Cats

Cats have been there with us for many centuries, since when ancient farmers have come to appreciate wild cats' hunting rodents and vermin that used to infest their fields or get into barns and granaries, dramatically destroying the grain. Although there is a long history of our relationship with cats, they still manifest their independent spirit and self-sufficient gracefulness, which is so much appreciated by numerous cat and kitten fanciers all over the world. Since the times when wild cats' natural habitat were trees and other heights, cats have been partially domesticated, grew in number of breeds and as the result, are even more fascinating and lovable nowadays. A great number of artists and writers have been inspired by the timeless beauty, grace and mystery of a cat, thus making these marvelous creatures the main heroes of their fine art masterpieces, from ancient figurines to today's fiction works.

Nowadays, a domestic cat is one of the most common pets worldwide, second only to the dog. Interestingly, cats and dogs are drastically different from each other in terms of feeding and hygiene habits, social behavior, anatomy constitution, brain structure and other features. For instance, while feral dogs naturally live in colonies, domestic cats primarily take care of themselves on their own, i.e. each feline individual takes care of its basic needs itself, lacking the social survival strategy which is significantly more peculiar to dogs. Speaking of cat's appearance, there is one more difference with dogs being observed: instead of Scottish Folds with the natural mutations to their ears, the vast majority of cats are straight-eared, while flap-eared breeds are not this rare in dogs. In addition to that, cats walk by moving front and back legs on one side, and then both legs on the other, while dogs and some other mammals move all four legs in sequence. And finally, while dogs often supplement their basic diet with fruits, berries, vegetables and other plant matter, cats usually prefer carnivorous diet only, and for this reason any healthy domestic cat is highly specialized for hunting birds, mice, rats, scorpions, cockroaches, grasshoppers and other small animals and insects that they can get in their environment, even if well bred by their owners.

Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to estimate the overwhelming number of feral cats and kittens wandering around streets and alleys of the world's cities. Some lost or abandoned cats live alone, while the vast majority lives in feral colonies, which improves the cat's chances to be not killed by vehicles or not to succumb to a disease or starvation. As for domesticated cats, they can be seen everywhere nowadays: from cottage houses and royal castles to mountain log cabins and transatlantic liners. While by some people cats are claimed to be less affectionate and friendly that dogs, getting greater insight into feline body language and vocalizations will help you get a much better idea of whether your cat is disgusted, relaxed, affected or frustrated. To sum it up, cats are truly mysterious creatures with their unique language and unusual behavioral traits that are certainly worthy of learning more about; and this is exactly what we have designed this comprehensive section of our guide for, so don't hesitate to browse though our informative reviews and articles related to cats, cat health, cat breeds, cat training, cat food and other issues of your interest, and explore the world of one of the most intelligent sentient species in the world, which we have come to know as a cat.