fact many homes have a few cats dwelling in them. People raise these animals for many reasons. Some want them for their companionship. Cats are soft, sweet, and lovable. People like playing with them when they are kittens and once they are older and calm love just snuggling with them. The reason these people keep cats is mainly for enjoyment. However, many other people keep cats to control the mouse or insect population in their house or on their farms. These cats usually do not come into much contact with their owners. Most just stay outside or in the barn where the mice are. But the question is where did cats originally come from, who first domesticated them, and who are their first ancestors? I think that all cats from the giant lions of Africa to the small house cat all came from the same ancestor. I will address and hopefully answer these questions and try to shed some light on the subject. I read many websites dealing with this issue. One was from the Feline Advisory Bureau and another was written by H. Ellen Whiteley. Both are considered experts on this subject. Ironically both articles were titled Evolution of the Cat. However were very different in content. Whiteley's article was short and to the point. It only contains important facts and some were very broad while others were some what detailed. It discussed how the miacis was the original ancestor of the cats, and where these animals were from. It...
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...Title: History of domesticated cats Aim/Purpose: To educate the audience on the history of domesticated cats. Introduction 1. The world’s most popular pet is the domestic cat and there is believed to be close to half a billion domestic cats in the world today. 2. The history of domesticated cats however starts way back before the modern twenty-first century right to the beginning of known and recorded history. 3. In this presentation, I will be sharing about the history of domesticated cats. Body 1. Egypt. a. Although it has been commonly accepted that cats were first domesticated in ancient Egypt 4000 years ago, their history among human beings goes back much further. b. Wild cats are now known to have lived among the people of Mesopotamia over 100,000 years ago and to have been domesticated there approximately 12,000 BCE at about the same time as dogs, sheep, and goats. c. The cat’s association with ancient Egypt, however, is understandable as Egyptian culture was famous for its devotion to the cats. d. Cats in ancient Egypt were domesticated to control vermin which was harming crops and causing diseases. e. This therefore changed the quality of living for the Egyptians and cats became a sacred creature representing life. f. The goddess Bastet, commonly depicted as a cat or as a woman with a cat’s head, was among the most popular deities of the Egyptian pantheon. g. Cats were so passionately worshipped...
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...Many homes around the world have at least one cat living inside as a pet; in fact many homes have a few cats dwelling in them. People raise these animals for many reasons. Some want them for their companionship. Cats are soft, sweet, and lovable. People like playing with them when they are kittens and once they are older and calm love just snuggling with them. The reason these people keep cats is mainly for enjoyment. However, many other people keep cats to control the mouse or insect population in their house or on their farms. These cats usually do not come into much contact with their owners. Most just stay outside or in the barn where the mice are. But the question is where did cats originally come from, who first domesticated them, and who are their first ancestors? I think that all cats from the giant lions of Africa to the small house cat all came from the same ancestor. I will address and hopefully answer these questions and try to shed some light on the subject. I read many websites dealing with this issue. One was from the Feline Advisory Bureau and another was written by H. Ellen Whiteley. Both are considered experts on this subject. Ironically both art Also found in this area was another animal that many consider the species that the genus Felis descended from. This animal was called the miacis (4), a cat like meat eater whose fossils have been found in areas of North America, Europe, and Asia. These fossils were all found in the Eocene age, anywhere from the...
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...about cats. I have had a cat as a pet for at least 30 years. They are wonderful and I know I will always have one in my life. I think cats make the perfect pet because they are self sufficient, intelligent, and good companions. The first reason I think that cats make the perfect pet is because they are self sufficient. Cats can take care of themselves. When we take cats into our homes as pets, they don’t require much attention. Another good example of why cats are self sufficient is because they are clean animals and they bathe themselves quite often. Cats also have a built in deodorizer in their saliva and this deodorizer always makes their fur smell nice and fresh. One more good reason that cats are self sufficient is because they do not have to be let outdoors to go the bathroom. That is because cats almost instinctively know how to use the indoor litter box. All we have to do is show them where the litter box is and they will automatically go to it every time they have to use the bathroom. Another example of how cats are self sufficient is the fact that we don’t have to play with them when they are bored. Cat’s can amuse themselves for endless hours by watching the birds play in the yard or chasing a shadow on the wall. Another reason that cats are self sufficient is because even though indoor cats depend on us for food and water, we can leave a cat alone indoors for a few days. All that is needed to leave a cat alone is food, fresh water, and a litter box. My cat has been...
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...there are thousands of cat lovers in the world. The cat is a beautiful small animal resembling the likes of a tiger. It lives on the streets as well as in our houses and is one of our favourite pet animals. The cat’s body is covered with soft, silky hair and has four short legs and sharp claws hidden in the fleshy pads. Cats seldom make any noise while walking or running. Cats have bright eyes and they can even see in the dark. Cat is found all over the world and milk is cats favourite. Many people keep cats as their pets to scare away the mice. But unlike dogs, cats are selfish and dishonest. Cats even steal food from our kitchen and are very ferocious at times. But in general cats are gentle and playful and they love playing with the children. Many people think that cat is a harmful animal for it spreads various disease like diphtheria and thus they advice to keep children away from the cat. Some people also associate black magic with a cat. The most significant superstition related to the cat is that if a cat crosses the way of a passerby, he or she should not walk past. This is just a superstition because common sense says that when a cat crosses a road it means that the animal needs to go somewhere. It is as simple as that. Cats possess scary grey coloured eyes and most of the children are scared of cat’s eyes. A cat gives birth to three to four kittens at a time and these kittens need proper love and care when they are born. Taming a cat is not difficult if one...
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...English Comp Fund 16 November 2001 Cats and Dogs This compare and contrast essay is for English composition, it will be on cats, and dogs, and The three points are going to be about; fur, hearing, and dogs being omnivorous, and cats being carnivores. Cats and dogs are at the top of the list for pets in the U.S. today. One can train dogs with a lot of time, and hard work, yet most cats are difficult or not trainable at all. Most dogs and cats have different lengths of hair, and they come in many colors, and lengths. They both have a strong sense of hearing, and a tremendous sense of smell. My family and I have owned many pets. We currently have two dogs, and two cats. Phoebe is a Yellow Lab with short blonde hair, and Lizzie is a Black Lab with short black hair. Most dogs shed, but there are some breeds that shed remarkably little, or not at all. Brushing a dog’s coat will cut down on the amount of hair on the furniture, and floors. We adopted our two cats from an animal shelter. Shockte has short white hair, and Izzy has long gray hair. Cats are easier to take care of than dogs due to their self-grooming habits; therefore, they do not need baths regularly. The only problem is they do get hairballs that can lead to health problems. There are three ways to rid a cat of a hairball; a bowel movement, regurgitation, or having them surgically removed. The more love and affection a pet gets, the more they are likely to give back. Cats and dogs love to play and must receive...
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...Cat in the rain essay The main theme: It’s about a woman and a man, there are sitting in a hotel room. The woman see a cat downstairs under a table. It sitting outside in the rain and the American woman feel poor for the cat. She go downstairs to save the cat, but when she gets out the cat is gone. She walks up to her husband and he still sit in the bed reading, suddenly it’s knocking on the door. The American woman open the door and someone who work at the hotel stand there with a cat in her arms. The theme in the story it is to feel alone even if there are any, the woman feel alone even when the man is sitting in the room. It’s like he doesn’t are there, she walk around in the room and feel like she is the only one in the room. The narrative technique: It is third person narrator, it is a restricted narrator, since we hear about the wife's feelings for the hotel keeper. The story is primarily showing. The narrator have focus on the wife, and therefore the events are seen by her point of view. You can´t really tell what the narrators attitude is, the narrator is reliable. The main character’s relationship with her husband: Their relationship is very tense, they are not really talking to each other. It seems like it is the man that determines in their relationship. It was as though he was the one who decides that she well had to go down and pick up the cat, yet is he brought it up to them. Every time the wife asked the husband at something, he answered in a short...
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...Essay – Letter to a cat Letter to a cat was written by the author Sheelagh Morris and published in 1997. The story’s main theme is loneliness: “`Colonel do you think it acceptable practice to ask only the useful and or decorative to your wedding?´ June swung around in her chair. `Mother, would you stop pretending you’re talking to the cat.´” (ll.12-14, p.1), this quote catches the main theme loneliness well as she began to talk to the cat Colonel instead of her husband and daughter. Norma does not feel comfortable at home and wants to get out of there. Then she meets Arthur and he cares about her, which she’s not used to: “It was nice to be looked after” (l.2, p.2) She was feeling looked after when Arthur stopped the bleeding of her foot, which she clearly not feels at home. As a woman in her forties and highly overweight she’s not use to being cared about, at home she doesn’t get a lot of attention, as we can see in the introduction. Her daughter and husband ignore her and talk to her in a condescending way: “June and Daragh did not look up from the newspapers.”(l.80, p.2) It shows that they don’t even care if she said something or not. At the beginning of the text she has a conversation with her family. It ends in a negative way and she says she is going for a walk. Her way of slamming the door on her way out: “’I am going for a walk,’ she shouted from the hall. ‘There’s shepherd’s pie in the fridge.’ She slammed the door of number 42 behind her.” (l.20, p.1) This indicates...
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...Cats make incredible pets and long time friends Krystal Lewis South University Online Cats make incredible pets and long time friends Cats were first domesticated over six thousand years ago, and as far as we look back, they have been hunter and companion. Cleopatra, the Egyptian Pharaoh, was depicted as having a feline companion at her side. One that she was even said to have treated as a demigod. Cats have not lost much favor over the thousands of years since. They were useful for exterminating rodents, killing birds, and serving as companion for many families through the years since. They belong to the family Felis catus and are intermittently carnivorous in nature. They do better with human interaction and generally thrive from the companionship. One of the best things about cat’s, is that a great majority of them could continue to survive long after we are gone. Most of their survival instincts have remained in tact even though species adaptation as occurred to some degree. Cats were beneficial as hunters and exterminators for several thousand years. They have instincts that allow them to patiently stalk their prey for a great distance before inevitably pouncing on the unsuspecting prey. The sneak attack is very useful to them and led to civilizations in the past using them to run off of kill unwanted pests. One report says that “Most cats can be wrathful in protecting their territory (Carroll, 2011)”. These pests could have been plague carrying rats or birds...
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...“Cat in the Rain” is a short psychological story by Ernest Hemingway. The plot revolves around an American couple on a vacation in Italy; there isn't any preface to the story, we know nothing about the couple’s past. The narration starts straight off when the young woman sees a cat hiding from the rain in the hotel yard. At first sight the setting is ideal: a cozy room on the second floor, a lovely view from the window. However, there is one thing which spoils the whole picture, and that is the rain, which is why the couple stays inside. Rain is also often associated with sadness; to bring home this air of melancholy, parallel constructions are used: "The rain dripped from the palm trees. The water stood in pools on the gravel paths. The sea broke in a long line in the rain and slippedback down the beach to come up and break again in a long line in the rain ". The abundance of water is not accidental either; the rain, the sea, the pool – water symbolizes something inevitable; water is everywhere: it is on the ground, it is pouring from the heavens as though the nature weeps for something. This might also be regarded as a case of parallelism, since as the story progresses we realize that the feelings of the girl are not that positive. Here author also uses alliteration of sounds [r], [l]: "Rain dripped from the palmtrees, the sea broke in a long line in the rain", it brings the rhythm to the description of the weather. The conflict starts to unfold when the girl notices a cat in the rain...
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...Cat + 1 Wanda Wulz 1932 1903-1984 Cat + I is a surreal and superimposed self portrait of Wanda Wulz and of a cat. These two photographs come together and create a face of a woman who is half-feline and half-human. As the picture progresses from the right side to the left, the woman acquires more and more feline characteristics such as fur, whiskers, and a cat nose. Wulz’s primary intention was probably to perfectly match up the facial features of the cat and woman to compose a believable, fluid portrait. The emphasis in this photo is on the woman’s face, specifically on her mysterious eyes. My eyes are first drawn to hers, and then travel down the snow-white and thick whiskers. They finally hop from one blotch of black, to the next blotch of white which cover her body. When I spend time looking at this photograph, I notice how her two eyes are completely negative from one another. This photograph is similar to other photos by Wanda Wultz in the fact that this is a molded creation of two of her others photos, one which is a self-portrait and the other a portrait of a cat. The lines of the white whiskers are extremely focused and brought out by the dark background. Wulz used a very shallow depth of field as she, the subject, is more focused than the background. Contrast is strong between the following: the dark background, the white whiskers, the eyes, the different shades of fur and the hair on her head. Cat + 1 made me ponder for awhile. I thought maybe Wulz was trying to show...
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