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Cats at Play
Domestic cats, especially young kittens, are known for their love of
string play. Many cats cannot resist a dangling piece of string, or
a piece of rope drawn randomly and enticingly across the floor. This
well known love of string is often depicted in cartoons and
photographs, which show kittens or cats playing with balls of yarn.
It is probably related to hunting instincts, including the common
practice of kittens hunting their mother's and each other's tails.
If string is ingested, however, it can become caught in the cat’s
stomach or intestines, causing illness, or in extreme cases, death.
Due to possible complications caused by ingesting a string, string
play is sometimes replaced with a laser pointer's dot, which some
cats will chase. Some also discourage the use of laser pointers for
pet play, however, because of the potential damage to sensitive eyes
and/or the possible loss of satisfaction associated with the
successful capture of an actual prey object, play or real.
Habitat - Providing a Home for your Cats
The wild cat, ancestor of the domestic cat, is believed to have
evolved in a desert climate, as evident in the behavior common to
both the domestic and wild forms. Wild cats are native to all
continents other than Australia and Antarctica, although feral cats
have become apex predators in the Australian Outback where they are
menaces to wildlife. Their feces are usually dry, and cats prefer to
bury them in sandy places. Urine is highly concentrated, which
allows the cat to retain as much fluid as possible. They are able to
remain motionless for long periods, especially when observing prey
and preparing to pounce. In North Africa there are still small
wildcats that are probably related closely to the ancestors of
today's domesticated breeds.
Cats enjoy heat and solar exposure, often sleeping in a sunny area
during the heat of the day. Cats prefer warmer temperatures than
humans do. People start to feel uncomfortable when their skin's
temperature gets higher than about 44.5 °C (112 °F), but cats don't
start to show signs of discomfort until their skin reaches about 52
°C (126 °F).
Being closely related to desert animals, cats can easily withstand
the heat and cold of a temperate climate, but not for extended
periods. Although certain breeds such as the Norwegian Forest Cat
and Maine Coon have developed heavier coats of fur than other cats,
they have little resistance against moist cold (eg, fog, rain and
snow) and struggle to maintain their 39 °C (102 °F) body temperature
when wet.
Most cats dislike immersion in water; one major exception is the
Turkish Van breed which has an unusual fondness for water.[32]
Abyssinians are also reported to be more tolerant of water than most
cats.
Social Behavior
Many people characterize cats as 'solitary' animals. However, cats
are actually highly social. A primary difference in social behavior
between cats and dogs (to which they are often compared) is that
cats do not have a social survival strategy, or a 'pack mentality';
however this only means that cats take care of their basic needs on
their own (e.g., finding food, defending themselves, etc.). It is
not the same thing as being asocial. Perhaps the best example of how
domestic cats are 'naturally' meant to behave is to observe feral
domestic cats, which often live in colonies, but in which each
individual basically looks after itself.
Living with humans is a symbiotic social adaptation which has
developed over thousands of years. The sort of social relationship
cats have with their human keepers is hard to map onto more
generalized wild cat behavior, but it is certain that the cat thinks
of the human differently than it does other cats (i.e., it does not
think of itself as human, nor that the human is a cat). This can be
seen in the difference in body and vocal language it uses with the
human, when compared to how it communicates with other cats in the
household, for example. Some have suggested that, psychologically,
the human keeper of a cat is a sort of surrogate for the cat's
mother, and that adult domestic cats live forever in a kind of
suspended kittenhood.
Metabolism
Cats conserve energy by sleeping more than most animals, especially
as they grow older. Daily durations of sleep vary, usually 12–16
hours, with 13–14 being the average. Some cats can sleep as much as
20 hours in a 24-hour period. The term cat nap refers to the cat's
ability to fall asleep (lightly) for a brief period and has entered
the English lexicon – someone who nods off for a few minutes is said
to be "taking a cat nap".
Due to their crepuscular nature, cats are often known to enter a
period of increased hyperactivity and playfulness during the evening
and early morning, dubbed the "evening crazies", "night crazies" or
"mad half-hour" by some.[13][14]
The temperament of a cat can vary depending on the breed and
socialization. Cats with "oriental" body types tend to be thinner
and more active, while cats that have a "cobby" body type tend to be
heavier and less active.
The normal body temperature of a cat is between 38 and 39 °C (101
and 102.2 °F).[15] A cat is considered febrile (hyperthermic) if it
has a temperature of 39.5 °C (103 °F) or greater, or hypothermic if
less than 37.5 °C (100 °F). For comparison, humans have a normal
temperature of approximately 36.8 °C (98.2 °F). A domestic cat's
normal heart rate ranges from 140 to 220 beats per minute, and is
largely dependent on how excited the cat is. For a cat at rest, the
average heart rate should be between 150 and 180 bpm, about twice
that of a human.
Source: Wikipedia Cats
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