Popularity of Cats and Cat Family

Mar 9
22:00

2004

chetan     gupta

chetan gupta

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Cats ... dogs by millions as house pets in USA , UK and many ... of Europe. In USA alone, there are about sixty million cats kept as pets. In USA, thirty seven percent of houses are havi

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Cats outnumbered dogs by millions as house pets in USA ,Popularity   of   Cats    and    Cat    Family Articles UK and many countries of Europe. In USA alone, there are about sixty million cats kept as pets. In USA, thirty seven percent of houses are having at least one pet cat. In UK about twenty five percent of houses are having at least one pet cat. In Australia, twenty six percent of houses are having at least one pet cat. There are more than seven million pet cats in UK. In Canada, there are about five million domestic cats. There are about five hundred million pet cats in the world. Cats are also widely domesticated in other parts of the world such as Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Japan, South Africa, all European Countries and many other countries of the world. In India also, many people are keeping cats as pets. The earliest ancestor of the cat was the miacis, which lived over fifty five million years ago. The miacis had a long body and tail, short legs and looked somewhat like a weasel. The ancestor of all domestic cats is African wild cat. All domestic cats are members of same species, Felis Catus. African wild cats were found in fossil form as early as thirty eight million years ago. Cats are one of the oldest mammals on the earth. The cat family includes large members such as Lion, Tiger , Leopard , Cheetah , Cougar, Jaguar, Panther and Lynx. Other small members of cat family include European wild cat, Kodkod, Pampas cat, Geoffroy's cat, Tiger cat, Puma, Ocelot, Bobcat, Jaguarundi, Margay, Andean mountain cat, Leopard cat, Jungle cat, Fishing cat, Pallas's cat, Rusty-spotted cat, Marbled cat, Bay cat, Iriomote cat, Temminck's golden cat, Flat-headed cat, Chinese desert cat, Sand cat, Caracal, African wild cat, Serval, African golden cat and Black-footed cat. There are about forty different species of wild cat. The domestic cat is one of the species of cat. The sand cat found mainly in Africa burrow into the sand to protect themselves from the heat of the sun during the day. Many wild cats also live in caves. The fishing cat found in India and Pakistan finds most of its prey in the water. The fishing cat is excellent swimmer. The fishing cat catches fishes, frogs and reptiles and feeds on them. The Cheetah is the world's fastest mammal. The Cheetah can run up to speed of seventy miles an hour over short distances. A cheetah may also pursue a prey for a considerable distance, as much as 5.5 kilometers. The Puma or Panther or Cougar is a sandy colored cat which is an excellent climber and can get up into the lower branches of trees with one graceful leap. The cats have developed their own camouflage, their coats blending to their environment and suited to their habitat. For example, the sand cat has a pale ticked coat which blends admirably into its surroundings. Other examples of camouflage are Bay cat, Pampas cat and Clouded Leopard cat. Cats love to sit in high places. The life span of a pet cat varies from about fifteen to twenty years but some pet cats live for more than thirty years. The average life span of an outdoor cat is from two to three years whereas the average life span of an indoor cat is about twenty years. Neutered cats live longer than non neutered ones, partly because they have less desire to roam. Outdoor cats die earlier as compared to indoor cats due to lack of treatment of diseases, parasites, cruel people, road accidents, pesticides, dogs, strong poisons like rat poisons. Most USA cat experts like Cat Fancier's Association and humane organisations are continually trying to reach the public with the message that keeping a cat indoors protects him from disease and other means of danger. A pet cat of England died at the age of thirty six years. For downloading cat movies, cat screensavers and cat desktop mate on your computer visit the website http://www.whataboutcats.com/.