Why do cats knead?
"Kneading" is when cats massage an object with the front paws, which extend and retract, one paw at a time.
Plants & Animals
Dec 9, 2022
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News tagged with cats
New research analyses the relationship between cats and their owners
Co-dependent and clingy or casual and aloof—a new study has examined the behavior of pet cats to understand what it means about their relationship with their owner, and the research suggests it's a two-way street!
Plants & Animals
Jun 2, 2021
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Researchers identify five types of cat owner
Cat owners fall into five categories in terms of their attitudes to their pets' roaming and hunting, according to a new study.
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2020
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Feline friendly? How to build rap-paw with your cat
A team of psychologists at the Universities of Sussex and Portsmouth have purr-fected the art of building a bond with cats.
Plants & Animals
Oct 7, 2020
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Delayed weaning reduces behavioural problems in cats
Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats, shows a new study from Professor Hannes Lohi's research group. Based on the study conducted at the University of Helsinki, the recommended weaning age ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 13, 2017
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Corsica's 'cat-fox': On the trail of what may be a new species
In the forest undergrowth of northern Corsica, two wildlife rangers open a cage to reveal a striped, tawny-coated animal, one of 16 felines known as "cat-foxes" in the area and thought to be a new species.
Plants & Animals
Jun 19, 2019
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Genome sequencing project reveals new secrets about cat evolution
Researchers at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) and an interdisciplinary team of collaborators have uncovered new information about the history of cat evolution explaining how cats—including ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 2, 2023
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Owner personality and mental well-being associated with human–pet attachment
University of Helsinki researchers have collected data about the personality traits of thousands of dogs, cats and their owners to explore owner–pet attachment. The data encompass about 2,500 pet owners and 3,300 pets. ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 27, 2023
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Cats kill one million birds a day in Australia
Feral and pet cats kill more than one million birds in Australia every day, new research showed Wednesday, with the staggering slaughter driving the decline of many species.
Plants & Animals
Oct 4, 2017
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Mysterious Corsican 'cat-fox' revealed as unique species
The elusive striped "cat-fox" familiar mostly to Corsican shepherds and as a source of intrigue to scientists, is indeed its own species specific to the French Mediterranean island, the French office for Biodiversity (OFB) ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 16, 2023
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Cat
Felis catus domestica (invalid junior synonym) Felis silvestris catus
The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small predatory carnivorous species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes, and other unwanted household pests. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years.
A skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. It can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn on their own to manipulate simple mechanisms, such as doorknobs and toilet handles. Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including meowing, purring, "trilling", hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. Cats may be the most popular pet in the world, with over 600 million in homes all over the world. They are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This hobby is known as "cat fancy".
Until recently the cat was commonly believed to have been domesticated in ancient Egypt, where it was a cult animal. However, in 2004, the earliest known location of cat domestication was discovered to be ancient Cyprus, and a subsequent study in 2007 found that the lines of descent of all house cats probably run through as few as five self-domesticating African Wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) circa 8000 BC, in the Near East.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
