Famous fictional cat characters

Well the list is pretty much endless ... Cats have many admirers, and they are a constant inspiration with their unique personalities. So we have cats in fairy tails like Puss in Boots, in literature, in theater, in film of any kind (my personal favorite is "That Darn Cat"), on television, in song, in radio, in video games, and last but by no means least in comics and animation. Some of the most famous worldwide of the latest are Sylvester, Tom Cat, Felix the Cat, Garfield, Pete, Hello Kitty, Simon's Cat ...

More news stories about cats

A few months ago I posted some amazing cat stories from the news. Here are some new additions to the list.

Kitty the Cat is Backpacking
Cat Is Station Master For Japanese Train Station

Cat - a great hunter

Through evolution cats have become strong and precise hunters, with fierce night vision. Hunting is in their core being, and cat hunting skills have never really been lost throughout the whole process of cat domestication. But why would well fed domestic cats need to hunt? This is a puzzle to most people as they can’t understand why cats continue to hunt, even though we provide plentiful food and water for them.
Here are some theories about it:

• We humans are useless hunters our cats are teaching us to hunt.
• Our cats are offering us gifts because they appreciate us.
• Cats bring home their pray to show us that they are capable of hunting; they are showing of their skills and talents and want to be praised.

When domestic cats hunt and catch prey they often seem to play with it. There are two possible reasons why a cat does this.
Firstly, the domestic cat is rarely given the opportunity to indulge in what comes instinctively to her, hunting. So when the chance does present itself she maximizes the enjoyment and plays out the game as long as possible.
Secondly, she may just be a little fearful of getting a bite from the prey so she plays safe. She does this by battering the animal with her front paws.

Cat - a "self cleaning" animal

So why cats clean themselves so often? They really love to keep their bodies clean. Cleaning is instinctive behavior, and cats have been washing themselves with their tongues for as long as they've been around. After they eat, before they sleep, after you touch them ...
Well there are reasons for them to clean themselves.
After they eat, they want to remove all scent of food from their bodies. In the wild, cats are small enough to become a meal for a larger animal. They want to remove all traces of food so that a larger predator doesn’t sniff them out and mistake kitty for a tasty treat. They also decrease their chances of being infested with parasites by cleaning their fur after a meal.
Before they sleep, they think they are safer from larger predators if they remove any scent of what they ate, where they’ve been, who they met up with, etc.

After you pet them, well, figure this out!

There are more benefits from this grooming process:

• It keeps a cat's fur clean and smooth.
• It removes dead hair and skin, tones up the muscles and stimulates blood circulation.
• It cools a cat off in hot weather.
• It helps a cat's fur stay waterproof.
• It fluffs up a cat's fur which keeps cats warm in the cold weather.
• If a cat hurts himself, licking the cut or scratch cleans it and helps it feel better.

Some interesting cat facts

Did you know that ...

• The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.
• The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.
• There are three body types for a cat.
• Cobby type is a compact body, deep chest, short legs and broad head. The eyes are large and round.
• Muscular type is a sturdy body and round, full-cheeked head.
• Foreign type is a slender body, with long legs and a long tail. The head is wedge-shaped, with tall ears and slanting eyes.
• A cat will amost never "meow" at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.
• The Giraffe, Camel and Cat are the only animals that walk by moving both their left feet, then both their right feet, when walking. This method of walking ensures speed, agility and silence.
• Cats rub up against other cats, and people, in an attempt to "mark" them with their scent glands. They most often use the scent glands between their eye and ear (near the temple area) or their scent glands near the base of their tail.
• Backward-pointing spikes on a cat's tongue aid in their grooming.
• Cats love high places. They share this love with leopards and jaguars, who sleep in trees.

Cat fights

Two different type of cat fights. The first can easily be cat "flirting" process.



The second, well, some top class boxing there!