Interesting Facts That Cats Lovers Should Know

If we are to believe the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), the US homes hosted approximately 81.721,000 cats in 2007, and only 72,114,000 dogs. Almost 32% of these houses had a cat in their care, and an average cat lover had minimum 2 felines.

Believe it or not, it is possible for dogs and cats to live together without creating a third WW. According to a study published in 2008 by the Applied Animal Behavior Science journal, cats and dogs can live in peace with one condition. The cat has to be under six months, and the dog mustn't be older than 1 year. The reasons that stand behind the clashes between species can result from a miscommunication. For instance, preventing aggression in the eyes of a cat and submission in those of a dog. Those animals who were introduced at an early stage develop a personal communication method.

Watching a cat drinking milk is a sensitive process. They don't scoop water into their delicate mouths like dogs to. Cats touch the liquid with the tip of the tongue and create a bouncing movement. Before having to fight with gravity, the jaws of the cat close and the milk is captured inside.

In spite of their majestic attitude, cats can be dumber when compared to dogs. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal discovered that dogs have experienced a larger growth of their brain in the last 60 million years as compared to their purring 'friends.'

Another article published in 2009 also proved that dogs are smarter than cats. However, it is important to specify that while dogs displayed a certain smartness in a domain, cats were doing the same thing, but in a different domain (expressive vocalization). The decision was taken according to the degree of usefulness displayed by each animal. If we are to think about the fact that the only thing cats can do is catch vermin, while dogs are more flexible in this area (discover drug stashes, diagnose illnesses, rescue lost people), we would be inclined to consider dogs as smarter companions. However, some might say that having a job which requires sitting in the sun and catching mice from time to time is not stupid at all.

Another important thing to take into account is the fact that cats can remember obstacles existent in their surroundings for about 10 minutes. In addition to this, cats also have an improved muscle memory, as compared to the visual one.

According to an interesting experiment, domestic cats that had the front legs clearing a hurdle, but were stopped before lifting the rear legs, had to walk again within ten minutes or else they forgot how to do a high step.

If the cats were distracted in the action of crossing the hurdle, they forgot about its existence in just a couple of seconds.

From the various climactic changes that occur in the world, the following one is the best: the cats' breeding season can be extended by the warm temperatures and the short winters. But taking into account that most of the resulting kittens become strays, I wouldn't say that this is great news!

5 Important Tips on Selecting Cat Food

You want to have a healthy and happy kitty. For this, you need to ensure that your beloved feline pet enjoys a proper diet. This can only be achieved with the right cat food. With so many options available, you will certainly benefit from some essential advice which will help you with making the best choice.

Get both wet and dry food for your pet.

In general, wet cat food is recommended since it is in the nature of felines to get water with what they eat rather than drink it separately. It is essential for the product to have moisture content of over 70%. Most canned products have moisture content of over 75% or 78%, but you have to check just to be on the safe side. It is best if canned products make up three quarters of the diet of your pet. In this way, it will have lower risk of urinary tract infections and diabetes. The remainder should be made up of dry food, which is good for the teeth. Of course, you have to ensure that your kitty has access to drinkable water as well.

Watch out with the terms on the label.

You will discover that not all products are labeled as "food". The ones which contain a different name such as "formula" or "dinner" usually contain a much lower concentration of the main ingredient. Similarly, if the label says that the product comes with a specific type of ingredient, then this ingredient is found in a smaller amount even though it is in a big print.

Ensure that the nutritional needs of the cat are met.

Protein should take up some 40% of the diet of the cat. Fat should take up around a third of it. That is why you have to ensure that the cat food which you get has a high concentration of protein and sufficient amount of fat. The lower the concentration of carbohydrates is the better. It must not exceed 50%. It is best if it comes from healthy sources such as rice and vegetables and not from corn meal. Felines require vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and taurine which should come from their food as well.

Opt for a good source of protein.

Good sources of protein include chicken, fish and beef. You should watch out with the products which contain more than one source of protein. You need to check what amount of each type of meat is included. Often, manufacturers use proprietary amounts. Hence, if you want to ensure that your pet gets enough fish, you should consider going for a product which contains it as the main ingredient.

Consider food with natural preservatives.

The natural preservatives used in cat food are vitamin C and vitamin E. They are good for felines when they are in optimal concentration in the body. There is no solid scientific evidence that the artificial preservatives are dangerous, but the natural ingredients are always better.

If your feline pet has any medical condition, you should definitely consult your vet before buying any type of cat food.